JOB LESSON 15


     We will begin this lesson in Job 15:1 "Then answered Eliphaz the
Temanite, and said," Job 15:2 "Should a wise man utter vain knowledge,
and fill his belly with the east wind?"

     Eliphaz was criticizing Job for his talking. He thought all of
Job's talk was in vain. He thought that God regarded it no more than
He would the blowing of the wind. The east wind in that part of the
world was the worst of winds.

     Job 15:3 "Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with
speeches wherewith he can do no good?"

     Eliphaz was saying that Job's talk was unprofitable. He was
telling Job that all of his talk would do no good at all. He had a
terrible opinion of Job. He truly felt that Job's sins were so great,
that God would not even listen to him.

     Job 15:4 "Yea, thou castest off fear, and restrainest prayer
before God."

     He forgot that Job had asked God to take away his fear of Him.
Job had spoken boldly of his belief that God would save him. Eliphaz
believed that Job was not showing reverence toward God. He even
believed that Job was hindering other's prayers to God.

     Job 15:5 "For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou
choosest the tongue of the crafty."

     Eliphaz believed that Job's tongue was speaking from a heart
filled with iniquity.

     Job 15:6 "Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine
own lips testify against thee."

     Now, he was saying that the words he was speaking were condemning
himself. He believed that Job had been acting in an irreverent way in
speaking to God. Job was in very good company being accused of sinning
with what he said. They accused Jesus of speaking blasphemy, and
therefore worthy of death. How wrong they were, and how wrong Eliphaz
was here.

     Job 15:7  "[Art] thou the first man [that] was born? or wast thou
made before the hills?"

     He was accusing Job of believing that he had supernatural
intelligence. He was also asking Job if he was the firstborn of God?
In other words, He was saying, are you trying to compare yourself to
God.

     Job 15:8 "Hast thou heard the secret of God? and dost thou
restrain wisdom to thyself?"
     No mortal man had ever been included in the counsel of God, and
yet, that was what Eliphaz was saying that Job believed he had done.
He was really saying cutting things to Job, especially when he said
that Job thought he was the only wise man on the earth.

     Job 15:9 "What knowest thou, that we know not? [what]
understandest thou, which [is] not in us?" Job 15:10 "With us [are]
both the grayheaded and very aged men, much elder than thy father."

     This is the first indication that Job was not an extremely
elderly man, even though he had 10 children. It appeared that one of
Job's friends was as old as Job's father. It, probably, would have
been Eliphaz, because he always spoke first. Old age is not always
what makes a person wise, however. Wisdom is a gift from God.  God
gave great wisdom to Solomon, when he was very young.

     Job 15:11  "[Are] the consolations of God small with thee? is
there any secret thing with thee?"

     Eliphaz was still saying that he and the other two friends had
offered a solution to Job. He should repent of his sins and seek the
LORD with all his heart and then, perhaps, God would stop the
punishment against him.

     Job 15:12 "Why doth thine heart carry thee away? and what do thy
eyes wink at,"

     He said that Job was winking at the sins he committed. His heart
had convinced him he was not guilty.

     Job 15:13 "That thou turnest thy spirit against God, and lettest
[such] words go out of thy mouth?"

     Eliphaz was saying that Job was rebellious toward God and was too
proud to admit his sins. Of course, this was not true. Job had asked
God to tell him what his sins were, so that he could repent.

     Job 15:14 "What [is] man, that he should be clean? and [he which
is] born of a woman, that he should be righteous?"

     This is the same message, that those who are trying to live holy
before their Lord get today. They are accused of trying to work their
way to heaven. That is the furthest thing from the truth. Those who
try to live as near holy lives as they can, are appreciative of the
free gift of salvation God has given them. Their holy lives are trying
to be like Him. This was the same thing with Job, here. Eliphaz was
saying it was impossible for man to live a righteous life. Job had
done his best to do just that.

     Job 15:15 "Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the
heavens are not clean in his sight."

     There is not anyone except God that is without spot or blemish in
God's eye. It is by grace, we are saved. The angels in heaven are not
absolutely perfect either. We know that 1/3 of them left their first
estate and followed Lucifer.

     Job 15:16 "How much more abominable and filthy [is] man, which
drinketh iniquity like water?"

     Eliphaz was saying that if even the heavens, and the angels in
heaven were not clean, the earth and its inhabitants were filthy. They
were filled with iniquity.

     Job 15:17 "I will shew thee, hear me; and that [which] I have
seen I will declare;" Job 15:18 "Which wise men have told from their
fathers, and have not hid [it]:"

     These were the beginning verses of things that Eliphaz believedhe
had observed during his lifetime. He said that even the wise men of
old and the fathers had warned their children of the punishment that
came to those who sin. He was speaking this as an attack on Job. He
said these thing were not secret.

     Job 15:19 "Unto whom alone the earth was given, and no stranger
passed among them."

     This helps to date Job as a very ancient writing. He was speaking
of a time, when there were very few men upon the earth. There were no
wars. Each man was given his plot of ground by God.

     Job 15:20 "The wicked man travaileth with pain all [his] days,
and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor."

