Category: <span>Commentary</span>

Ecclesiastes 4-9

In Ecclesiastes, the teacher argued that because sin had so devastated life “under the sun,” or “under heaven,” satisfaction in the daily grind is reserved for those who fear God. The teacher saw all the acts of oppression being done “under the sun” (Eccl 4:1), and concluded that sin had so spoiled any hope of satisfaction apart from God that if one did not fear God, it would be better if they had never been born (Eccl 4:2-3).

The teacher recognized that those who do not fear God will not be satisfied by wealth (Eccl 4:4-16). Conversely, he wrote, “It is appropriate to eat, drink, and experience good in all the labor one does under the sun during the few days of his life God has given him, because that is his reward” (Eccl 5:18). Only those who fear God can interpret the extremes of life and enjoy a sense of balance in it (Eccl 7:15-22), he argued. The teacher proposed that fearing God served to protect one from the excesses that entrap those who live in a sinful world. The teacher concluded that in light of the immanence of death, one should fear God and enjoy life (Eccl 9:1-18).

The teacher’s statement that one should exercise self-control when approaching God’s throne, because “God is in heaven and you are on earth” (Eccl 5:2), gets to the heart of his argument. He understood that life “under the sun” is lived in a dominion of futility and spiritual imperfection. The argument of Ecclesiastes is a product of its age—the long period of preparation for the days of the Messiah, fulfillment, spiritual perfection. The thrust of the storyline of Scripture is that something new has arrived in Jesus, a new situation, the formation of a new people with new resources and new access to God. Jesus’ death and resurrection marked a fundamental turning in salvation history, when the effects of the fall of Adam and Eve would no longer dominate life “under the sun” for all who believe in Him. The author of Hebrews sought to fortify his audience as they endured the opposition of those whose hearts were set fully on life “under the sun,” those who did not fear God. The audience of Hebrews endured persecution that included everything from confiscation of property to imprisonment (Heb 10:32-34; 12:1-2; 13:3). Life “under the sun” was difficult for them not just because of the on-going effects of sin in the natural world but also more acutely because of their profession of Christ. But the audience of Hebrews had resources for endurance and satisfaction that the teacher in Ecclesiastes knew nothing of. The author of Hebrews reminded his audience of their:

(1) Access to God through Christ. In Hebrews, Jesus is presented as the great high priest who has fully identified with humanity in His suffering and death and has subsequently passed through the heavens into God’s presence as a sympathetic mediator. “Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness,” the author exhorted his readers, “so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us at the proper time” (Heb 4:16). Jesus, the author wrote, has passed through the heavens to be exalted as the Son perfected forever (Heb 7:26-28). Jesus’ self-offering has opened the way for all who believe in Him to come boldly to God. “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith,” the author wrote, “our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb 10:22).

(2) Fellowship with one another in Christ. The author of Hebrews described Christian fellowship as a potent force for Christian endurance “under the sun.” The author encouraged the congregation to encourage each other daily so that none would fall prey to discouragement and hardness of heart (Heb 3:12-13; 12:14-17). “Let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb 10:24-25), he said.

Commentary Ecclesiastes Old Testament

Ecclesiastes 1-3

On first glance, the author of Ecclesiastes appears to be a frustrated soul, but the book of Ecclesiastes presents theology in the context of a sin-cursed world. Life is futile, the teacher argued, apart from fearing God—the God of all human experience. Because life is lived, “under the sun,” (a phrase which occurs twenty-nine times in Ecclesiastes), in an age when the effects of sin are seen in both animate and inanimate spheres of creation, those that attempt to gratify themselves apart from God will be frustrated. In the worldview of the author of Ecclesiastes, humanity functions from desire—and even when fulfilled, humanity’s highest desires only leave them empty if they do not fear God. Thus, the teacher of Ecclesiastes said, “When all has been heard, the conclusion of the matter is: fear God and keep His commands, because this is for all humanity. For God will bring every act to judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil” (Eccl 12:13-14).

The teacher began by reflecting on the repetitive cycle of life, concluding that since there is no permanence in humanity or nature, everything is vain (Eccl 1:1-11). In Eccl 1:12-2:26, the teacher proceeded to analyze the specific avenues of life one may follow in order to find fulfillment. But wisdom (Eccl 1:12-18; 2:12-17), pleasure (Eccl 2:1-3), possessions (Eccl 2:4-11), and skillful labor (Eccl 2:18-26) he found meaningless apart from God. In Ecclesiastes 3, the teacher proposed that since God is sovereign over the limitations of life “under heaven” (Eccl 3:1), only by fearing God can one find fulfillment in the routine experiences of food, drink, and work (Eccl 3:9-15).

