Portion For Reading JOb 21-24
I. JOB'S REPLY (21:1-34)
1. The wicked don't always suffer, but often prosper in this life
(21:1-16)
a. Job asks that they listen carefully, and then continue
their mocking
b. Some wicked do prosper in this life, even though they
reject God and His ways
Job 21:7-8
Why do the wicked live on,
growing old and increasing in power?
They see their children established around them,
their offspring before their eyes.
2. The wicked often die in comfort (21:17-26)
a. They don't always experience God's wrath in this life
b. Some even say that God lays up the iniquity of the wicked
for his children (though Job wishes God would recompense
the wicked one directly)
c. The fact is, some people die at ease, while others die in
bitterness
Job 21:23-24
One man dies in full vigor,
completely secure and at ease,
his body [d] well nourished,
his bones rich with marrow.
II. ELIPHAZ SPEAKS AND JOB RESPONDS (22:1-24:25)
A. ELIPHAZ'S FINAL RESPONSE (22:1-30)
1. He rebukes Job again for his claims of innocence (22:1-3)
a. He affirms that God is self-sufficient, needing nothing
from man
b. Therefore Job's claim to be blameless is no way enhances
his standing before God
JOb 22:1-3
Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied:
"Can a man be of benefit to God?
Can even a wise man benefit him?
What pleasure would it give the Almighty if you were righteous?
What would he gain if your ways were blameless?
2. He accuses Job of great wickedness (22:4-11)
a. God is not punishing Job because he fears God
b. It is because of Job's great iniquity, of which Eliphaz
gives examples
c. For such reasons Eliphaz says Job is being punished
Job 22:4-11
"Is it for your piety that he rebukes you
and brings charges against you?
Is not your wickedness great?
Are not your sins endless?
You demanded security from your brothers for no reason;
you stripped men of their clothing, leaving them naked.
You gave no water to the weary
and you withheld food from the hungry,
though you were a powerful man, owning land—
an honored man, living on it.
And you sent widows away empty-handed
and broke the strength of the fatherless.
That is why snares are all around you,
why sudden peril terrifies you,
why it is so dark you cannot see,
and why a flood of water covers you.
Source:Ccel.org