Eliphaz increases his attacks on Job and now begins to specifically name what he thinks Job has done to deserve what he is suffering. (v. 6–10). Eliphaz is frustrated because he is anxious to vindicate God’s justice. God cannot be unjust, he thinks, so Job must have deserved this suffering. In his response to Eliphaz, Job also wonders about justice. He wonders why he is suffering while real evil doers remain undisturbed. It is a commonly felt dilemma: Why are evil people allowed to prosper while good people suffer? The writer of Psalm 73 is perturbed by the same thing. In fact, he says that when he thought about these things, he nearly lost his faith (Psalm 73:2,16). There are few issues more vexing than the issue of why God allows suffering. It is a question of the justice of God. The book of Job as a whole addresses this problem by stressing the inscrutability of God’s ways and that of course is the most important perspective. But another perspective must be stressed, particularly in the light of Eliphaz’s accusations of Job. Justice is good, but it is better that God doesn’t give us what is just. Grace is better. It is better that God gives us what we don’t deserve. We may not see God bringing justice upon evil doers in the world today but we will see plenty of evidence of God bringing grace to evil doers. And we are part of that evidence. God’s priority is not to give people their just desserts. God’s priority is to show grace. Only grace will right the wrongs in this world.
Think about how much grace God has shown you and thank him for that.
Read Job 22-24