The teacher of Ecclesiastes had a singular argument: satisfaction in a sin-cursed world is reserved for those who fear God. In the argument of the storyline of Scripture, “fearing God” involves trust in the person and work of Jesus Christ—living under His Lordship—by the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul expressed the logic of Ecclesiastes when he exhorted the Corinthians to stop seeking worldly satisfaction and embrace God’s wisdom in Christ and the Spirit. Paul wrote:

(1) God displayed His wisdom in Christ’s crucifixion, contra worldly concepts of wisdom (1 Cor 1:18-25). In Paul’s day, criminals and runaway slaves were crucified. The watching world labeled Jesus’ death on the cross as foolishness; for no reason would a divine being allow Himself to suffer crucifixion. For Paul, Christ’s cross was the centerpiece of Christianity, reminding all who would follow Christ that worldly categories of thought would have to be set aside in order to walk in step with God’s wisdom.

(2) God freely gives His wisdom by the Spirit (1 Cor 2:6-16). In order to censure the divisive spirit that had arisen in the Corinthian church, Paul described God’s generous provision of His Spirit and wisdom. The Corinthians were aligning themselves behind various leaders in the church, thinking that certain leaders could give more spiritual insight than others (1 Cor 1:10-13; 4:6-13). Paul would have none of it. The apostle wrote that God’s Spirit supplies wisdom and God has given His Spirit to all believers. Paul said that as an apostle, he spoke only what was of the Spirit (1 Cor 2:13) and that only those of the Spirit could understand his message of Christ crucified (1 Cor 2:1-5, 14-15). “We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order to know what has been freely given to us by God,” Paul wrote (1 Cor 2:12). The Corinthians thus had no need for super-spiritual teachers to guide them in God’s ways. In fact, Paul urged the congregation to reject such a view of leadership (1 Cor 3:5-4:5).

Commentary Ecclesiastes Old Testament

Song of Songs 5-8

Song of Songs is a poetic love story. Since God has ordained the physical expression of love between a husband and wife, one’s sexual activity expresses their spiritual commitments. In the first half of the Song of Songs, the author describes the royal couple’s passionate union. In chs. 5-8, the author notes that sexual relations lead to conflict and can heal conflict in marriage.

The king arrived in the bedchamber, but his bride was already asleep. “I have taken off my clothing,” she said, “How can I put it back on? I have washed my feet. How can I get them dirty?” (Song 5:3). Rebuffed, the king left and his bride was crushed (Song 5:6). The queen charged her maidens, “If you find my love, tell him that I am lovesick” (Song 5:8). The maidens probed, “What makes the one you love better than another, most beautiful of women? What makes him better than another, that you would give us this charge?” (Song 5:9). The maidens’ questions prompted the queen to reflect on the king’s form. His head, hair, eyes, cheeks, lips, arms, body, legs, and mouth, she told her maidens, were her delight (Song 5:10-16). In the poem, the queen’s description of her husband compelled the maidens to help the queen find her husband and bring him home (Song 6:1).

How would the king reply to the earlier ingratitude of his wife? He complimented her: “You are as beautiful as Tirzah, my darling, lovely as Jerusalem, awe-inspiring as an army with banners…my dove, my virtuous one is unique…Women see her and declare her fortunate; queens and concubines also, and they sing her praises” (Song 6:9). The young maidens replied with cants of celebration for the beauty of the Shulammite (Song 6:10-13), and Solomon again spoke of his desires to enjoy her body (Song 7:1-9). This time she would not deny her husband’s desire: “Come, my love, let’s go to the field,” she said, “let’s spend the night among the henna blossoms. Let’s go early to the vineyards; let’s see if the vine has budded, if the blossom has opened, if the pomegranates are in bloom. There I will give you my love” (Song 7:11-12). Once again, the Shulammite expressed the warning, “Do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time” (Song 8:4).

The portrait of enduring love in Song of Songs 5-8 establishes a framework for understanding the endurance of marriage in the storyline of Scripture. Jesus confronted the Pharisees’ casual attitude toward marriage. They cited Moses’ statement that if a man wished to divorce his wife, he had to give her a certificate of divorce (Deut 24:1) Jesus retorted that Moses allowed divorce because of Israel’s sinful hearts (Matt 19:3-12//Mark 10:2-12). In the beginning, Jesus said, God created humanity male and female such that a man would leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife (Gen 1:27; 2:24). According to Jesus, casual divorce displays a mindset that is greedy and ignorant of His coming into the world (Luke 16:14-18).

