Job 15

CHAPTER 15THEME: Second discourse of EliphazThese men are pitting their minds one against another. Instead of seeing brawn pitted against brawn in athletic events, these folk liked to witness intellectual battles. We have completed one round of discourses. All three of the friends have spoken, and Job has answered each of them. Now we start on the second round of discourses. We could say this is the second inning if we were talking about baseball, or we could call it the second half if we were talking about basketball or football. Remember that Eliphaz is the spiritualist. He has had a dream and a vision. He feels that he has had a remarkable experience and should be heard. Many of the testimonies we hear in our day have little value because they rest truth on experience. First of all we should have truth, which is the Word of God; then experience should come out of that. Many experiences do not coincide with God’s Word. I have heard testimonies given by so-called Christians who have had a “great experience” that is no more sciptural than the telephone directory. Eliphaz bases his words on experience, and it is mighty hard to deal with a fellow like that.

Job 15:1

My, they are really slugging it out with words in this intellectual foray. He says, “My goodness, Job, you certainly are windy. You’re just doing empty talking.” Again you can see that he is not helping Job. Actually, he is attacking Job to try to break him down and make him confess. That is not the way to treat a man in trouble like Job is.

Job 15:4

Eliphaz says that Job is his own accuser. He is really going after Job, as you can see.

Job 15:7

You speak as if you know something, Job.

Job 15:8

Again he is arguing from a wrong premise. He tries to put Job in a very bad light. He does not bring Job to the place where he can see that he is a man who has a great lack and a great need. There is no comfort for Job from his friend.

Job 15:10

Eliphaz defends himself and the two other friends by telling Job of their advantage of maturity over him. He says that wisdom is on their side and not on the side of Job. This is his argument here.

Job 15:14

It is true that all men are sinners, but Eliphaz and his friends say this with the basic premise that Job has committed an awful, terrible sin and that he ought to bring it out in the open and confess it.

Job 15:15

What he says about the heavens is also true. When the Lord Jesus Christ died, He did not die only to redeem mankind; but in His plan of redemption there is to be a new heaven and a new earth that will come because He has redeemed us. It is a true statement that the heavens are not clean in His sight.

Job 15:16

That is also a true statement. If the heavens are filthy and need redeeming, how much more does man need redeeming? Although it is true, it is no more applicable to Job and his condition than it is to any other human being.

Job 15:20

Here again is the suggestion that Job is wicked and is hiding something from them. We must admit, however, that these men did not have a contemporary false psychology which says there is really nothing wrong with man, that man has made a few mistakes, and his sin is really one of ignorance, but it really is nothing that couldn’t be cured by rubbing a little “salve” on it. These men had a truer concept than our modern men who teach that man is a superior creature because he is the product of evolution, and so is not responsible to a Creator. Although these men did not have the answer to the problem of Job, many of the things they said were absolutely true. Eliphaz, instead of being a comforter, is a debater. He is not adding anything new but is playing the same old record over again. He has no new information since his first speech.