I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 22-28.

    Eliphaz starts today’s passage with a great statement. God does not need us and if we are righteous it does not benefit God anymore than if we are not. However, he immediately goes downhill from there. Job had asked his friends, since they were convinced he was a terrible sinner, to tell him what sin he had committed. So, Eliphaz begins postulating terrible sins that Job had committed. There is only one problem with Eliphaz’s accusations. The only evidence for them is that Job is suffering. Eliphaz goes on to preach a form of prosperity gospel…which is not good news at all. He says that only the wicked suffer and that things always go well for the righteous. In fact, he essentially says that those who are suffering are wicked and those who are wealthy and “living the good life” are righteous. This is a heresy which people fall for time and again, that having wealth and a good life is evidence that one is righteous. This is not true and has never been true.

    Job responds to Eliphaz by complaining that he cannot find God. He acknowledges that God knows where we are going and will test us to show our metal. God controls our destiny and will guide us to where we can best serve His purpose. If that is in suffering, we will suffer. If that is in comfort, we will be comfortable. Then Job says something for which God later chides him. Job questions God’s justice. He admits that the wicked will face God’s judgment, but questions why it is so slow.

    Once more Bildad questions Job’s innocence. He points out that no one can be innocent when compared to God. We have all sinned in some way which is exposed by God’s great righteousness. As true as Bildad’s point is, it is useless to comfort someone who is suffering as Job was suffering. It failed in any way to ease that suffering. Job uses the failure of his friends’ wisdom to offer him any comfort to highlight something important. Mankind has learned how to extract treasures and resources from the depths of the earth, getting ever better at obtaining and using such treasures as time goes by. We have learned how to find ever more hidden treasures as the years pass. Yet there is one treasure which no one can find, wisdom. For all of man’s great learning and developing new techniques to obtain treasures and resources, he has failed to find any new ways to obtain wisdom. Only God knows where to find true wisdom. Only God can direct us there. It is only by asking God for it that we can obtain true wisdom.