Week 5: Round Two of the Debate (15:1–21:34)

Review

Job chapters 1-14 describe Job's life as a wealthy, righteous man, the catastrophic losses of his family and possessions, and the beginning of his lament and struggle with his friends. The first section establishes his prosperity before disaster strikes, while the subsequent verses detail the swift and simultaneous calamities—first, raids on his livestock, followed by the death of his children, and then immense suffering that leaves him questioning why God would allow it. This part of the story sets the stage for the rest of the book, which explores themes of suffering, faith, and the nature of God's justice. 

So in chapters 15-21 we come to the second round of the debate between Job and his friends.

This round of dialogue will be even more intense than the last.

Eliphaz’s Second Speech (ch. 15)

Eliphaz makes a revealing slip in Job 15:4 “4 But you are doing away with the fear of God and hindering meditation before God.” . At one level, Eliphaz is obviously worried that Job’s portrayal of God as a cosmic bully (as in 12:13–25) will discourage people from fearing and trusting such a God.

But what does Eliphaz seem to fear would be the case if devotion had no reward? Do you think Eliphaz would have passed Satan test?

Job 15:14–16 “14 What is man, that he can be pure? Or he who is born of a woman, that he can be righteous? 15 Behold, God puts no trust in his holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in his sight; 16 how much less one who is abominable and corrupt, a man who drinks injustice like water!”

Reflect on 15:14–16 in light of 1:1, 8.

Job 1:1 “1 There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.”

Job 1:8 “8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?””

Is it true that no one can be right with God? Why might Eliphaz be so determined to portray God as displeased with everyone?

Consider also Eliphaz’s restatement of his understanding of retributive justice in 15:17–35.

Job 15:17–35 “17 “I will show you; hear me, and what I have seen I will declare 18 (what wise men have told, without hiding it from their fathers, 19 to whom alone the land was given, and no stranger passed among them). 20 The wicked man writhes in pain all his days, through all the years that are laid up for the ruthless. 21 Dreadful sounds are in his ears; in prosperity the destroyer will come upon him. 22 He does not believe that he will return out of darkness, and he is marked for the sword. 23 He wanders abroad for bread, saying, ‘Where is it?’ He knows that a day of darkness is ready at his hand; 24 distress and anguish terrify him; they prevail against him, like a king ready for battle. 25 Because he has stretched out his hand against God and defies the Almighty, 26 running stubbornly against him with a thickly bossed shield; 27 because he has covered his face with his fat and gathered fat upon his waist 28 and has lived in desolate cities, in houses that none should inhabit, which were ready to become heaps of ruins; 29 he will not be rich, and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the earth; 30 he will not depart from darkness; the flame will dry up his shoots, and by the breath of his mouth he will depart. 31 Let him not trust in emptiness, deceiving himself, for emptiness will be his payment. 32 It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not be green. 33 He will shake off his unripe grape like the vine, and cast off his blossom like the olive tree. 34 For the company of the godless is barren, and fire consumes the tents of bribery. 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil, and their womb prepares deceit.””

What is Eliphaz trying to say here?

Eliphaz argues that the wicked suffer a miserable and terrifying existence, implying that Job's suffering is a direct result of his own wickedness.

Is Eliphaz’s description of God’s moral governance realistic or plausible? Why might he be so concerned to insist that sin is always punished quickly and obviously? Why is he so intent on making Job out to be a sinner?

Job’s Second Speech (chs. 16–17)

Job 16:7–14 “7 Surely now God has worn me out; he has made desolate all my company. 8 And he has shriveled me up, which is a witness against me, and my leanness has risen up against me; it testifies to my face. 9 He has torn me in his wrath and hated me; he has gnashed his teeth at me; my adversary sharpens his eyes against me. 10 Men have gaped at me with their mouth; they have struck me insolently on the cheek; they mass themselves together against me. 11 God gives me up to the ungodly and casts me into the hands of the wicked. 12 I was at ease, and he broke me apart; he seized me by the neck and dashed me to pieces; he set me up as his target; 13 his archers surround me. He slashes open my kidneys and does not spare; he pours out my gall on the ground. 14 He breaks me with breach upon breach; he runs upon me like a warrior.”