     Now, he was beginning to list the terrible things that come to
those who sin. He was most assuredly slanting this toward Job, who he
believed to be a sinner. He was speaking as if all sinners suffer all
the days of their lives, which is really not a correct statement. Many
sinners are not punished on this earth.

     Job 15:21 "A dreadful sound [is] in his ears: in prosperity the
destroyer shall come upon him."

     This was really saying that he was fearful at every sound,
thinking harm might come to him.

     Job 15:22 "He believeth not that he shall return out of darkness,
and he is waited for of the sword."

     He was afraid of the dark, because he felt someone was lurking in
the dark to kill him.

     Job 15:23 "He wandereth abroad for bread, [saying], Where [is
it]?  he knoweth that the day of darkness is ready at his hand."

     This was speaking of starvation coming to those who had sinned.
The day of darkness, in this particular instance, was the day of
death.  He was threatening Job, that he would starve to death.
     Job 15:24 "Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid; they shall
prevail against him, as a king ready to the battle."

     Eliphaz was speaking specifically of the troubles of Job in this
verse. He believed that Job's troubles were like the troubles a
vicious king brought when he overthrew a country.

     Job 15:25 "For he stretcheth out his hand against God, and
strengtheneth himself against the Almighty."

     This was another accusation that Job had threatened God. He said
that Job thought he was stronger than God. This was a terrible
untruth.

     Job 15:26 "He runneth upon him, [even] on [his] neck, upon the
thick bosses of his bucklers:" Job 15:27 "Because he covereth his face
with his fatness, and maketh collops of fat on [his] flanks."

     This was a statement that Job had run against God like a charging
warrior. He would have his head down running straight ahead. I
personally believe that Eliphaz had gone too far. In verse 27, he was
even calling Job a glutton.

     Job 15:28 "And he dwelleth in desolate cities, [and] in houses
which no man inhabiteth, which are ready to become heaps."

     None of this had made this man anything. He lived in a ruined
state. Again, Eliphaz was referring to Job's children's homes, which
were destroyed by the storm.

     Job 15:29 "He shall not be rich, neither shall his substance
continue, neither shall he prolong the perfection thereof upon the
earth."

     Surely the riches of Job had been taken away, and that was what
Eliphaz was stressing, here. Eliphaz had been jealous of all of the
blessings that God had bestowed upon Job. It seems, he was a little
thrilled that Job had lost it all now.

     Job 15:30 "He shall not depart out of darkness; the flame shall
dry up his branches, and by the breath of his mouth shall he go away."

     The branches were speaking of Job's children who had been
destroyed. He was trying to say that the dark day, that began with the
loss of Job's children, would continue.

     Job 15:31 "Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity: for
vanity shall be his recompence."

     He was saying that Job had deceived himself in thinking that he
was in right standing with God. He believed that Job's pride was his
downfall.

     Job 15:32 "It shall be accomplished before his time, and his
branch shall not be green."

     Eliphaz was saying that death would come to Job before his
natural time, because of his sins. He would be an old man long before
his time from his disease.

     Job 15:33 "He shall shake off his unripe grape as the vine, and
shall cast off his flower as the olive."

     Blight will cause a vine to do what is described here. Eliphaz
was not speaking of a vine, but of Job. He was saying there was a
blight in the character of Job.

     Job 15:34 "For the congregation of hypocrites [shall be]
desolate, and fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery."

     He believed that Job had to be a hypocrite. Job had proclaimed
his great faith in God. Eliphaz said, he did not really love God and
want to serve him, it was just a front. He was now accusing Job of
taking bribes.

     Job 15:35 "They conceive mischief, and bring forth vanity, and
their belly prepareth deceit."

     Eliphaz had a very low opinion of Job. He had decided that Job's
heart was evil. That all of his iniquity was conceived in his evil
heart. He would have a lot of regrets when he found out the truth
about Job.


























                           Job 15 Questions


1.  Should a wise man utter vain _____________?
2.  What was Eliphaz criticizing Job for?
3.  He thought that God regarded it no more than He would the
    __________ of the wind.
4.  Eliphaz was saying that Job's talk was _____________.
5.  What had he forgotten, when he made his statement against Job in
    verse 4?
6.  Where did Eliphaz believe the evil words in Job's mouth were
    coming from?
7.  What did he say condemned Job?
8.  What silly question did he ask Job in verse 7?
9.  Hast thou heard the _________ of God?
10. What was one of the most cutting things he said to Job?
11. What was the first indication that Job was not an elderly man?
12. How many children did Job have?
13. Who was, probably, the oldest of Job's friends?
14. What was the solution Job's friends had offered?
15. Eliphaz said that Job was rebellious toward God and too
    ___________ to admit his sins.
16. Quote Job chapter 15 verse 14.
17. What, or who, are without spot or blemish?
18. How many of the angels followed Lucifer?
19. Which verse helps to date Job as a very early writing?
20. Why is the sinner afraid of the dark?
21. Verse 25 was an accusation that Job had ________ God.
22. What was Eliphaz referring to in verse 28?
23. Verse 29 speaks of Job losing his ___________.
24. Eliphaz said that Job had deceived himself, how?
25. In verse 32, he was saying that Job will not grow ______.
26. What did he call Job in verse 34?
27. What would happen to Eliphaz at the end?