JUNE 4
Chapter 21 records Job’s reply to Zophar. He looked to the
Lord for his help and in these verses shows how the wicked often
prosper in this life. Later in the chapter he brands the conclusions
of his friends as pure falsehoods.
Chapter 22 begins the third cycle of speeches, with Eliphaz
speaking first. He concludes that Job is a great sinner and charges
him especially with his cruel treatment of the poor. He urges Job to
get right with God.
Job replies to Eliphaz in chapters 23 and 24. He wavers
between faith and unbelief in chapter 23:10-17. He makes a glowing
statement in verse 10 when he says, “But he knoweth the way that I
take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” It is a
happy day for the Christian when he learns, as Job did, that God
knows more about us than we know about ourselves. It is a real
revelation to us when we suddenly realize that He truly knows and
understands everything we face and endure. Beyond that, He cares
about us and will meet our every need.
Chapter 23:3 indicates that Job did not know that God was
intimately near to him, even nearer than his very breath. There was
no need for Job to go forward and backward, on the right hand or the
left. The Lord was near him; even in his heart; for His throne was
pitched there on the sands of the desert, between Job and his
pitiless accusers!