Commentary Old Testament Song of Songs

Song of Songs 1-4

Song of Songs is a poetic story about the privileges and responsibilities of physical love. The description of physical love expressed by the king and his bride in Song of Songs 1-4 establishes a framework for marital relations. The author began by describing the bride’s longing to be with the king (Song 1:4). Yet she was nervous, self-conscious, about their encounter (Song 1:5-7). Her nerves were calmed by the admiration of the king, who said, “I compare you, my darling, to a mare among Pharaoh’s chariots. Your cheeks are beautiful with jewelry, your neck with its necklace” (Song 1:9-10). The couple came together in joyful and passionate physical union—from which the bride taught the young women a lesson: “Do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time” (Song 2:7). Even though the king’s bride knew the joys of being with her lover, she warned her friends that sexual passion must be fulfilled in God’s time.

The king’s bride was ecstatic when she saw the king coming to her after a time of being away. “Listen! My love is approaching,” she said, “Look! Here he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills” (Song 2:8). Solomon said to his bride, “Arise, my darling. Come away, my beautiful one. For now the winter is past; the rain has ended and gone away” (Song 2:10). Yet, it seems that he had to depart for some reason, and she was left alone at night. Then she had a dream that portrayed her fierce loneliness without him: “In my bed at night I sought the one I love; I sought him, but did not find him…I will seek the one I love. I sought him, but did not find him” (Song 3:1-2). Her dream ended happily, as she found her lover and brought him to the home of her family—the place of her security. From her dream the king’s bride provided instruction once again: “Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, by the gazelles and the wild does of the field: do not stir up or awaken love until the appropriate time” (Song 3:5). The way that the king and his bride compliment and entice one another during lovemaking underscores their love for one another in all of life. The narrator of the poem exhorted them, “Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with love!” (Song 5:1)

As the storyline of Scripture advances, the themes of sexuality expressed so vividly in the Song of Songs become a matter to be discussed within the broader category of one’s spiritual standing in Christ.

(1) Though marriage provides the means for sexual pleasure, even marriage is to be understood in light of God’s redemptive plan. Some in Corinth had wondered whether, in light of God’s redemptive historical work in Christ, they ought to abandon sexuality and marriage all together. Paul replied in 1 Corinthians 7 that heterosexual marriage provides the framework for sexual expression and in that sense curbs the desires that might lead to immoral behavior. Paul was content as a single man and urged those who would wish to be single to remain as such. But Paul wrote that to be single and immoral would be worse than being married and moral—even though marriage includes spousal commitments that might inhibit one’s freedom to serve Christ and the church. For Paul, God’s revelation of Himself in Christ and the Spirit is to guide decisions about marriage and sexuality. The author of Hebrews wrote similarly in Heb 13:4, “Marriage must be respected by all, and the marriage bed kept undefiled, because God will judge immoral people and adulterers.”

(2) A church’s commitment to Christ and experience of the Spirit is demonstrated by the sexual purity of its members. In the Corinthian church, a man was sleeping with his stepmother. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul confronted the church. Instead of removing the immoral man from among them, the Corinthians were boasting of their freedom from moral constraints (1 Cor 5:1-2). Paul judged the Corinthians’ immorality because it contradicted the purity offered in Christ’s sacrificial death (1 Cor 5:6-8). To those in Corinth who were visiting prostitutes, Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?…Do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Cor 6:15, 19). Paul (Rom 1:18-25; 13:13-14; Gal 5:19-20; Eph 5:1-5; Col 3:5-7; 1 Thess 4:3-8), Peter (1 Pet 4:1-5; 2 Pet 2:10-20), and John (Rev 17:1-6; 18:1-3; 21:8) associated sexual immorality with idolatry and greed.

Commentary Old Testament Song of Songs

Job 38-42

The book of Job reads like a transcript of a forensic trial. Job and his friends carried on in a courtroom where Job was the defendant, claiming righteousness even though he was suffering like one who had committed a heinous crime. Job longed for God to arrive at court so he could call the Almighty to the witness stand and prosecute Him for allowing such difficulty to come upon one who was righteous. But Job’s wish was not granted. Instead, Job had to endure cross-examination and accusation from his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu. Job 38-42 is the conclusion of the drama. God entered the legal proceedings as Job had hoped, but Job was yet in the chair of the defendant.

