Eliphaz Offers Job Some Advice

I, like many others before me, remain fascinated by the book of Job, and I continue to be drawn to its main message (or my interpretation of its message!).

In this post, let's turn to chapter 5, which finds one of Job's friends, Eliphaz, issuing advice. Now, all of Job's friends, at various parts of the book, make some good points and some questionable points. Indeed, that's one of the defining features of the book.

But chapter 5 finds Eliphaz offering some truly beautiful advice. In verse 8 (KJV),

I would seek unto God,
and unto God would I commit my cause.

That is, whatever pains, anxieties, worries, sorrows, and even joys we experience, we should seek God and commit our efforts to him.

Then, in verses 18-19 (KJV), Eliphaz acknowledges God's infinite power both to afflict and to heal,

he maketh sore, and bindeth up:
he woundeth, and his hands make whole.
He shall deliver thee in six troubles:
yea, in seven there shall no evil touch thee.

Read the entire chapter 5, but focus on verse 8 and the stuff that follows. That material makes for a very nice prayer!