Devotional: Job 4

Today’s passage: Job 4

Helpful thoughts:

• The rebuke from Eliphaz is this: Job instructed others to endure suffering in the past, and now that he was suffering himself, he was personally unwilling to endure.
• As Eliphaz develops his argument in chapter 4, he makes these arguments:
  • Bad things always happen to bad people (Verse 7).
    • Asaph might have another opinion concerning this matter (Psalm 73:4-12).
  • Everyone has sinned (There is no one who is truly righteous before God) (Verses 12-21).
• In order to speak with authority, Eliphaz claims to have received these statements in a vision (Verses 12-16).

Questions to consider:

1. What has Eliphaz said so far that is correct?  What has he said that seems short-sighted, like there is more to the topic than what he is allowing for?
2. Where does it sound like his argument is going?  On what or whom do you think Eliphaz is going to blame Job’s suffering?
3. Why does Eliphaz think everyone should listen to him and quickly agree?  How is he utilizing this idea of having a vision?  Why is that so dangerous?  How could that method be abused and misused today in religious contexts?  From where do we get authoritative truth (2 Timothy 3:16-17)?