Is there anyone who will answer Job. Vexation kills the fool, jealousy slays the simple. The fool takes root, his children are far from safety, they are crushed in the gate, and no one to deliver them. The hungry eat his harvest, and the thirsty pant after wealth. Afflication doesn’t come from the dust, nor trouble from the ground. Man is born for trouble as the sparks fly upward. Eliphaz would seek and commit his cause to God who is sovereign over all things. In His presence the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth. Blessed is the one whom God reproves. Don’t despise the discipline of God Almighty. He will deliver, redeem, hide from the lash of the tongue. You shall laugh at destruction and not fear the beast of the earth, because of Him. In God you can know you will be at peace, missing nothing, have many offspring, die at an old age. This is true, hear and know it for your good.
Eliphaz shares some true things, but misapplies truth as well. He seems to make the assumption that Job has somehow cast his lot with the fools who reject God. He also encourages Job that if He trusts in God that he can look forward to prosperity in this life. The difficulty with this is that Job was righteous. The reason Job is being afflicted isn’t because he is a fool and wicked in the sight of God, but because he is righteous and belongs to God. Don’t seek to admonish the suffering with mis-applied propositions. Truly know what has happened, and enter into the trial with them, but don’t make assumptions that they are suffering because of some specific reason that they were in control of. God moves in a mysterious way. Enter in and strengthen weak arms, and help each other set your hope upon God in the face of horrors.