THE BENEFIT OF SUFFERING
Job 15-17

A second round of speeches begins in chapter 15.   Job's three friends insist even more vehemently
that Job's suffering is a result of sin.   In the second round they become even more vicious than in
the first round, accusing Job of being a hardened sinner who is defiant to God.   This viciousness is
in defense of their theology and a means of keeping their own peace of mind.   If Job was not
being punished for his sin then their idea of God and His working in the world was all wrong.
Even more frightening, if living righteously did not offer exemption from adversity then what was
happening to Job could happen to them.

  1. Eliphaz's Reprimand (chapter 15).

    1. Eliphaz tries to shame Job into silence, in the first 13 verses of this chapter, by
      accusing him of irreverent talk.   Job 15:1-13 (note vs. 5).
    2. Job is rebuked by Eliphaz for being arrogant.   Eliphaz, says he and the friends, are
      wiser than Job and that they are much older.   Job 15:8-10.   Eliphaz was more of a prosecutor than a consoler.
    3. Eliphaz saw himself and his friends as direct messengers from God and Job should
      have been content with the consolations he was receiving.   Job 15:11.   His premise
      was that if Job was resisting their counsel, he was resisting God.
    4. Eliphaz attacked Job's claim and he insists that a mortal man, a human being, cannot
      be pure before God.   Job 15:14-16.
    5. Inference is made that Job's theology had been perverted by pagans.   Job 15:17-20.
      Their ancestors were wise men who lived in the land before it had become infested
      with alien philosophies. To Eliphaz, Job's idea that the wicked can prosper and the
      righteous suffer was the result of contaminated theology.
    6. Eliphaz was saying much about himself.   He was actually saying that "I am not
      suffering because I am good."         Anytime we become judgmental it is because of our
      own pride and self- righteousness.   Ps. 10:2; Prov. 16:18.
    7. Eliphaz gives a list of all adversities that come upon sinners.   Job 15:21-26.   He is
      describing Job and implies, "If the shoe fits, wear it."
    8. Eliphaz continues describing the wicked.   Job 15:27-35.   Eliphaz believed the wicked
      would get what they deserve now in this life.   He believed their prosperity was only
      temporary.
    9. Actually Eliphaz is saying that people live for God because He mercilessly punishes
      the wicked and graciously rewards the righteous.   This is the very reasoning of the
      devil.   If we serve God only for what we can get out of it, the basis of our religion is
      selfishness.   It is only in times of adversity and suffering that we can discover our real
      motives for serving the Lord.
    10. In the Old Testament there is a basis for what Eliphaz said.   God's basic covenant to
      Israel was that if they obeyed the Law, He would reward them, and if they did not,
      He would punish them.   However, during this period the nation of Israel was in its
      infancy, and God dealt with them as children.   Children understand rewards and
      punishments better than principles and morals.   However, when the young nation was
      about to enter the Promised Land, God revealed the right motive for obedience to
      Him in Deut. 6:5, which the Lord quotes in Matt. 22:37.

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    1. God did not give us His Law to bribe us to live righteously or to frighten us when we
      sin.   God want us to obey because of our love for Him.   John 14:15; Rom. 13:8-10.
    2. True goodness is never motivated by what it can get out of being good.
    3. All must realize that when others suffer, the same thing might happen to us
      tomorrow.   We must make sure the words we dish out are soft and caring because
      we may have to eat them another day.

  1. Job's Reply.   (chapters 16-17).

    1. Job's comforters turned out to be very disappointing.   Job 16:2.
    2. When you go through trials and testings, do not expect your friends (Christians or
      non-Christians) to understand what is happening or to have just the right words to
      say.   Probably, if you express how you feel, you will be judged or criticized.   Do not
      judge them; instead forgive them, because they may be more confused than you are.
    3. Job's friends added to his suffering instead of easing it.   Job asserts that he would
      have been a real comforter if he were in their place.   Job 16:4.
    4. Job learned many lessons about understanding and ministering to the hurting through
      his own suffering.   Job 16:5.   Instead of making long theological speeches trying to
      explain the workings of God, he would be more understanding.   Nowhere does the
      Bible tell us to try to explain why God allows certain things to happen or to judge
      people.   We are commanded to ease the burden of sufferers.   Gal. 6:2.
    5. Job did not understand why God was allowing his suffering.   Job 16:6-14.   It seems
      as though God had painted a target on him and given everyone bows and arrows to
      shoot at him.
    6. Job was a pitiful sight in sackcloth and much weeping.   Job 16:15- 17.   However,
      through it all his motives in prayer were not selfish but pure and he was right with the
      Lord.
    7. Job believed death was near and he prayed that his plea for justice not be buried and
      forgotten.   Job 16:18-17:1.
    8. The world was also judging and condemning Job.   Job 17:1-6.
    9. Job's body had deteriorated and all of his plans were shattered.   Job 17:7-16.   The
      only relief Job could hope for was the grave.
    10. When a person is suffering and experiencing anguish of heart and soul they do not
      think logically or theologically; they are thinking emotionally.   When we talk about
      theology to someone who is suffering, it is only a sign that we do not understand
      their pain.
    11. Consolation can be shared only by those who know what it is like to suffer and be
      consoled.   II Cor. 1:3,4.   Thought for meditation: God never gives away His
      consolation; He only loans it.

    12. When people are hurting, God does not want us to explain to them why they are
      suffering.   He wants us to share the comfort we have experienced during the storms
      of life.

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