THE TRIAL OF JOB.

Chapter IX.

SECOND ANSWER OF ELIPHAZ.

Job 15.

And must we submit again to listen to the vain speech of the self-appointed teacher? After having heard the words of Job, that have so powerfully appealed to our hearts with their thrilling pathos, and commended themselves to our understanding as manifesting the work of God in him and as embracing true doctrine, how void of interest and profit does the worldly reasoning to which we must now give attention appear!

Eliphaz the Temanite now speaks again in his turn. He appears cooler and more calculating than the others, as becomes a leader. But he brings forward nothing new, except in varying somewhat and adding to his charges against Job: Should a wise man utter vain knowledge and fill his belly with the east wind? Should he reason with unprofitable talk, or with speeches wherewith he can do no good?

Here is one of the principal objections which worldly religionists bring against the doctrine of the Bible–that it is unprofitable and can do no good. They vainly suppose themselves able to quicken dead sinners (which they call converting them), and that this is their principal work; and all preaching or conversation upon religious subjects they regard as having this work for its main object, and what is not calculated to produce such effect is, in their estimation, unprofitable talk, and can do no good. In order to gather men into their organizations, which is their success in converting, they must speak what is consistent with the wisdom of man and what suits his carnal understanding. So the doctrine of God's sovereignty, as displayed in the election of his people, and in predestinating them unto good works and unto eternal glory, is regarded by them as unprofitable, even if they are forced to acknowledge it as in the Bible. Men do not like it, and will not receive it, even as the Saviour has told us; therefore these teachers assure us that we can do no good by talking about it. And to complain under a sense of total depravity, as Job has been doing, only angers men, who, in their natural state do not believe themselves totally depraved, and will repel instead of attracting them, and therefore can do no good.

In all this these false teachers manifest their real character, as ignorant of the way of salvation, opposers and haters of God's truth, and proudly exalting themselves against him. He has left it with no man to quicken any: "It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing." He has not left it with his people to choose out of their experience what the worldly mind may sup­pose will do good and leave the rest unexpressed; nor to decide what part of his truth, as recorded in the Scriptures, is profitable and what unprofitable. The preachers preach what he bids them, and the object of their preaching is to instruct and comfort his people, who are already quickened or brought to life. That which they are bidden to preach is not suited to the pride and vanity of man. It is very much what Job in the preceding chapter speaks of having experienced. "The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it; surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our God shall stand for ever (Isaiah 40:6-8)." All conversation of the people of God upon religion is concerning what they truly feel and hope in – upon the power and goodness of God and the glory of his kingdom – and is for their mutual comfort and edification. They have no such vain ambition as the false teachers. It has been slain. If they can tell a little of their own poverty and vileness, and speak a little of the greatness and mercy of God, it is all they care to do. It is enough. The Psalmist declares, "They shall talk of the glory of thy kingdom, and speak of thy power (Psalm 145:11)." But while they do this, those who are "hypocritical mockers at feasts," as David denominates the teachers of Armiian doctrine, will chide and scorn them, as Eliphaz did Job, for reasoning with unprofitable talk, and with speeches wherewith they can do no good.

Yea, thou castest off fear and restrainest prayer before God. This is a very common accusation against the people of God by those who know nothing of the nature of true prayer. Supposing it to be an audible speech, and its power to depend upon the posture or form of utterance, they charge those with restraining prayer who do not "pray to be seen of men, as the hypocrites do." Of that voiceless prayer which arises from the broken and contrite heart they know nothing; nor do they seem to think that God can look into the heart and that he requires no form of words to convey to him a knowledge of our needs or our longing desires. The deep and fervent desire of the heart toward God is prayer; and he hears it though it be not breathed forth in words, and though the poor sinner is even unconscious that he is praying. He hears the groaning of the prisoner (Psalm 103:20), the sigh of the captive, the unspoken lamentation of the afflicted who sighs for help. He hears the poor and needy, whose tongue faileth for thirst so that he cannot speak (Isaiah 41:17).

"Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear;"

and Job answers this charge of Eliphaz by saying, Mine eye poureth out tears unto God.

For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I; yea, thine own lips testify against thee. This is probably in reference to Job's confession of his sinfulness before God, which Eliphaz construes into an acknowledgment of criminal acts committed, thus trampling these pearls of experience under his feet, and turning again to rend him who has cast them before him. He also thus utters his condemnation of the doctrine that proceeds out of Job's mouth.

He now indignantly repels the confident assertion of Job that his doctrine is true and theirs false, by sarcastically asking, Art thou the first man that was born? or wast thou made before the hills? Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou restrain wisdom to thyself? What knowest thou that we know not? What understandest thou which is not with us? With us are both the gray-headed and very aged men, much older than thy father. Are the consolations of God small with thee? Is there any secret thing with thee? Thus they who suppose that men by wisdom do know God, and that knowledge of divine things is to be acquired by study, treat with contempt the revelations of God to his people. The doctrine his people speak foolishness to the Greeks. If it was anything of importance, they have no doubt their wisdom would have searched it out. But this question, which was intended to express bitter contempt, could be answered in the affirmative. Job had heard the secret of God, as all true Christians have. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him (Psalm 25:14), and Job feared God.

Understanding Job to be denying the justice of God's dealing with him, and asserting his own righteousness, Eliphaz says, What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of woman, that he should be righteous? We have before had occasion to notice this particular point of their ignorance concerning the way of salvation. They have no idea of a perfect purity and righteousness as necessary to prepare man for heaven. According to their view, a man who does what he can is rewarded for what he has done by a place in heaven, which will be higher or lower according to the amount and value of his works; but still he is not, in their theory, made clean, as though he had never done wrong or sinned, but is rather like a criminal, who, having won the favor of his judge, is pardoned and sent out at liberty again, not pure and innocent, but freed from the punishment he deserves. If this were the principle upon which the saints are made meet for heaven, then most certainly the next declaration of Eliphaz would be true: Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight. If the saints were only pardoned criminals, truly they could not be trusted, and the heavens where they dwell would not be clean in the sight of Him who is infinitely holy. But the saints are perfectly pure and holy through Christ, and the heavens, whether the gospel Church or the heaven of eternal glory, are clean in his sight, without spot or blemish (Ephesians 5:27). God and the Lamb are the light thereof. "Thus saith the Lord, The heaven is my throne (Isaiah 66:1)." Is not his throne clean in his sight?

But only those who are taught of God can know how he can be clean who is born of a woman. Eliphaz, like all his brethren in every age, is speaking what he has learned of human wisdom, which wise men have told from their fathers, and have not hid it; and he continues throughout this chapter to speak falsely concerning the state of the wicked in this life.