Page 811 - The MacArthur Daily Bible

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AUGUST 6
8 May those curse it who curse the day,
Those who are ready to arouse
Leviathan.
9 May the stars of its morning be dark; 3:25,26 the thing I greatly feared.Not a par-
May it look for light, but have none, ticular thing but a generic classification of suf-
And not see the dawning of the day; fering. The very worst fear that anyone could
10 Because it did not shut up the doors of have was coming to pass in Job’s life,and he is
my mother’s womb, experiencing severe anxiety, fearing more.
Nor hide sorrow from my eyes.
11 “Why did I not die at birth? Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and
Why did I not perish when I came from 4 said:
the womb?
2
12 Why did the knees receive me? “If one attempts a word with you, will
Or why the breasts, that I should you become weary?
nurse? But who can withhold himself from
13 For now I would have lain still and speaking?
3 Surely you have instructed many,
been quiet,
I would have been asleep; And you have strengthened weak
Then I would have been at rest hands.
4
14 With kings and counselors of the Your words have upheld him who was
earth, stumbling,
Who built ruins for themselves, And you have strengthened the feeble
15 Or with princes who had gold, knees;
5 But now it comes upon you, and you
Who filled their houses with silver;
16 Or why was I not hidden like a stillborn are weary;
child, It touches you, and you are troubled.
6 Is not your reverence your confidence?
Like infants who never saw light?
17 There the wicked cease And the integrity of your ways your
from troubling, hope?
And there the weary are at rest. 7 “Remember now, who ever perished
18 There the prisoners rest together; being innocent?
They do not hear the voice of the Or where were the upright ever cut off?
oppressor. 8 Even as I have seen,
19 The small and great are there, Those who plow iniquity
And the servant is free from
his master.
20 “Why is light given to him who is
in misery, 4:7 who ever perished being innocent?
And life to the bitter of soul, Eliphaz, recognizing Job’s “reverence” and
21 Who long for death, but it does not “integrity”(v. 6), was likely encouraging Job at
the outset by saying he wouldn’t die because
come, he was innocent of any deadly iniquity, but
And search for it more than hidden must be guilty of some serious sin because he
treasures; was reaping such anger from God. This was a
22 Who rejoice exceedingly, moral universe and moral order was at work,
And are glad when they can find the he thought. He had oversimplified God’s pat-
grave? tern of retribution. This simple axiom, “the
23 Why is light given to a man whose way righteous will prosper and the wicked will suf-
is hidden, fer,”does not always hold up in human experi-
And whom God has hedged in? ence.It is true that plowing and sowing iniqui-
24 For my sighing comes before I eat, ty reaps judgment, so Eliphaz was partially
And my groanings pour out like water. right (Gal. 6:7–9; 1 Pet. 3:12), but not every-
25 For the thing I greatly feared has come thing we reap in life is the result of something
upon me, we have sown (2 Cor. 12:7–10). Eliphaz was
And what I dreaded has happened replacing theology with simplistic logic.To say
to me. that wherever there is suffering, it is the result
26 I am not at ease, nor am I quiet; of sowing sin is wrong (Ex. 4:11; John 9:1–3).
I have no rest, for trouble comes.”

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