The Lord spoke to Job from the whirlwind (Job 38:1), demonstrating at the outset His holiness. The Lord first addressed Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu, confronting them for their ignorant words to Job during his trial (Job 38:2). The Lord then turned straightaway toward Job, beckoning him to answer like a man. The Lord challenged Job’s thinking by asking him to consider the organization of the natural world (Job 38:4-24). In each of his speeches, Job had longed for understanding from God. Here, Job is shown that God lacked no understanding and had revealed much of His wisdom in the created order. God boasted of His rule over creation so that the ever-constant cycle of supply and demand is kept in check. Job was to understand that neither animate nor inanimate life function apart from the Lord’s Providence (Job 38:25-39:30).

Having revealed Himself to Job, the Lord asked him, “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? Let him who argues with God give an answer” (Job 40:2). Job confessed to the Lord, “I am so insignificant. How can I answer You? I place my hand over my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not reply; twice, but now I can add nothing” (Job 40:4-5).

In Job 40:6-41:34, the Lord continued to speak from the whirlwind. He cross-examined Job, asking, “Would you really challenge My justice? Would you declare Me guilty to justify yourself?” (Job 40:8). The Lord demonstrated His power to Job, claiming dominance over the most foreboding creatures (Job 40:15-41:34). Job was left with few words. He could only confess, “Surely I spoke about things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know…I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I take back my words, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3b, 5-6).

But the Lord was not done. He turned toward the prosecutors’ table and condemned Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who had yet to repent and speak the truth about God—as Job had done (Job 42:7-8). Only after a burnt offering and Job’s intercession on their behalf would these men be spared God’s wrath. The epilogue of the book notes that the Lord prospered the latter part of Job’s life more than his earlier days. Job’s fortunes were restored two-fold, he was reacquainted with friends and family, he had 10 children, and he saw his children and grandchildren for four generations (Job 42:10-17).

In the storyline of Scripture, Job’s life became an example of endurance and the faithfulness of God. James employed Job’s longsuffering and God’s restoration of Job’s fortunes to encourage his audience that they should take the long view when evaluating their trials of faith. James told his audience to consider the trials they were enduring as joy, knowing that God was growing their faith (Jas 1:2-4). During times of testing, believers should count on God’s supply of wisdom and turn to God in prayer, James said (Jas 1:5-8). James’ audience, like Job, was being tested by a loss of financial resources. James countered the natural human perspective about wealth, writing that those who are impoverished enjoy the exalted status of being rich in faith (Jas 1:9). When the church gathered, they were thus to avoid favoring a wealthy benefactor who might come and assist them in their day of need (Jas 2:1-7). James charged his audience to consider God’s will and generosity before they try to meet the needs of the day by scheming (Jas 4:13-17) or taking advantage of those who might be dependent upon them (Jas 5:1-6). In James’s view, the Day of the Lord was at hand and his readers needed to hold on and wait patiently. James saw in the prophets and Job exemplars that endured and experienced the Lord’s faithfulness. “The Lord is very compassionate and merciful,” James reminded his readers (Jas 5:11). Reflecting upon Job 42:10-17, James reminded his audience that the Lord restored Job’s fortunes. James employed God’s kindness to Job to stimulate his readers to wait upon God and pray (Jas 5:13-18).

Commentary Job Old Testament

Job 29-37

In Job’s concluding monologue of self-defense, the sufferer maintained that he was righteous before God. Job argued that his suffering was not the Almighty’s retribution for some secret sin he had committed. A new character, Elihu, entered the drama of Job in ch. 32. Elihu’s eloquence and truthfulness excelled that of the former interlocutors, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. In the end though, Elihu likewise fell short of recognizing that one may be righteous and yet suffer.

Job’s final statement was another claim of innocence (chs. 29-31). In ch. 29, Job mused on the glory of his former life. He had not only received the blessing of God but blessed all those around him, especially the needy (Job 29:1-17). Job viewed his integrity as the strength of the community (Job 29:21-25). Thoughts of how good he once had it prompted Job to lament his present situation (ch. 30). In vain, Job had cried out for God to remove the suffering. Should not the God of justice vindicate the righteous (Job 30:16-23)? Job mused.

In chs. 32-37, Elihu angrily replied to Job. But Elihu was also angry at Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, because they condemned Job but could not refute Job’s argument that he, a righteous man, was suffering like a criminal (Job 32:3). Elihu condemned Job for demanding vindication from God. God governs the world in justice, Elihu argued in Job 34, and there are no exceptions. Elihu proposed that God’s perfect justice and holiness were unaffected by Job’s complaint; indeed, when Job requested to put God in the dock, he opened his mouth in vain (Job 35:16). Job should thus focus on God and quit complaining that God owed him a hearing, Elihu stated.

