Matthew Henry Commentary Job 22
Matthew Henry Commentary
Job 22
Matthew Henry Commentary
Job 22
"Then answered Eliphaz the Temanite, and said, Can a man be profitable unto God? Surely he that is wise is profitable unto himself. Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? Or is it gain [to him], that thou makest thy ways perfect? Is it for thy fear [of him] that he reproveth thee, That he entereth with thee into judgment?" — Job 22:1-4 (ASV)
Eliphaz considers that, because Job complained so much of his afflictions, he thought God was unjust in afflicting him; but Job was far from thinking so. What Eliphaz says is unjustly applied to Job, but it is very true that when God does us good, it is not because he is indebted to us.
A person's piety is no profit to God, no gain. The gains of religion for people are infinitely greater than its losses.
God is a Sovereign, who gives no account of his conduct; but he is perfectly wise, just, faithful, good, and merciful. He approves the likeness of his own holiness, and delights in the fruits of his Spirit; he accepts the thankful services of the humble believer, while he rejects the proud claim of the self-confident.
"Is not thy wickedness great? Neither is there any end to thine iniquities. For thou hast taken pledges of thy brother for nought, And stripped the naked of their clothing. Thou hast not given water to the weary to drink, And thou hast withholden bread from the hungry. But as for the mighty man, he had the earth; And the honorable man, he dwelt in it. Thou hast sent widows away empty, And the arms of the fatherless have been broken. Therefore snares are round about thee, And sudden fear troubleth thee, Or darkness, so that thou canst not see, And abundance of waters cover thee. Is not God in the height of heaven? And behold the height of the stars, how high they are! And thou sayest, What doth God know? Can he judge through the thick darkness? Thick clouds are a covering to him, so that he seeth not; And he walketh on the vault of heaven." — Job 22:5-14 (ASV)
Eliphaz brought heavy charges against Job, without reason for his accusations, except that Job was afflicted as he supposed God always afflicted every wicked man. He charges him with oppression, and with doing harm with his wealth and power during his prosperity.
"Wilt thou keep the old way Which wicked men have trodden? Who were snatched away before their time, Whose foundation was poured out as a stream, Who said unto God, Depart from us; And, What can the Almighty do for us? Yet he filled their houses with good things: But the counsel of the wicked is far from me. The righteous see it, and are glad; And the innocent laugh them to scorn, [Saying], Surely they that did rise up against us are cut off, And the remnant of them the fire hath consumed." — Job 22:15-20 (ASV)
Eliphaz wanted Job to mark the old way that wicked men have walked, and see what the end of their way was. It is good for us to mark it, so that we do not walk in it. But if others are consumed, and we are not, instead of blaming them and lifting up ourselves, as Eliphaz does here, we should be thankful to God and take it for a warning.
"Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: Thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, And lay up his words in thy heart. If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, If thou put away unrighteousness far from thy tents. And lay thou [thy] treasure in the dust, And [the gold of] Ophir among the stones of the brooks; And the Almighty will be thy treasure, And precious silver unto thee. For then shalt thou delight thyself in the Almighty, And shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he will hear thee; And thou shalt pay thy vows. Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; And light shall shine upon thy ways. When they cast [thee] down, thou shalt say, [There is] lifting up; And the humble person he will save. He will deliver [even] him that is not innocent: Yea, he shall be delivered through the cleanness of thy hands." — Job 22:21-30 (ASV)
The answer of Eliphaz wrongly implied that Job had previously not known God, and that prosperity in this life would follow his sincere conversion. The counsel Eliphaz gives here is good, though, regarding Job, it was built upon the false supposition that he was a stranger and an enemy to God.
Let us beware of slandering our fellow believers. If it is our lot to suffer in this manner, let us remember how Job was treated, and even how Jesus was reviled, so that we may be patient.
Let us examine whether there may not be some basis for the slander, and live carefully, so as to be free from all appearances of evil.
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