The Bottom Line

INTRO

We all have to deal with the ideas of loss, pain, and suffering. As we encounter these situations, we have to determine for ourselves what we will hold on to that will get us through them. In a way, we must determine what truth we will believe. Job is something of a philosophy lesson for us. Philosophy is derived from two Greek words that mean “love” and “wisdom,” so “philosophy” is “the love of wisdom.”

In today’s chapters, Eliphaz gave his third response to Job, and Job again responded to Eliphaz. Eliphaz had bravado. He wanted to be the one to get to the bottom line of what was going on.

TEACHING

Job 22:1–4: Eliphaz essentially asked, “What do you get the guy who has everything?” In Eliphaz’s mind, God was omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. There simply was nothing else any human being could offer God that He did not already have. This was the heart cry of a humanity that walked in the physical without seeing the spiritual. Eliphaz could conceive of ways his own wisdom or righteousness could better his life, but none of those things could add to God.

Job 22:5–9: Eliphaz brought a series of accusations against Job, but they feel general in nature. Eliphaz tried to show Job some of the situations in which he might have sinned.

Job 22:10–20: Eliphaz argued that because Job was a man like everyone else and had surely sinned in some general way, “sudden dread” had come upon Job. Sometimes the good things we experience in life come from the general grace of God. When those things are taken away, we can wonder what we did to cause God to remove them from our lives; their loss feels like “sudden dread.”

Eliphaz acknowledged the wicked could have their time in the sun but again asserted his belief they would be “snatched away before their time” (v. 16).

Job 22:21–30: Eliphaz encouraged Job, “Come to terms with God and be at peace” (v. 21), which meant to acknowledge his own sin and God’s justice in judging him. According to Eliphaz, if Job would simply humble himself in this way, God would be gracious to him again.

“Now without faith it is impossible to please God, for the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and rewards those who seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). To please God, we must believe in the things that He has said are true and that He will reward those who walk in obedience to Him.

“Therefore, since we have been declared righteous by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. We have also obtained access through Him by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also rejoice in our afflictions, because we know that affliction produces endurance, endurance produces proven character, and proven character produces hope. This hope will not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:1–5). God can be found in the low points. When He is found in the low points, we learn to trust Him more while the Holy Spirit gives us the hope and the perseverance to wait on the things to come.

Job 23:1–7: Job looked for hope but didn’t know where to turn. He wanted to stand before God, but he didn’t know where to find God anymore. Despite this, Job knew that if he were able to stand before God that God would treat him differently than his friends. God would strengthen Job, and Job would be able to “reason with Him” (v. 7), unlike Zophar, Bildad, and Eliphaz. Job knew God was not out to prove a point to humanity but wanted to bring His answers to humanity so humanity could understand its existence in light of Him.

Job 23:8–12: Job stated his belief that “when He has tested me, I will emerge as pure gold” (v. 10). Job didn’t despise his suffering. He didn’t believe it was anti-God for him to have to walk through a period of suffering. Job seems to have understood he would experience God more deeply in his suffering.

Job 23:13–17: Job believed God would always do what He wanted, including working out whatever it was He was doing through Job’s current situation. In light of this, Job expressed he was “terrified in His presence” and that he was “afraid of Him” as a result (v. 15). Job knew who God was but acknowledged he could have undersold the scope of God’s power and plan for him. Job believed God to be limitless in power. Job believed God to be omnipresent. Job believed God to have all wisdom. When he considered all these things, he came to a place of awe, a holy reverence for God’s power and wisdom.

CLOSING

Understanding the bottom-line truth of who God is enables us to overcome any trial or tribulation in life. The one place in which we must be satisfied is knowing God and knowing He knows us.