Job’s suffering was exacerbated by his sense of loneliness, in spite of the presence of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Elihu’s entrance into the dialogue only further isolated Job. He had no comforters. His suffering establishes a frame for appreciating the fellowship of the local church in the storyline of Scripture.

(1) Jesus and the authors of the New Testament encouraged believers to love one another, providing support during periods of suffering. Jesus warned His disciples that it would be better to drown than cause the downfall of brother (Matt 18:6-9//Mark 9:42-50//Luke 17:1-2). “Salt is good, but if the salt should lose its flavor, how can you make it salty? Have salt among yourselves and be at peace with one another” (Mark 9:50). In Jesus’ Farewell Sermon, He exhorted the eleven to love one another as He had loved them (John 13:34; 15:12) and prayed that His followers would be one as the Father and the Son are one (John 17:20-23). The author of Hebrews encouraged his audience to continue gathering for encouragement despite opposition they might face for identifying with Christ (Heb 3:12-14; 10:23-25, 32-39).

(2) During times of suffering, believers united in prayer. The church’s response to suffering differed from how Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu responded to Job’s trials. After Peter and John were released from prison, they gathered with the fellowship of believers in Jerusalem and prayed (Acts 4:23-31). When Peter was arrested by Herod, the church earnestly prayed for him (Acts 12:5). Paul urged the Romans to continue in prayer for him as he took the famine relief gift to hostile Jews in Jerusalem (Rom 15:28-32). He urged the Corinthians (2 Cor 1:11), Philippians (Phil 1:18-20), Colossians (Col 4:2-4), and Thessalonians (2 Thess 3:1-2) to pray for him as he suffered for the gospel.

Commentary Job Old Testament

Job 22-28

Job’s friends were unrelenting in their understanding of spiritual retribution and Job was fortified in his position as a righteous sufferer—a category undefined amongst his contemporaries. Job questioned how the One who punishes the guilty and blesses the upright would allow so much calamity to come upon a righteous person like himself. Job concluded his defense by uttering an ode to the wisdom he longed for, verses that resemble the proverbs of Solomon and represent Job’s petition to God.

When Eliphaz arose to prosecute Job for the third time, he accused Job of thievery and lack of mercy to orphans and widows (Job 22:6-9). The punishment Job was enduring had to be the result of heinous crimes, Eliphaz thought. Job needed to come back to God and let God be his gold (Job 22:21-30), then God would restore him. Job’s response to Eliphaz in chs. 23-24 is a profound theological confession. Job had lamented over the absence of a friend (ch. 19) but his greater problem was that he could not get a hearing with God (Job 23:3). Job was sure that if he could only interrogate the Almighty, his uprightness would win the day (Job 23:6-7). Job questioned the injustices of his day (Job 24:1-12). Job did not understand why those who oppressed the weak were not punished more quickly. While Job questioned his own situation as a righteous sufferer, he understood that God would deal with the treacherous in His time (Job 24:13-25).

Job’s continued claims of righteousness compelled Bildad to confront Job again (ch. 25). In Bildad’s mind, no one was as innocent as Job claimed to be, especially one who was suffering like Job. Job’s final reply to Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar is recorded in chs. 26-27. Even in light of God’s majestic greatness and power, Job confessed to his friends that he was innocent before the Almighty: “I will maintain my integrity until I die. I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go. My conscience will not accuse me as long as I live!” (Job 27:5b-6). The third cycle of questioning in the book of Job concluded with Job’s description of wisdom (ch. 28). Job began with a description of the work of a miner who works diligently to bring from the earth that which is unseen (Job 28:11). Job said that the precious metals gleaned by a miner cannot compare with the value of wisdom, which “cannot be found in the land of the living” (Job 28:13) and whose location is known only to God (Job 28:23). Job concluded, “Look! The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to turn from evil is understanding” (Job 28:28).

Job’s reflection on wisdom in Job 28 provides a window for understanding suffering in the storyline of Scripture. While Job extolled the wisdom of God, he longed for some clarification of how God’s wisdom applied to his specific situation as the righteous sufferer. One distinct feature of Christian suffering in the New Testament is the supply of the Spirit to empower and counsel believers enduring trial.

