Job 22:1-30
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said,
2 Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable unto himself?
3 Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?
4 Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? will he enter with thee into judgment?
5 Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?
6 For thou hast taken a pledge from thy brother for nought, and stripped the nakeda of their clothing.
7 Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, and thou hast withholden bread from the hungry.
8 But as for the mightyb man, he had the earth; and the honourable man dwelt in it.
9 Thou hast sent widows away empty, and the arms of the fatherless have been broken.
10 Therefore snares are round about thee, and sudden fear troubleth thee;
11 Or darkness, that thou canst not see; and abundance of waters cover thee.
12 Is not God in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars,c how high they are!
13 And thou sayest, How doth God know? can he judge through the dark cloud?
14 Thick clouds are a covering to him, that he seeth not; and he walketh in the circuit of heaven.
15 Hast thou marked the old way which wicked men have trodden?
16 Which were cut down out of time, whose foundation was overflown with a flood:
17 Which said unto God, Depart from us: and what can the Almighty do for them?
18 Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 The righteous see it, and are glad: and the innocent laugh them to scorn.
20 Whereas our substanced is not cut down, but the remnant of them the fire consumeth.
21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace:e thereby good shall come unto thee.
22 Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thine heart.
23 If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles.
24 Then shalt thou lay up gold as dust,f and the gold of Ophir as the stones of the brooks.
25 Yea, the Almighty shall be thy defence,g and thou shalt have plenty of silver.
26 For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God.
27 Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows.
28 Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways.
29 When men are cast down, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he shall save the humbleh person.
30 He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
“Acquaint Thyself with God”
Eliphaz opens the third cycle of the discussion with a speech altogether too hard and cruel. He begins with an enumeration of Job's fancied misdeeds, Job 22:1. The fundamental position with Eliphaz was the absolute, even-handed justice of God. In contrast with the oriental magnate who is influenced by gifts, God at least was unimpeachable; and therefore, however Job might affirm the contrary, he must have deserved the chastisement which had befallen him.
Then follows his argument from the Deluge, Job 22:12. Evil men are always anxious to think that God does not notice them. This was, says Eliphaz, the policy of those who were destroyed by the Flood. They attempted to build society on atheistic lines, though he filled their houses with good things. The inference, of course, was that Job had been guilty of the same offense, Eliphaz concludes with a tender delineation of a holy life, Job 22:21. To be reconciled to God, to obey His Word, to put away iniquity and trust in earthly riches, are the conditions of blessedness. We shall gain more than we lose, Job 22:25. We shall inherit the confidence and joy of His presence, Job 22:26. Our prayers will be answered; we shall walk “in the light;” and our ministry to others will be full of helpfulness. Let us, then, acquaint ourselves with God and be at peace!