A few years ago there was an attack in Syria that left a man (Abdulhamid al-Youssef) much like Job. In a single explosion, he lost his a total of 16 family members including his mother, his father, brothers, his wife, and his twin 9 month old babies. It was a horrific loss. Now imagine for a moment Job’s friends were speaking to this man.
When Job is at his worst, his friends (foolishly) start to speak. Eliphaz is the first and his message is simple with a lot of poetic filler:
Job is a sinner. That is why all this has happened. It is the judgment of God.
He acknowledged that judge was a righteous man at some point.
“Indeed you have instructed many and have strengthened weak hands. Your words have steadied the one who was stumbling and braced the knees that were buckling” (Job 4:3-4).
But he believes Job has now had some great in his life.
“In my experience, those who plow injustice, and those who sow trouble reap the same” (Job 4:8).
Eliphaz is literally telling his friend who lost everything that it was because he had sin in his life.
But he doesn’t stop there…