(1) Jesus taught that the Spirit instructs and encourages those suffering for their Christian testimony. Jesus encouraged the disciples that in their hour of trial before public authorities, they should not worry because words would be given them (Matt 10:19-20//Mark 13:11//Luke 21:14-15) by the Spirit (Luke 12:11-12). In Jesus’ Farewell Sermon, He told the eleven that the Spirit would come and provide counsel, understanding, so that they could have clear minds and conviction regarding God’s revelation in the Son (John 15:26-16:15). Christians are thus equipped to suffer better than Job, fortified with mental clarity by the enabling Spirit of God.

(2) Paul described the Spirit’s ability to help Christians in prayer during times of suffering for Christ. Paul’s logic in Rom 8:18-30 rests on the assumption that Christians will suffer for righteousness and their testimony of Christ. For Paul, Christian suffering confirms one’s identity as a follower of Christ. In addition, as followers of Christ, believers enjoy the indwelling presence of the Spirit. The Spirit, Paul wrote, invigorates the Christian to endure the present age of bodily suffering as they groan and long for the day when their bodies are redeemed (Rom 8:23-25). Job wanted an advocate that would plead his case before God. The Spirit enables the suffering Christian to pray and prays for them. “The Spirit also joins to help in our weakness,” Paul wrote, “because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings” (Rom 8:26). Believers can be assured that God hears the intercession of the Spirit because He intercedes for believers in accord with God’s will (Rom 8:27).

Commentary Job Old Testament

Job 15-21

In Job 15-21, Job’s three friends each approached with a second attempt at cross-examination. After Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar finished their interrogations, Job replied in kind, stating his innocence and questioning their well-accepted doctrine of retribution. When Job finished listening to the first round of cross-examinations from his friends, he replied that their knowledge of the matter had not risen very far off the ground (chs. 12-14). But Job 15 records that Eliphaz would have none of it. On the whole, he viewed Job as one who was wicked, one who had shaken his fist against God and opposed the Almighty (Job 15:20a, 25).

Job responded by calling his friends “miserable comforters” (Job 16:2) and maintaining his innocence. Job claimed his righteousness before God (Job 16:18-22) and longed for a human companion to come alongside and testify to God that Job was righteous. “I wish that someone might arbitrate between a man and God just as a man pleads for his friend” (Job 16:21), Job said. Bildad thought Job was being led astray by his unfounded claims to innocence. Attempting to further humiliate Job, Bildad catalogued a list of difficulties the unrighteous might encounter. The list remarkably resembled Job’s life situation. But Bildad grew even more bold and said, “Indeed, such is the dwelling of the wicked, and this is the place of the one who does not know God” (Job 18:21).

In Job 19, Job complained against his friends and warned them concerning their foolish counsel. Job trusted the One who had struck him more than the ones speaking with him (Job 19:25-27). Job warned that those who oppose a righteous sufferer would receive God’s wrath (Job 19:28-29), telling his friends, “Be afraid of the sword, because wrath brings punishment by the sword, so that you may know there is a judgment” (Job 19:29).

Zophar countered that if people suffer, it is because they have turned away from God. Thus, since Job was suffering without end in sight, he must have grossly offended God somewhere along the way. Perhaps most frustrating for Zophar was Job’s continued claims of innocence; Job must be concealing his sin, he thought. Job was warned that if one attempted to hide, “The heavens will expose his iniquity, and the earth will rise up against him” (Job 20:27).

After enduring the pejorative words of the three, in ch. 21 Job longed for a sympathetic ear. As Job surveyed the landscape of humanity, he could identify several exceptions to the tit-for-tat spirituality proposed by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Job called them to consider that the wicked are often blessed with health, family, and prosperity (Job 21:7-21). Job accused his friends, saying, “Your answers are deceptive” (Job 21:34).

Job agreed with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar when they described God’s discipline of the wicked. Job, however, maintained that he had done no wrong and yet suffered as though he had sinned. In the storyline of Scripture, God’s justice toward humanity is ultimately understood in light of faith in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Paul’s letter to the Romans encapsulates the way that he understood God’s justice toward those who had sinned against God and those who thought themselves generally okay before Him. Paul accused the judgmental among the Roman congregation (those whose thinking paralleled that of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar) of condemning the sin of others while excusing themselves. Paul acknowledged that God is just to repay each person according to their works, “eternal life to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but wrath and indignation to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth, but are obeying unrighteousness” (Rom 2:7-8). Paul assured the Romans that God has no favorites and that He judges based upon works (Rom 2:11). Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar understood the same. But unlike Job and his friends, Paul understood that no one performs the works worthy of eternal life. In Rom 3:9-20, Paul described that all humans deserve God’s wrath because of their sin. In the storyline of Scripture, God’s grace is displayed uniquely in the person and work of Christ—through him alone one can enjoy God’s favor. God is just, Paul wrote. God places on Jesus the sins of those who believe in Christ and looks upon Jesus’ blood as the covering for human sin. God therefore credits to those who believe in Jesus the very standing of Jesus (Rom 3:25-26).

