Before we examine what Eliphaz says, we should notice that none of the three friends had yet given Job any word of comfort. Their behaviour, when they had seen him, illustrates their personal thoughts about him; they mourned for him as a man who had died. According to the Israelite understanding about retributive punishment, Job was being punished by God for some terrible secret sin which he had not confessed. If his afflictions were God's punishment, then the three friends had no right to comfort Job because if they did that it would indicate that they dis¬approved of what God was doing to Job. Their duty was therefore to persuade Job to confess what he had done wrong so that God might forgive him. In the three discussions which are set out between Job 4-31, the traditional view of retributive punishment is upheld; the three friends maintain, in various ways, that Job's afflictions are punishment for sinful actions. As each friend speaks, the inadequacy of his 'understanding of God's character can be seen. Each man speaks sincerely from what he thinks is an understanding of God's truth, but none of them touches Job's terrible situation. None of them can accept that the idea of retributive punishment might be inadequate as an explanation for suffering. None of them could have understood the idea of vicarious suffering as expressed in Isaiah 52-53.

4: 1-11. Eliphaz asks Job if he can remember a single case of a righteous man meeting with disaster. Those who are destroyed are the wicked.

4: 12-17. Eliphaz describes a religious experience which he had once during a night. It taught him that God alone is righteous. No man is blameless in the sight of God.

4: 18-21. Eliphaz then presents a very pessimistic view of man which is contrary to what the Old Testament teaches about God's concern for the human beings he has created. We agree with Eliphaz in what he says about no man being blameless before God (verse 17), but we do not agree with him that man means so little to God that he is like 'a thing of dust that can be crushed like a moth.' God would not have loving care for 'a thing of dust'.

5: 1-7. The main point of this passage is in verse 7: 'Man brings trouble on himself .... ‘Eliphaz is repeating what he said before, that trouble comes to a man because the man deserves it.

5:8-27. Eliphaz then exhorts Job to 'turn to God'; he seems to ignore Job's terrible cry of despair to God in chapter 3, and it seems that Eliphaz means that Job should admit that he was an evildoer and penitently ask God to forgive him. Eliphaz sets out his understanding of God in what he says. Rightly, he understands God as the one who sustains life, who does great things that are beyond man's understand¬ing (verses 9-10). God controls human affairs (verses 12-13), and is a moral God (verses 15-16). Eliphaz then presents the educative view of suffering which has been accepted as punishment for wrongdoing (verses 17-18): 'Happy is the person whom God corrects! Do not resent it when he rebukes you! ... His hand hurts you, and his hand heals.' A picture is then given of the peace and prosperity which will return to Job if he accepts that he is being punished by God for his wrongdoing. If Job can accept the retributive view of punishment, if he can accept that his afflictions are the result of his evil deeds, then all will be well. Prosperity will be restored to him. This reminds us ofthe teaching of Ezekiel 18.

When we try to assess the value of what Eliphaz has said to Job, we can see that it does not help him at all. Much of what Eliphaz has said about God is supported by other teaching in the Old Testament, but Eliphaz is unable to enter into the experience of Job, who knows that he has always tried to live in a way pleasing to God and just cannot accept that his afflictions are punishment from God for evil deeds which-he is sure he has not committed. Eliphaz's understanding of suffering is too inadequate to help Job. His understanding of God is oversimplified. Eliphaz proves to be a disappointing friend to Job in his time of greatest trouble; in fact none of Job's friends succeed in helping him in the later discussions. Their understanding of the problem of suffering and of the character of God proves inadequate. They criticize Job and do not help him.