Job 4:1-5:27 Innocent Prosper
Job’s friend Eliphaz throws in his ideas on Job’s troubles. “You must have done something wrong because only the innocent prosper.”
After a week of silently sitting with Job, Job finally speaks. He curses the day he was born and wishes he had died at birth instead. Now that he has spoked, his friends feel it is time to confront the issue head on. Eliphaz is the first to speak. And his words are what most of us would be thinking. God doesn’t punish the upright. Right?
Before we go on and examine his argument, let’s back up a little bit and look at God’s statement to Satan. When Satan comes the second time to God, God says something that grabbed my attention. “He still holds fast his integrity, although you incited me against him to destroy him without reason” (Job 2:3b). God Himself tells Satan that Job has done nothing to deserve the treatment he has received or is about to receive. Even when Satan took all he had, Job did not sin. His actions did NOT bring about his illness that we see in him today.
On the other hand, I can clearly understand Job’s friend’s argument. Job has been a counselor to MANY! He has seen others in trouble or despair and lifted them up. His words have corrected those who have gone astray from good. Their ‘falls’ had been at the hands of their own actions. Job saw this himself and worked with them to repent. When they did, they were likely restored.
Eliphaz wants Job to ‘practice what he preached’. “Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker?” (Job 4:17). “Being mortal, is there is NO way that you can be perfect. You must have done something to get on God’s bad side. Just admit it and repent.”
I agree with Elphaz’s statements about mortal man. At SOME POINT in our lives, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 2:23, emphasis added). This is why we needed Jesus as our Savior. Even Job falls into the “all” category, but not at this time in his life. At SOME POINT in his life he met the “all” requirements. He wouldn’t be a real person if he hadn’t. And the fact that he is referenced by later figures in our bible leads us to believe he is a real person in history.
But Job’s current predicament wasn’t brought on by his sin. I’m probably jumping the gun here because his story goes on for quite a while longer. What comes to my mind this morning, though, are about pruning. We have two apple trees and a pear tree on our property. They are great at bearing fruit! Most years there is so much fruit that we have to give it away by the box full. Last year we sent NINE boxes home with relatives, had three boxes of our own, and took three wheelbarrows FULL to the neighbors donkeys of fruit that had fallen on the ground. This abundance came AFTER I thinned the apple trees because their fruit was growing in like grapes.
The trees did nothing wrong to need the thinning, nor did they do anything wrong in the years when we have them pruned. They go about their lives producing the best fruit they can with the resources they have. But I want something more from them so I thin their fruit or have them pruned. In my spirit, I feel like God was ‘pruning’ Job.
And to answer Eliphaz’s assumption, YES, I have seen the upright have troubles. Even Elijah had trouble. He may not have been physically sick but he was soul sick after his life was threatened by Jezebel for putting the prophets of Baal to death. Jeremiah was locked up for sharing God’s words with the people. David was chased by Saul for daring to be God’s own choice for the next king. YES. They were innocent and righteous.
There are PLENTY of examples of the wicked prospering too. Take a look at the psalms if you have any doubt. Take a look at history for that matter. BUT there WILL be an accurate accounting in the end. God will ensure it ALL is straightened out in the end. For now, and with Job, we wait and we endure. We submit to His ‘pruning’ so that our ‘fruit’ can increase.
Father God, thank You that You are a just God. That You do see the imbalance. And that You ultimately will address it. For now though, You send rain and sunshine on both the wicked and the just.
I will NEVER claim to be sinless! I KNOW I have fallen short on FAR too many occasions. BUT I have Jesus. He makes me righteous through His blood. He washes me whiter than snow. Thank You Jesus for being my substitute. For taking on Yourself the punishment I so rightly deserve. I will NEVER claim to be sinless, apart from You. I will NEVER be God’s ‘gold standard’ on my own. But I am made righteous through Your blood and am God’s precious child because of it. And ALL that happens in my life is designed to bring me closer to Him and to perfect that which He started in me. He who began a good work in me, is FAITHFUL to complete it! Even if the journey is not always comfortable.
