If my calamity was laid in the balance, it would be heavier than the sand of the sea. He admits his words have been rash. The arrows of the Almighty are in him. His spirit drinks their poison. The terrors of God are against him. Food is loathsome to him. He begs for his request that God would fulfill his hope that God would loose his hand and crush him and cut him off. This would be a comfort to him. He would exult in pain unsparing, because he had not denied the words of the Holy One. Why should he wait and be patient. He has no help in him or resources within himself to face this. He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty. His brothers are treacherous as a torrent-bed – when they melt (like snow), they disappear; when it is hot, they vanish. You have become nothing; you see my calamity and are afraid. Have I said, “Make me a gift?” “offer a bribe,” “deliver,” or “redeem” me? Teach me and I will be silent; make me understand how I have gone astray. Upright words are forceful. Do you think that you can reprove words, when the speech of a despairing man is wind? You’d even bargain over a friend. Is there any injustice on my tongue? Cannot my palate discern the cause of calamity?
Job is saying that Elpiphaz is misrepresenting him. Two phrases especially stand out, “He who withholds kindness from a friend forsakes the fear of the Almighty,” and, “Do you think that you can reprove words, when the speech of the despairing man is wind?” In Job 8:2 Bildad puts this accusation to Words. How can we expect the people that we seek to reprove to hear us if we ignore how they are feeling and treat their words as if it is worthless and aimless wind. Job knows that the accusations Eliphaz is making about the assumption that God is doing this to him because of His sin is false. Job is suffering and all his friend can do is assume he is going through this because of something he specifically did to deserve it. God help us to be the kind of people who don’t exasperate and aggravate the suffering of our friends and loved ones. God help us to be an encouragement, not to assume guilt, and to make judgments about our friends’ character, but help us to point them to hope in Jesus Christ alone.