Thomas Aquinas Commentary Job 5:8-16

"But as for me, I would seek unto God, And unto God would I commit my cause; Who doeth great things and unsearchable, Marvellous things without number: Who giveth rain upon the earth, And sendeth waters upon the fields; So that he setteth up on high those that are low, And those that mourn are exalted to safety. He frustrateth the devices of the crafty, So that their hands cannot perform their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; And the counsel of the cunning is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the day-time, And grope at noonday as in the night. But he saveth from the sword of their mouth, Even the needy from the hand of the mighty. So the poor hath hope, And iniquity stoppeth her mouth." — Job 5:8-16 (ASV)

Eliphaz proposed that everything that happens on earth has a specific cause. He proved this by observing that natural things appear to be directed toward an end. This fact—that natural things exist to achieve a purpose—is the most powerful argument for showing that the world is ruled by divine providence and that all things do not happen by chance. From this premise, Eliphaz immediately draws a conclusion about the government of divine providence.

Note that if there were no divine providence, prayer would be fruitless, and God would have no knowledge of human deeds. One who concedes the rule of divine providence must also admit these points. Therefore, from the fact that everything on earth is for a purpose, Eliphaz concludes that one must concede the rule of providence. He says, “This is why I entreat the Lord,” as if to say, “Since God directs human affairs, this prayer is fruitful.” He continues, “and I set my speech before God,” because God knows human deeds, words, and thoughts. To strengthen this conclusion, he adds points that especially demonstrate divine providence.

Note that those who deny providence say that everything in the world occurs from the necessity of natural causes, such as heat and cold, or gravity and lightness. Divine providence, however, is most powerfully demonstrated by things that cannot be explained by such natural principles. One example is the specific quantity of the bodies of this world. No reason can be given from any natural principle why the sun, the moon, or the earth should have a specific mass and not a greater or lesser one. Thus, we must say that this determination of mass comes from the design of an intellect. Eliphaz discusses this when he says God does great things; that is, He puts order in a thing by determining its mass.

Furthermore, if everything came about from the necessity of natural principles, which are known to us, we would be able to investigate everything in this world. Yet there are some things whose knowledge we cannot attain by any investigation, such as spiritual substances, the distances of the stars, and the like. Clearly, then, not everything proceeds from the necessity of natural principles but is established by a superior intellect. This is why Eliphaz says such things are unsearchable. Likewise, there are things we see whose nature we cannot explain at all, for example, why the stars have a certain configuration in one part of the heavens and a different one in another. It is clear that this does not arise from natural principles but from a higher intellect, and so he adds, and wonderful things. The “unsearchable” and the “wonderful” differ in that the unsearchable is hidden in itself and cannot be investigated, while the wonderful is indeed seen, though its cause cannot be investigated.

Note also that some have held that the arrangement of things proceeded from God according to a specific, measured order. For instance, they argue that from the one, primary, simple being proceeds only one primary effect, which already possesses some composition and plurality. From this, in turn, proceed two or three things that are still less simple, and so on, so that the entire multiplicity of things proceeds in this way through graded levels. According to this position, the arrangement of the universe happens not by the design of the divine intellect but from a necessity of nature. To answer this, Eliphaz says God’s works are without number. This is either because things have been brought into being without the necessity of a numerical order, or because innumerable things have been produced directly by God. This is especially apparent in the first heaven, where there are very many stars. Thus, Eliphaz shows that the production of things is from God and not from the necessity of nature.

Consequently, Eliphaz shows that the course of created things is governed by divine providence, first in natural things. These seem to have been made for the use of humanity and the other animals, even though the natural order of the elements would seem to demand something different. For if one considers heaviness and lightness, earth naturally lies beneath water, water beneath air, and air beneath fire. Yet some of the earth, uncovered by water, is found in direct contact with the air; otherwise, animals that breathe could not live on land. Furthermore, so that the uncovered earth might not be made unfruitful and uninhabitable by drought, God waters it in two ways. First, by rain falling from above, regarding which Eliphaz says God brings rain on the face of the earth. Second, by springs, rivers, and brooks, whose source is under the earth just as the source of rain is in the heavens. Regarding this, he says God irrigates everything with water.

Next, Eliphaz shows the activity of divine providence in human affairs. If human affairs were to run their course as their natural arrangement seems to demand, there would appear to be little or no trace of divine providence. But when they proceed in a different way, foolish people, who do not consider higher causes, attribute it to chance or fortune. Solomon personifies them in Ecclesiastes, saying, Again I saw that under the sun the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to the intelligent, nor favor to the men of skill; but time and chance happen to all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). Eliphaz, however, refers this to a higher cause: the providence of God. First, regarding the oppressed who are raised from the lowest station to a higher place, he says God sets on high those who are lowly (that is, those cast down), and that the sorrowful are brought to joy. Regarding this, he says God lifts up the mournful to safety with his favor.

Second, he speaks of those who oppress others, who are of two kinds. Some openly oppress through force, and regarding these, he says, God frustrates the designs of evildoers, so that their hands achieve no success. They are hindered by God from accomplishing their works and cannot bring their evil intentions to pass. Others, however, deceive people by cunning. As for these, he says, God catches the wise in their own craftiness, so that what the cunning devise goes contrary to their own design. He frustrates the plan of evil men, so what they seemed to have wisely planned cannot be carried out because of hindrances placed in their way from on high. Sometimes not only are their plans hindered in practice, but their minds are also clouded so that they fail to discover better options when taking counsel. Thus, he says, They come upon darkness in the daytime, meaning that in a matter that is clear, they are completely ignorant of what they are doing, and grope at noonday as in the night, meaning that in matters that are not at all doubtful, they hesitate as though they were obscure.

To prove that these things happen by divine providence, Eliphaz goes on to describe the useful purpose they serve. When the cunning of evildoers is hindered, the poor are freed from their deceptions. This is why he adds, But he will save the poor from the sword of their mouth. Those who are cunning in evil often seduce others with flattering and deceptive language, and these words are compared to a harmful sword. As the psalmist says, Their tongue is a sharpened sword (Psalms 56:5). When the works of powerful evil men are hindered by God, the poor are also saved, and so he continues, saving the needy from the hand of the mighty. Two things follow from this. First, people who are powerless in their own right must trust in divine power, because God has care for human affairs. Thus, he says, the poor will have hope. Second, powerful and evil people restrain themselves so that they are not totally ruined, and so the text continues, and injustice will shut her mouth, so that it does not completely expend itself in harming others.