Eliphaz berates Job again

The Book of Job Chapter 15

Eliphaz the Temanite has been listening to Job plead his case to God and says: Job, you are supposed to be wise man, but you give all this foolish talk and are nothing but a windbag. What good do words do? Have you no fear of God, no reverence for him? Your sins are telling your mouth what to say. Why should I condemn you, when your own mouth does it.

Were you the first person ever born? Were you listing at God's secret council? What do you know that we don't? On our side are aged, gray-haired men much older than you father. Is God's comfort too little for you? What has captured your reason and weakened your vision that you turn against God and say all these evil things?

Listen to what I say, Eliphaz told him: wicked people are in pain throughout their lives and are surrounded by terrors even on good days they fear the attack of the destroyer. Holding their shields, they defiantly charge against God. But they are fat and rich and their cities will be in ruin and they will live in abandoned houses. Their wealth will not endure and possessions no longer spread across the horizon.

The wicked will not escape the darkness. The breath of God will destroy everything they have. Emptiness will be their only reward. The godless will be barren.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: Once again Eliphaz was arrogant and rude. "Even the heavens cannot be absolutely pure in his sight". Eliphaz was repeating his argument that anything created, whether angels or people, is not a sufficient basis for trust and hope. Only in God can we be sure.

HOW DOES THIS CHAPTER RELATE TO US TODAY? Imagine having a life where everything that could go wrong -did go wrong. Imagine the loss of family, friends, belongings. Job seemed to know right from wrong, yet he allowed a bit of grief for his situation. Then along come old friends to show compassion for your loss, and instead of supporting you, they argue that everything that happened to you was your own fault, because somehow you had sinned. Some friends! I'd be angrier, wouldn't you?
In the next chapter Job responds again to Eliphaz.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH:
Update on my niece Suzanne, she is healing but her leg was crushed and will take many months of doctoring. She is in a nursing home for rehab care. Pray for her healing. Also Gabe, Wanda, Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
Pray for Cyndi Sullivan who made it six years with cancer but may now go home with hospice in her final days.
Pray for my cousin Diane who had total mastectomy surgery for breast cancer.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer. Update on Robert: he has one more treatment and then three months of waiting for his psat test to come back clean.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and for the doctors who have difficulty diagnosing his other symptoms.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.