Commentary Job Old Testament

Job 8-14

When Job was cross-examined by Bildad and Zophar, he replied in kind. Bildad’s first cross-examination (Job 8) reveals less patience and restraint than that recently demonstrated by Eliphaz (Job 4-5). Bildad held out the same proposition Eliphaz presented, arguing that if Job would seek God and ask for mercy (Job 8:5), then God would move and restore Job’s fortune and family. With rhetorical skill, Bildad mildly accused Job of forgetting his God (Job 8:13) and pointed to an open door where Job could enter and make peace with the Almighty (Job 8:20-21).

Job replied to Bildad by defending himself and lamenting his life (Job 9-10). In light of God’s greatness, Job retorted, who could muster a sufficient defense before Him (Job 9:1-20)? “Though I am blameless, I no longer care about myself; I renounce my life,” (Job 9:21), Job said. In frustration, Job inquired of the Lord, saying, “Please remember that You formed me like clay. Will You now return me to dust?” (Job 10:9); and, “Why did You bring me out of the womb? I should have died and never been seen” (Job 10:18).

Bildad’s zeal excelled that of Eliphaz before him, and Zophar’s first cross-examination of Job (Job 11) was an even more forthright emotional appeal for Job to change his ways. In the thinking of the day, Job’s words of self-defense were blasphemous. If a man was suffering to the degree that Job was, it was the result of heinous sin. Zophar followed the script established by Eliphaz and Bildad, saying: “If there is iniquity in your hand, remove it, and do not allow injustice to dwell in your tents—then you will hold your head high, free from fault” (Job 11:14-15).

Job’s reply in ch. 12-14 was no less emotional. Job spitefully answered them, “No doubt you are the people, and wisdom will die with you!” (Job 12:2). Job lamented for an opportunity to cross-examine God (Job 13:18-14:22). He wished for God to operate on the accepted standard expressed by Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. If only God would reveal Job’s transgression, then he could forsake it and find favor with God again.

Job’s responses to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar underscore Job’s place in the storyline of Scripture. He endured suffering without the clear hope of resurrection in Christ. Job replied to Bildad, “Leave me alone, so that I can smile a little before I go to a land of darkness and gloom, never to return. It is a land of blackness like the deepest darkness, gloomy and chaotic, where even the light is like the darkness” (Job 10:20b-22). And Job told Zophar, “As water disappears from the sea and a wadi becomes parched and dry, so man lies down never to rise again. They will not wake up until the heavens are no more; they will not stir from their sleep” (Job 14:11-12).

In Job 19:25-27, Job stated that he expected to see God after the destruction of his flesh, but his statement lacks the optimism that characterizes resurrection hope in the New Testament. Christ’s suffering and victory over death have earned eternal hope for all who believe in Him. Jesus’ emphasis on the resurrection can be seen by surveying this theme in the Gospel of John. Jesus told Nicodemus that all who believe upon the Son of God will have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus promised the Samaritan woman that all who drink of Him would have eternal life (John 4:10, 14). When the Jews persecuted Jesus for healing a lame man on the Sabbath, Jesus told them that He had the power to give resurrection life to anyone as He desired (John 5:21). After Jesus performed a feeding miracle, He told the crowds that all who believed upon Him would be resurrected to eternal life (John 6:40, 47, 51, 54, 57-58). Walking in the temple complex, Jesus told the Jews that His sheep hear His voice and will enjoy eternal life (John 10:26-28). Just before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, He told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in Me, even if he dies, will live. Everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die—ever!” (John 11:25-26). When Jesus foretold His crucifixion, He said that all those who hate their lives in this world would enjoy eternal life with Him and the Father (John 12:25-26). In Jesus’ Farewell Sermon, He told the eleven that He was going away to prepare eternal dwellings for them (John 14:1-6, 19-24). Jesus prayed that His followers would be with Him in eternal glory (John 17:24, 26), a pathway inaugurated by His resurrection (John 20:17).

