Eliphaz is one of Job's three friends that do not help him at all. He accuses Job of wrongdoing and urges him to repent of his many sins, when God sees him as largely righteous. These exhortations to repent begin with a "demonic revelation" that Satan gives to Eliphaz, and I believe it to be during one of the seven days and seven nights that he stayed with Job. It does not specify, but Eliphaz uses the evil spirit's words to accuse Job, therefore the spirit was likely accusing Job as well. I'm going to dissect the enemy's plot against Job by analyzing the words of the evil spirit and refuting them. The first part is Eliphaz speaking:
“Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it. Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance."
In this part of the story, Eliphaz speaks of a spirit, which is actually an evil spirit pretending to be from God, coming to him. The symptoms he describes are classical "demonic presence" symptoms: a pervading sense of dread, whispers in the ear, the hair on his body standing up and getting goosebumps from its evil presence, etc. Evil spirits elicit all these reactions.
"A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice:"
The evil spirit then speaks to Eliphaz, and what he is about to say is a deception. He is attempting to turn Eliphaz against Job, and in the process destroy trust in God - both Eliphaz's trust and Job's trust.
"'Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error;"
The evil spirit is lying by saying that God puts no trust in His servants. He is also saying he charges his angels with error because the evil spirit is a fallen angel who rebelled against God and tried to take His throne. He was cast out of heaven and is now working in Satan's plan to destroy Job's trust in God. He is blaspheming with these statements, saying God puts no trust in His servants. The Spirit also lies when he says that no one can be righteous before God, because God has already declared Job to be a righteous servant. The Spirit is accusing Job, so we know he is evil.
"how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth. Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it. Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’
The evil spirit is now opining on a point of view that is very prevalent in today's society: that humans are just ants under the boot of an angry God. This is also a lie, and a vicious one at that - I'm really surprised how much the tactics of the enemy haven't changed. How many times have you heard from the voices of "the world" that all life on earth is just random chance, and that humans are simply a more evolved form of animal with no real purpose but to reproduce before they die? This is SO common in the atheistic world today, and we can see proof from the Bible that it is from the devil.
Job 4:12-21 ESV
“Call now; is there anyone who will answer you? To which of the holy ones will you turn? Surely vexation kills the fool, and jealousy slays the simple. I have seen the fool taking root, but suddenly I cursed his dwelling."
The evil spirit is now talking about Job - accusing Job of having no wisdom and his riches "taking root" only by chance, before God struck him down. This is another lie, because God praised Job, and Satan accused Job. God is allowing Satan to buffet Job to give Job more faith, and to prove to Satan that Job is a true servant. The evil spirit speaks nothing of this, only accusing Job of foolishness and unrighteousness before God. The Spirit goes on to brag about Job's woes:
"His children are far from safety; they are crushed in the gate, and there is no one to deliver them. The hungry eat his harvest, and he takes it even out of thorns, and the thirsty pant after his wealth. For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward."
The evil spirit is saying that all trouble comes from God (it does not come "from the dust"), and is implying that God is afflicting Job for unrighteousness. This is a lie, as the affliction is from Satan, and though God allows it, it is not a punishment for unrighteousness.
Now comes the "half-truth" section of the evil spirit's speech. The evil spirit says all these good things about God, but he says that if we are good people, we will never have any troubles. Jesus contradicts this when he says, "In this world you will have trouble, but fear not, I have overcome the world." Jesus guarantees us persecution. Job is being persecuted by Satan for his righteousness, and Satan is turning it around and saying it's Job's fault and he is unrighteous. Classic demonic deception and accusation. Read on to see the truths and half-truths:
"As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number: he gives rain on the earth and sends waters on the fields; he sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. He frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success."
This is not exactly true. Proverbs 11:16 declares that ruthless men receive riches. In other words, that evil, crafty men receive riches. Not all rich people are evil, but proverbs says that some are. Therefore the evil, crafty people of the world sometimes receive success. Another lie from the devil.
"He catches the wise in their own craftiness, and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end. "
This is a truth, but the evil spirit is implying this about Job: that he is crafty and wily, when God has declared he is a good servant. This makes it a lie or half-truth.
"They meet with darkness in the daytime and grope at noonday as in the night. But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth and from the hand of the mighty. So the poor have hope, and injustice shuts her mouth. “Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal. He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine he will redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue, and shall not fear destruction when it comes."
I feel like this could be from a pastor! See how crafty the devil is, intermixing truth with devious lies? Now it gets a little more half-truthy:
At destruction and famine you shall laugh, and shall not fear the beasts of the earth. For you shall be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you. You shall know that your tent is at peace, and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing. You shall know also that your offspring shall be many, and your descendants as the grass of the earth. You shall come to your grave in ripe old age, like a sheaf gathered up in its season. Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear, and know it for your good.”
In summary, the evil spirit says that none shall be missing from your "fold" or "flock," if you are righteous, and you will have many offspring. Job is righteous, yet he has no flock (they were taken by warring tribes) and all his offspring are dead. This is a half-truth meant to accuse, blame, and discourage Job.
There is more evidence that it is in fact an evil spirit in these last verses. The Spirit says "we" have "searched out" these truths. Truth from angels is not searched out, it is given by God, and heavenly angels speak in God's name, not in the name of themselves and other angels. Conclusively, the spirit is not an angel of God, and therefore it is evil.
You see how the words of the evil spirit all sound like something that's from God, until we put it in the context of Job's life? The enemy is crafty at using religious phrases to blame us and make us feel we did something to deserve the terrible things we may be experiencing. I want to end by contradicting these statements with a review of Psalm 23:
"The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me."
Job was walking through the valley of the shadow of death. But even in the valley, God was with him. God upheld his life. The evil spirit was telling us that for the righteous, there *is* no valley of the shadow of death. David went through a valley. Solomon went through a valley. Daniel and his three companions went through a valley. And Jesus went through the valley. If there was a valley of the shadow of death for all these holy people and for the Savior Himself, there can be one for Job. And it is not necessarily because of our own actions. Jesus was perfect when He went through the valley. So don't be discouraged if you are going through a valley. Pray and wait for the restoration of Job in your life. He was restored everything that he lost and much more. God is not done:
"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Goodness and mercy follow you even into the valley of the shadow of death, because God follows you into the valley of the shadow of death. Even if your enemies surround you and taunt you and feel that there is no hope, God will prepare a table for you in their presence and your cup will overflow with His love. This happens through prayer and worship in tough circumstances, or just through God’s sovereign will. If you feel you are surrounded by enemies and they are taking your belongings, stealing your flock and taking your offspring from you, cry out to God for hours in prayer, worship, and scripture reading. Do it until you get a satisfactory answer, just as Job did. Job even ended up getting frustrated with God, but God came and restored him anyway. Praise God’s greatness in the midst of trouble and claim your victory, past, present, and future. God Bless you, God love you, and God save you!
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