22 Then Eliphaz the Temanite [a]responded,
2 “Can a vigorous man be of use to God,
Or a wise man be useful to himself?
3 “Is there any pleasure to [b]the Almighty if you are righteous,
Or profit if you make your ways perfect?
4 “Is it because of your [c]reverence that He reproves you,
That He enters into judgment against you?
5 “Is not your wickedness great,
And your iniquities without end?
6 “For you have taken pledges of your brothers without cause,
And stripped [d]men naked.
7 “To the weary you have given no water to drink,
And from the hungry you have withheld bread.
8 “But the earth belongs to the mighty man,
And the honorable man dwells in it.
9 “You have sent widows away empty,
And the [e]strength of the orphans has been crushed.
10 “Therefore snares surround you,
And sudden dread terrifies you,
11 Or darkness, so that you cannot see,
And an abundance of water covers you.12 “Is not God in the height of heaven?
Look also at the [f]distant stars, how high they are!
13 “You say, ‘What does God know?
Can He judge through the thick darkness?
14 ‘Clouds are a hiding place for Him, so that He cannot see;
And He walks on the [g]vault of heaven.’
15 “Will you keep to the ancient path
Which wicked men have trod,
16 Who were snatched away before their time,
Whose foundations were [h]washed away by a river?
17 “They said to God, ‘Depart from us!’
And ‘What can [i]the Almighty do to them?’
18 “Yet He filled their houses with good things;
But the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
19 “The righteous see and are glad,
And the innocent mock them,
20 Saying, ‘Truly our adversaries are cut off,
And their [j]abundance the fire has consumed.’21 “[k]Yield now and be at peace with Him;
Thereby good will come to you.
22 “Please receive [l]instruction from His mouth
And establish His words in your heart.
23 “If you return to [m]the Almighty, you will be [n]restored;
If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent,
24 And place your [o]gold in the dust,
And the gold of Ophir among the stones of the brooks,
25 Then [p]the Almighty will be your [q]gold
And choice silver to you.
26 “For then you will delight in [r]the Almighty
And lift up your face to God.
27 “You will pray to Him, and He will hear you;
And you will pay your vows.
28 “You will also decree a thing, and it will be established for you;
And light will shine on your ways.
29 “When [s]you are cast down, you will speak with [t]confidence,
And the [u]humble person He will save.
30 “He will deliver one who is not innocent,
And he will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
For all his blustering, Eliphaz dances around some important things. One of which is that we cannot fight against God, nor can we hide our deeds from Him. He rightfully derides anyone, including Job, who thinks that God is up in the clouds or the stars hiding away. No, God is right here with us, every day, all the time.
In his words, “Yield now, and be at peace with Him…” And yes, “good” will come to you, but not mere physical prosperity like Eliphaz was thinking. Again and again we are reminded that God’s ways are higher than ours, but in all of it, He wants what is good for us. That doesn’t mean sunshine and rainbows every day. As Eliphaz also asked, is it because of our righteousness that God reproves (disciplines) us? Though Eliphaz can’t tell the difference between discipline and testing, they both have the same goal. God wants to make us more like Him, and this means hard times can and will come to all people.
Whether we are right with God or not, He is seeking to draw us to Himself. So once more, “Yield now, and be at peace with Him!” If you’ve been arguing with God, stop trying to win an argument that you cannot. If you’re trying to hide in hopes He’ll leave you alone, know that He loves you too much for that. There is no place that His love cannot reach, and no one that is out of God’s grasp. Yield, and be at peace in His loving arms, let Him show you the way that you should go. Let His light be your guide, and leave your worries and cares behind.