The Horrific Reality of Partial Truths (Job 4-7)

The difficulty—or even danger—of the Book of Job lies in these bits of advice or counsel coming from Job’s friends. They sound good. They are often right, in a certain sense. But there is a lot of mere “partial truth” here. Or perhaps it is better stated: there is a lot of truths delivered to the wrong context. The answers of Job’s friends do not really apply to Job’s circumstances. We need to keep the big picture in mind. We know that Job’s terrible suffering is not a result of any specific failure on his part. And therein lies the danger. Things that are generally or universally true do not always apply to every situation. Taken out of context, they can lead to erroneous thinking. 

In this case, Eliphaz is right when he says that no one is innocent. (The imagery of Eliphaz’s realization that all people are condemned sinners is striking. It is described as a vision in the night worthy of any horror movie!) Everyone is a sinner. All men (and women) are foolish and born to—prone to—trouble. It is indeed better to turn (return) to God. It is better to face God’s discipline and correction than His judgement. However, not every bad thing that happens in a person’s life is a direct result of their sin. We do not cause all of the calamities that happen in our lives. To approach a grieving person with that belief is not only wrong, it is a form of religious evil. 

The flipside of such a belief is equally toxic. Those who think that all bad experiences are caused by those who face them tend to also believe that it is possible to avoid bad things through “good living.” This is not true. It is—religiously speaking—a form of salvation through works heresy. 

In this case, Eliphaz is effectively telling Job—a man whom God has described as “blameless and upright, fearing God and turning away from evil”—that, “Bad things are happening to you because you have been evil. Repent and get saved!” 

Such “counsel” is not helpful here. Job reminds his friends that he is suffering! And, instead of comforting or empathizing with him in his moment of need, they reprimand and judge him. They see his suffering and respond in fear. Their worldview only affords them the ability to lash out and hit Job while he is down. They fear of falling on hard times such as he has, so instead of comfort, they preach—as much to themselves as to him—about how he can work his way out of his bad estate. 

Job reminds his friends that many a life is full of suffering. Life amounts to experiencing a bunch of bad things and then you die. Finally, Job returns to demanding an answer from God. “Reveal to me why this bad is happening, or at least put an end to it by taking my life away!” ...

(Illustration: Alphonse Mucha "La Danse de la Mort")