Eliphaz

Eliphaz in Hebrew has been interpreted as, God is pure gold.

He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful. Job 5: 15

Eliphaz is one of the three very good friends of Job, who is walking this Cross Road with Job. He too has come with the other two friends, to see Job and has ended up so bewildered, so grieved, so full of sorrow for Job, that they all tear their robes, sprinkle dust on their heads and weep aloud for their friend. For seven days and seven nights, Eliphaz and Job’s other two friends mourn outside in silence, with him. They would not speak to him because they saw how great his suffering was. After Job himself breaks the silence and speaks, Eliphaz is the first one to reply to Job, a man in utter distress and pain. We look now at one of the many words he gave to his friend Job, about God.

He saves the needy from the sword in their mouth; he saves them from the clutches of the powerful.

Eliphaz paints a dramatic picture of the one who is needy. He sees the needy as people with a sword in their mouth. At the moment, Job is one who is needy. He is one with a sword in his mouth. Job has not always been as he is presently but for some reason, unknown to them, it seems like overnight, his friend has gone from a healthy state, to a terrible, debilitating condition, that he, Eliphaz cannot fathom. Job is therefore a man with a sword in his mouth because he is one who is needy.

What is the sword in his mouth? Why is Job needy? First, we see the neediness of Job. At this point, Job is heavily laden with pain. He is needy for his own flesh and bones have been affected. The deceiver, in talking with God about all human nature, tells God, in Chapter two, verses four and five that:-

A man will give all that he has for his own life, but when his own flesh and bones are attacked, he will turn against God and curse God to his face.

This is the sword in the mouth of the needy – the one in need of salvation, ease, cure, healing from the vicious, merciless pain that attacks the flesh and bones of a person. A sword is a sharp weapon that kills. It is a weapon of words in the mouth that destroys, devastates and kills. At this point, I asked God if this is the weapon in the mouth that allows us to commit spiritual suicide, for to curse God and die, is to commit such a damning act.

Hear the Good News! Hear the miracle! See More. Hold it in every single part of you. Our Lord Jesus, He who saved us and gave us life, is able to keep that life in us. He saves all of us who are needy from the ‘sword in our mouth.’ I tell you, when the pains of life are unbearable; when they overpower all hope, all evidence of a God who cares; when one is alone, afraid and does not even know how to be, anymore; when even the next breath of life brings nothing but more crippling, crushing pain, the sword in your mouth becomes your salvation. Thanks be to God, our Redeemer, through His Holy Spirit, He comes and saves us from cursing God and dying.

Eliphaz goes on to tell Job that God saves the needy from the clutches of the powerful. Here is another forceful and holding image. What do the powerful have to do with the powerless? When one is as needy as a Job, when one’s life has become a burden, a threat, a bother, a reliable source of bad news, a never ending diet of depressing talk to others, these others are seen as the powerful. Is it not true that these powerful, take hold, take charge and do as they see fit, to get rid of the needy? Is it not true that they treat the needy in ways that will give them freer and less guilty consciences and easier minds? The clutches of these powerful are seen, not so much in their actions, but in the reason for their chosen actions. The powerful then, are simply those who are not in the same needy state as the others, whose treatment of the needy only seeks to satisfy self first. The clutches of the powerful are the actions that satisfy them first. When a person becomes needy, through illness, age, or some other reason, to institutionalize or not to do so, is not the issue. It is whether or not the decision is made selfishly or selflessly.

Hear the Good News! Hear the miracle! See the Much More! Hold it in every part of you. Our Lord Jesus, He who saved you and gave you life, is also able to keep this life in you. He saves you, who are needy from the clutches of the powerful. I tell you, when the Love that saved you, a lost, needy and helpless soul, put you back in perfect standing before God, that Love never abandoned you. That Love stayed close, because you belong to that Love. When you turned back and faced that Love and gave yourself to that Love, He snatched you up in His arms, never to let you out of His hold. So that when human love is meted out to you, when the world’s selfish love touches you, it touches His Love in you. Will Jesus let His Love be adulterated in you? Certainly not! Jesus is the Selfless One, the Only Selfless Love that saves you from the clutches of love that will keep you down.

As we continue deeper in our life's walk with Jesus, we must experience more of the depth of suffering of our Lord and Saviour. As we experience pain, and suffering; injustice and indecencies; maliciousness and wickedness, may we remember Jesus. As the life of the needy is thrown upon us, may miracle be ours as we too are saved from the sword in our mouth and the clutches of the powerful with us.

May God be praised! May His Holy Spirit work in us.

needy and helpless soul, put you back in perfect standing before God, that Love never abandoned you. That Love stayed close, because you belong to that Love. When you turned back and faced that Love and gave yourself to that Love, He snatched you up in His arms, never to let you out of His hold. So that when human love is meted out to you, when the world’s selfish love touches you, it touches His Love in you. Will Jesus let His Love be adulterated in you? Certainly not! Jesus is the Selfless One, the Only Selfless Love that saves you from the clutches of love that will keep you down.

As we continue deeper on in this Lenten walk, we must experience more of the depth of suffering of our Lord and Saviour. As we experience pain, and suffering; injustice and indecencies; maliciousness and wickedness, may we remember Jesus. As the life of the needy is thrown upon us, may miracle be ours as we too are saved from the sword in our mouth and the clutches of the powerful with us. May God be praised. May His Holy Spirit work in us.