Today’s passage: Job 22
Helpful thoughts:
- Eliphaz begins the third and final round of rebukes from Job’s friends.
- The second half of verse 5 declares Eliphaz’s opinion, “There is no end to your iniquities.”
- Verses 6-11 are all assumptions. These are the things Eliphaz has now decided Job must have been doing to earn the suffering he was enduring.
- In Verses 12-20, Eliphaz disagrees with Job’s belief that the wicked also prosper in the earth.
- The overall argument is this, if Job believes the wicked can prosper, he must think God is not paying attention or is unable to see and bring justice.
- With his argument complete, Eliphaz calls on Job to repent one last time.
Questions to consider:
- Knowing what Eliphaz concluded at the end of verse 5, what do you think the answers are to his rhetorical questions were supposed to be in verses 2-5?
- What does Eliphaz believe is the cause of Job’s suffering? What does he believe will happen if Job will repent of all the sins he must have committed?
- Verse 30 is talking about intercession. Eliphaz is saying Job, if he repents, would even be able to intercede on behalf of others in their sin. What is the irony of this statement (Look forward to Job 42:7-9)?