Commentary Job Old Testament

Job 4-7

The book of Job presents Job’s cyclical judicial dialogue with his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. The first go-around is recorded in Job 4-7. Job’s three friends acted as prosecuting attorneys against Job, who continually maintained that his suffering was not the result of some unrighteous act. All the while, Job longed to stand as the prosecuting attorney, cross-examining God Almighty for allowing such devastation to continue in his life. In the end, Job received his court date with God. But Job ended up once again in the role of the defendant, and God the prosecution (Job 38:1-42:6). In that position of utter helplessness, Job confessed that God’s goodness and his suffering as a righteous man were not at odds. This is the lesson of Job.

In the meantime, Eliphaz and company pressed their tit-for-tat moral theology against Job, nearly squeezing the life out of the righteous suffer. Eliphaz’s first speech is recorded in Job 4-5 and characterizes what he and his friends posited to Job throughout the book. In Eliphaz’s paradigm of spiritual reality, the suffering one was simply reaping the consequences of their sin. In Eliphaz’s mind, it was entirely likely that the wind that destroyed Job’s family (Job 1:18-19) was the consequence God administered upon Job. Since God blesses the righteous with protection and prosperity, Eliphaz argued (Job 5:8-26), Job should repent before Him and receive His favor again.

What could Job say to such encouragement? He first replied to Eliphaz (Job 6) and then cried out to God (Job 7). As far as Job was concerned, the words of his friend had been of little help in such a moment of need. Job turned straightway against Eliphaz, saying, “A despairing man should receive loyalty from his friends, even if he abandons the fear of the Almighty” (Job 6:14). In Job’s mind, the issue of the day was that he had done no wrong and was suffering as one who had committed great transgression. Job longed for God to take his life and end his suffering (Job 7:15-16).

Job’s concern was with the justice of God. How could the Righteous One allow a righteous one to suffer so greatly? God’s justice and the suffering of the righteous frame the book of Job and are clarified as the storyline of Scripture progresses. The New Testament records that Christians should expect to suffer because of their commitment to Jesus.

(1) Jesus taught His followers that they would suffer for righteousness and identifying with Him. Jesus taught the disciples that they should think of suffering for Him and righteousness as an honor, and an affirmation that they stand in line with the prophets of Israel (Matt 5:10-12//Luke 6:22-23). Physical and spiritual sufferings authenticate disciples as true followers of Jesus (John 15:18-25; 17:11-15). While Job lost all of his possessions because of the calamity that came upon him, Jesus taught His disciples that they should be willing to suffer financial loss on His behalf (Matt 19:23-30//Mark 10:23-31//Luke 18:24-30).

(2) Paul suffered for his testimony concerning Jesus and wrote that believers should follow his example of suffering for righteousness. When the Lord told Ananias to visit Paul in Damascus, the Lord told him that Paul would suffer for Christ (Acts 9:16). While traveling to spread the gospel, Paul repeatedly suffered because of his testimony concerning Jesus (9:23-25; 13:50-51; 14:4-6,19-20; 16:19-40; 17:5-9, 13-15; 18:12-17; 19:21-41; 20:2-3, 22-24; 21:10-14). Paul’s imprisonments in Jerusalem, Caesarea, and Rome (Acts 21:15-28:31) resulted from his testimony and righteous acts for his fellow Jews. Paul wrote about his sufferings in his letters, often asking the recipients to join him in suffering for righteousness and the testimony of Christ (Rom 5:3-5; 8:18-39; 15:30-32; 1 Cor 4:9-12; 15:30-32; 2 Cor 1:3-11; 2:14-16; 4:7-5:4; 11:16-33; Gal 6:12, 17; Phil 1:12-21, 29-30; Col 1:24; 4:18; 1 Thess 1:5-8; 2:1-16; 3:7; 2 Thess 1:3-6; 3:1-3; 2 Tim 1:8, 12; 2:3; 4:1-8, 14-18).

(3) Peter exhorted his readers to view suffering for Christ as a common feature of their faith. Peter pictured general sufferings as beneficial for Christian growth (1 Pet 1:6-7). Peter’s logic counters that of Job and his friends. Peter noted that believers will suffer for righteousness in their relations with the state and in the household—and that their endurance of such authenticates the Christian message (1 Pet 2:11-25). Peter wrote, “Who will harm you if you are passionate for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness, you are blessed” (1 Pet 3:13-14). Better, Peter said, to suffer for Christ than for evil (1 Pet 3:17). Since Christ suffered (1 Pet 3:18), followers of Christ will demonstrate their faith as they endure suffering for Christ (1 Pet 4:1-2, 12-19).

Commentary Job Old Testament