In verse 20 Eliphaz again showed that he was a forerunner to the charismatic movement. He wrongly claimed that the wicked will face pain all his days. Asaph, who God directed to write several of the Psalms, discovered that wicked people seem to do quite well on this earth. He wrote that his feet almost slipped because he looked through the narrow lens of humanity. God redirected his thinking when he went into the house of the Lord. Then he saw the end of the wicked and it was quite different.
Wicked people often do better, in the material realm, in this life, than the godly. Godly people live by godly convictions and that will limit their ability to get into some of the higher paying job markets. It will also limit their ability to take some of the better jobs. No born again Christian could run for the leadership of any of our political parties. Their policies are so corrupt that a God-fearing man would need to sin against God to sign on to what they demand their people believe. Many of the corporations are so corrupt that a godly person could never get to the top positions there.
We know that God miraculously elevated Joseph to second in command in Egypt. He also raised up Daniel and his three friends in a pagan government. They did not run for those positions. They had a very clear testimony and were slaves prior to being given those positions. They did not bow to the ungodly dictates that those positions normally demanded. Today we do not see men who have those convictions that God can put into prominent places to serve Him.
Eliphaz was continuing to suggest that Job was suffering because of his sin. If Job would just listen to this corrupt ideology, things would go much better for him, according to what Eliphaz believed.
In verse 21 Eliphaz continued to lay out his case for the judgment of the wicked. Even though the wicked person does well for a time, the destroyer will come upon him. He is doomed to failure. Not true, but promoted by the charismatics today as well.
Kenneth Copeland is a wicked man and he is an old man. He has stolen millions of dollars from gullible people who love lies rather than truth. There are many others who follow his philosophy. Death will drastically change their standing. It seems their consciences are so seared they cannot hear the Holy Spirit speaking to them.
The wicked person that is judged by God lacks true hope. He can imagine that life will end well, but he lives in a fictional world. We know that Job was in despair at this time. He has already stated that he wished he had never been born. He was lacking hope, but God would change that for him.
In verse 23, Eliphaz suggested that the wicked man will be a poor man. He will wander around looking for bread. It is true there are many wicked people who are poor and looking for bread. There are soup kitchens that are always looking for donations to feed the hungry. Many of the hungry are in that situation due to their rebellion against God. They choose to ignore the truth and end up on the street and into drugs and other vices.
There are also many wicked people who are quite wealthy and have far more than they need. They can travel and dine out and take fancy vacations, etc.
Job was, in a sense, out on the street as well, but it was not because he was wicked. He was an upright person according to God’s standard. The devil had afflicted him for a short period of time.
In verse 25 Eliphaz suggested that the wicked person will fight against God. That is true for the wicked person but it was not true for Job. He was not fighting against God. He was seeking an answer from God. He longed for a word from the Lord, which he did not believe he was getting.
In verse 26 Eliphaz stated that God runs against the wicked and takes them down. He steps upon his neck and the wicked cannot find any defence against God. Again we know that God, in His mercy, allows the ungodly to prosper in this world. He shows him many times that he needs to repent and be saved, but many wicked people have done quite well materially while ignoring the need to know the Lord.
In verse 27 Eliphaz further describes the wicked individual. Jesus talked of the rich man in Luke 16. He fared sumptuously on this earth, while Lazarus begged for some crumbs. The rich man had no time for Lazarus. He lived in luxury until the day he died. Lazarus was a beggar until the day he died. Things changed drastically after death, but according to Eliphaz, Jesus was wrong in His teaching in Luke 16.
In verses 28-30 Eliphaz continued to describe what he thought was the state of the wicked. He was trying to protect himself and his two friends. They were behaving like wicked people. They had developed a false theology and were trying to make God someone He was not. They were trying to break Job by stating that it was obvious that he was a wicked person. His circumstances proved it, so they reasoned. They were wrong in their assessment but they were not about to change their minds. They were going to continue to hammer Job with their false theology.
God continued to prove that Job was a man of God. Job had the freedom to choose what he would believe. However, Job had already chosen to believe in God. He needed to grow in his faith in God, but his life was being built on the truth. Satan was trying to break him but he would not succeed.
Those who are saved can be encouraged to continue to trust in the Lord. He will never let His child down. We will not always understand why things happen as they do, but we can know that God is in charge and He always has the final say.
Eliphaz and his two friends would find this out soon. They were allowed to spout off their false doctrine for a time, but God would show them what He thought of them. They would need to humble themselves if they wanted to know His forgiveness. Job had some things to learn as well, but he was treated in a much better way by God, than these three friends were.
It is always wise to humble oneself and to trust in the Lord and walk with Him. His way will always be for the good of His child.
Pastor Bartel