In 16:7–14, Job gives a terrifying description of what he perceives to be God’s vicious assault on him.

Job 16:15–17 “15 I have sewed sackcloth upon my skin and have laid my strength in the dust. 16 My face is red with weeping, and on my eyelids is deep darkness, 17 although there is no violence in my hands, and my prayer is pure.”

Then, in verses 15–17, he describes the tragic results of this imagined assault. By the end of the book, Job will understand that the Lord is actually a mighty warrior on his side; God is not his enemy. But this chapter represents one stage in Job’s journey. It may be that, even when there is no outstanding sin in our lives, we feel we are under attack from God. Remembering that this passage is not the final word on the subject.

Job 16:18–22 “18 “O earth, cover not my blood, and let my cry find no resting place. 19 Even now, behold, my witness is in heaven, and he who testifies for me is on high. 20 My friends scorn me; my eye pours out tears to God, 21 that he would argue the case of a man with God, as a son of man does with his neighbor. 22 For when a few years have come I shall go the way from which I shall not return.”

In 16:18–22, Job makes a remarkable statement of faith in a heavenly friend and advocate, even when no one else supports him (v. 20). How certain is Job of this advocate? How can you tell that it is no mere human being filling this role? How will Job benefit from his advocate’s speech on his behalf?

Job began his speeches in chapter 3 by wishing he could rest in death in Sheol.

Job 17:10–16 “10 But you, come on again, all of you, and I shall not find a wise man among you. 11 My days are past; my plans are broken off, the desires of my heart. 12 They make night into day: ‘The light,’ they say, ‘is near to the darkness.’ 13 If I hope for Sheol as my house, if I make my bed in darkness, 14 if I say to the pit, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother,’ or ‘My sister,’ 15 where then is my hope? Who will see my hope? 16 Will it go down to the bars of Sheol? Shall we descend together into the dust?””

What has changed?

By 17:10–16, however, this has changed. What is keeping Job from longing for Sheol? How does this show the change occurring in his heart?

Bildad’s Second Speech (ch. 18)

Job 18:4 “4 You who tear yourself in your anger, shall the earth be forsaken for you, or the rock be removed out of its place?”

What is Bildad asking?

In verse 4, Bildad implies that, when Job complains about God’s injustice, Job is asking that an exception be made for him to the laws of the moral governance of the universe. What assumption is Bildad making that would cause him to misunderstand Job’s speech in this way?

Job’s Second Speech (ch. 19)

In chapter 19, Job again rebukes his friends (vv. 2–6) and complains of God’s attack on him (vv. 7–12) and Job’s resulting social isolation (vv. 13–19).

Job 19:23–27 “23 “Oh that my words were written! Oh that they were inscribed in a book! 24 Oh that with an iron pen and lead they were engraved in the rock forever! 25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, 27 whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!”

But then he speaks wondrously of his Redeemer (vv. 23–27). Each verse is very significant. In verse 25, the phrase translated “stand on the earth” is more literally “rise above the dust.”

What do you think “dust” might mean here the way it is being used?

Although “dust” can be a poetic way of referring to the earth (Job 5:6), it is more often in Job a way of referring to the grave (Job 7:21; 17:16; 20:11; 21:26; see also Ps. 22:16; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2).

If this is the correct way to read the verse, what is Job saying in his expectation that his Redeemer—who lives—will rise above or triumph over the “dust”?

Remember as well that Job is terribly sick and expecting to die soon; this is why he desires that there would be a permanent record of his words (Job 19:23–24). How does this help us understand “at the last” in verse 25 and “after” in verse 26?

