Right…and wrong

Eliphaz gives the first speech to Job, and the thing that strikes me is that at times, he says things that are quite right.

In fact, Paul quotes the words of Eliphaz in I Corinthians 3:19 where he says,

He catches the wise in their craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are swept away.  (Job 5:13)

Eliphaz also spoke truth when he told Job,

Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.  For he wounds, but he also binds up; he injures, but his hands also heal.  (5:17-18)

Solomon said much the same when he wrote,

My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline, and do not resent his rebuke, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.  (Proverbs 3:11-12)

But the problem, as we’ve mentioned before, is that none of this applied to Job.  God was not punishing Job for anything at all.  Job had done nothing wrong.

As a result, instead of these “words of truth” helping Job, they made him feel worse.

First, he felt attacked by the very friends he expected help and comfort from (chapter 6).

But second, their words made him feel like God was being unfair.  That God was picking on him for some sin he wasn’t even aware of (chapter 7).

What am I trying to say?  Be very careful how you wield your words of “truth.”  They may indeed be true.  But are they truly relevant to the situation?

You may have the best of intentions, but if your words of “truth” are not applicable to the situation, they will cause more harm than good, and God will hold you accountable for them.