Let’s open our Bibles to Job chapter 15 for this Job 15 commentary. The 15th chapter of the Old Testament book of Job.

To bring us up to speed, for the last few lessons we’ve seen Job speak in response to his friends’ assertions concerning him. That was in chapters 12-14.

And now in Job 15, Eliphaz responds for the second time. He’ll have one more response after this one.

And in Eliphaz’s response to Job, he insults Job, accuses Job of offending the friends and attacking God, and then goes into great detail as to how Job’s life matches that of the typical wicked man.

So, let’s dive in to this chapter and allow it to minister wisdom to us.

Eliphaz begins this chapter by letting Job know that he does not at all appreciate what the suffering Job just communicated in chapters 12-14 of this book.

KJV Job 15:1 Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said,

2 Should a wise man [utter/answer with] [vain/windy/blustery] knowledge,

3 [Should/Does] he [reason/argue] with [unprofitable/useless] talk?

So, this is how Eliphaz summarizes all that Job has argued over the last three chapters. Job’s defense of his own righteousness – the flaws inherent in Retribution Theology – all that and much more, Eliphaz simply dismisses as windy and unprofitable.

And I think you’d agree with me in thinking that Eliphaz is definitely over-generalizing. It very well is the case that Job made overstatements in chapters 12-14. It’s fairly evident that certain ways that Job is thinking and how he communicated that was not right.

And yet, when it comes down to it – even if Job is wrong, the most tactful way to approach him is not to paint a picture of this man sucking in a tremendous amount of air into his belly and then breathing it out in a most unprofitable manner.

Eliphaz simply lacks wisdom in communicating with one who’s suffering.

And I think that probably in Eliphaz’s mind, he’s not lacking wisdom. Actually, he is going head-to-head with a man who is impious and slandering God.

4 [Yea/Indeed/But], thou [castest off/do away with/even break off] [fear/reverence/piety],

In other words, Job is quitting being godly. And the result in his life is apparently a lack of prayer to and meditation before God.

And Eliphaz knows why Job isn’t praying to God like he ought – he’s sinning!

5 For thy mouth [uttereth/is taught by/is inspired by] thine [iniquity/guilt/sin],

And since Job is sinning with his mouth – and has used that mouth to express the ideas that Eliphaz finds to be so impious – Eliphaz maintains that Job stands condemned by his very speech.

6 Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I:

And therefore, Eliphaz doesn’t even need to say anything – since Job has already said everything that needs to be said in order to condemn him as a sinner. And because Job is a sinner, it makes sense in Eliphaz’s mind that Job should be suffering.

So, case closed – according to Eliphaz.

And yet… Eliphaz will continue and stretch this chapter in which he responds to Job out to 35 verses!

So, Eliphaz claims that Job is self-condemned and that there’s no need for further discussion. And yet, he won’t let that stop him