Job 19:26 “26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,”

The reference to Job’s skin (19:26) probably represents Job’s whole body (see the same idea in Job 2:4; 10:11; 18:13). As a result, his skin’s being “destroyed” is probably a way of speaking of death.

What hope does Job have for what will happen after his physical death? How does this hope connect with the action of his Redeemer in verse 25? And what does this hope imply about any change in the relationship between Job and God?

Job 19:28–29 “28 If you say, ‘How we will pursue him!’ and, ‘The root of the matter is found in him,’ 29 be afraid of the sword, for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment.””

Job gives a serious warning to his friends in the final two verses of this chapter.

Is Job speaking rightly here? Can you think of other passages containing warnings about harsh, hasty, reckless, or damaging speech? How does this help us to reevaluate how we must speak to the “Jobs” we will meet in our lives?

Zophar’s Second Speech (ch. 20)

Job chapter 20 is a speech by Zophar, one of Job's friends, who argues that the wicked will suffer a terrifying and miserable fate. He claims that the wicked person's joy is brief, their wealth is temporary, and their wealth will be taken from them, their home will be consumed by fire, and they will ultimately be destroyed and their sin will be exposed by God and the earth. Zophar implies that Job is suffering because he is a wicked man and should admit his guilt and repent. 

Is this different from his earlier speech in chapter 11 or from the other friends’ speeches? Is there a sense in which what he says is true? Is this relevant or helpful to Job?

Finally the theologian speaks—but his words can only echo what the mystic and the traditionalist have already asserted: It is the wicked who suffer. Eliphaz made his case based on his observation and experience (15:17). Bildad, as the traditionalist, couched his observations in aphorisms; now Zophar grounds his argument in God’s actions against the wicked: He takes away their riches (20:15), rains down blows on them (20:23), and carries away all that they have (20:28–29). The reader knows that even though Job has experienced these things, they do not result from the wrath of God, as Zophar suggests (20:28). Zophar indirectly accuses Job of pride (20:6) and of concealing evil (20:12). As always, the friends observe Job’s circumstances but draw illegitimate conclusions about God’s motives and Job’s conduct.[1]

[1]Walton, J. H., & Vizcaino, K. L. (2012). The NIV Application Commentary: Job (T. Muck, T. Longman III, R. Hubbard, J. H. Walton, A. Dearman, S. N. Gundry, K. Covrett, & V. Verbrugge, Eds.; p. 222). Zondervan.

Job’s Third Speech (ch. 21)

Job will spend this chapter saying the same thing from different angles.

Job 21:7–13 “7 Why do the wicked live, reach old age, and grow mighty in power? 8 Their offspring are established in their presence, and their descendants before their eyes. 9 Their houses are safe from fear, and no rod of God is upon them. 10 Their bull breeds without fail; their cow calves and does not miscarry. 11 They send out their little boys like a flock, and their children dance. 12 They sing to the tambourine and the lyre and rejoice to the sound of the pipe. 13 They spend their days in prosperity, and in peace they go down to Sheol.”

Focus on verses 7–13: in contrast to Zophar’s too-tidy account of God’s judgment, how does Job portray God’s governance of the world? Is he right?

In response to these three speeches about the plight and destiny of the wicked, Job offers his own observations about the wicked—diametrically opposed to the neat and tidy perspective of the friends. Job confronts them with evidence that contradicts the traditions they have been spouting: The wicked often prosper (21:7–33). This is information that they all know but prefer to ignore. Job is preparing his case that the system is broken, for whether people have a secure and prosperous life or a miserable life of destitution, they all die (21:26). This sentiment picks up a theme well-known from Ecclesiastes.[1]

[1]Walton, J. H., & Vizcaino, K. L. (2012). The NIV Application Commentary: Job (T. Muck, T. Longman III, R. Hubbard, J. H. Walton, A. Dearman, S. N. Gundry, K. Covrett, & V. Verbrugge, Eds.; p. 222). Zondervan.