Post by Lee on Dec 4, 2014 4:00:50 GMT
Chapters 4 to 31 inclusive, are occupied by the arguments and replies of Job and his friends. Broadly stated, the case stands thus: Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar contended more and more strenuously, throughout their successive speeches, that Job’s unexampled sufferings were the divine chastisement for his hidden iniquities that had at last found him out. Whereas Job, on the other hand, agonizingly refuted their insinuations, and maintained his integrity, sometimes even to the point of reflecting upon the righteousness and mercy of God, though, at other times, he most emphatically justified God in His dealings, and fervently hoped for resurrection to eternal life in “the latter day.”
ELIPHAZ.—First Speech (chaps. 4, 5, ).—Eliphaz, acknowledging Job’s excellencies in certain degree, begins his reproofs by insinuations of iniquity. “Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?” (ch. 4:7); and later, he insinuates that Job neglected God (ch. 5:8), “I would seek unto God, und unto God I would commit my cause.” Just as though Job had not done so continually. After further haranguing him in this style, he urged him not to despise chastening (that is, for iniquity—ch. 5:17): “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth, therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty”—a saying excellent in the abstract, but offensive when used as a rod to wrongfully thrash a righteous man.
1902 Christadelphian, p113–114.
ELIPHAZ.—First Speech (chaps. 4, 5, ).—Eliphaz, acknowledging Job’s excellencies in certain degree, begins his reproofs by insinuations of iniquity. “Remember, I pray thee, who ever perished, being innocent? or where were the righteous cut off?” (ch. 4:7); and later, he insinuates that Job neglected God (ch. 5:8), “I would seek unto God, und unto God I would commit my cause.” Just as though Job had not done so continually. After further haranguing him in this style, he urged him not to despise chastening (that is, for iniquity—ch. 5:17): “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth, therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty”—a saying excellent in the abstract, but offensive when used as a rod to wrongfully thrash a righteous man.
1902 Christadelphian, p113–114.