In Job 15–17, Round 2 begins as the velvet gloves of friendship come off, replaced by boxing gloves. Eliphaz accuses Job of foolish wickedness, Job fires back calling his friends “miserable comforters,” and in his darkest hour declares a witness in heaven will vindicate him. The central question driving it all: Are God’s ways just?
Previously on Bible Book Club
In Job 11-14, we met the last of Job’s three frenemies: Zophar, the zero-mercy zealot, and Job fired back declaring his faith in God. Then Job took a dive on his emotional rollercoaster, asking a question for the ages: If someone dies, will they live again? And, with that, Round 1 was over. All three friends had spoken.
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Round 2 Begins with Eliphaz
Job holds firm. He refuses to confess to something he didn’t do, which means his friends have no choice but to come back harder. And that’s exactly what happens in Round 2, starting today. But before we dive into Round 2, let’s zoom out for a second. We don’t want to lose the plot in the midst of all the dialogue between Job and his friends. This is what we want to remember:
The Book of Job is the story of a righteous man who loses everything, wrestles with suffering, and discovers that trusting God is more important than understanding His ways.
What central question drives the arguments in the Book of Job?
At the heart of the book, the question driving every argument, every accusation, every desperate cry from Job is this: Are God’s ways just? The author builds the entire book like a courtroom drama, because that’s exactly what it is. Job is on trial.
His three friends have shown up, not just to mourn with him, but to prosecute him. Their case? Job must have sinned. Suffering is punishment. That’s how God works. But Job fires back not by confessing but by demanding his day in court with God. God needs to explain Himself. Because Job is sure he had done nothing to deserve this. And so the debate progresses.
There are three rounds and here’s what you need to know to stay oriented: In Round 1, which we just completed, the friends believed they were helping. They still sound like friends, albeit preachy friends full of unsolicited advice:
- Eliphaz opened with a compliment
- Bildad softened his argument with “if you’re pure and upright you will be restored”
- Zophar was the harshest of the three, but even he left a door open: repent, and things will get better
The implicit message of Round 1 was: you can fix this. All three came to the same conclusion: repent and things will get better. The medicine they prescribed came from their firm belief in the retribution principle: sin brings you suffering; therefore, repentance will lead to restoration.
The problem? Job refused their prescription. Job had not sinned and therefore could not repent. That refusal changed everything, because the friends expected their theology to work. Job was supposed to search his conscience, cave, and the conversation would be over. When Job pushed back, when he argued his innocence and started questioning God’s justice, they took it personally.
Why did Job’s friends take his claims of innocence personally?
His refusal to concede felt like arrogance to them, like he thought he was above God. And that rejection is what breaks the friendship. It was a tough choice for Job, agree with his friends or stand for what he knew was right, but Job made the right choice. And his choice was God’s choice. In fact, in the heavenly court, it won the round.
What is the primary difference between Round 1 and Round 2 in Job?
In Round 2, the velvet gloves of friendship come off, replaced by boxing gloves. In Round 1, the friends were concerned but condescending. In Round 2, the friends are not so friendly; they are aggressive and accusatory. They also change tactics, moving from:
- Diagnosis to judgment
- Advice to judgement
- “Here’s what you should do” to “here’s what you are.”
In other words, Round 1 was: you must have sinned and need to repent, Job. Round 2 is: you sinned, Job, and because you deny it you are wicked. In Round 2, all three friends will claim Job is wicked in some way, starting with Eliphaz.
Scene 1: Eliphaz to Job, “You Are Foolishly Wicked”
Job 15:1–35
1 Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied: 2 “Would a wise person answer with empty notions or fill their belly with the hot east wind? 3 Would they argue with useless words, with speeches that have no value? 4 But you even undermine piety and hinder devotion to God. 5 Your sin prompts your mouth; you adopt the tongue of the crafty. 6 Your own mouth condemns you, not mine; your own lips testify against you. 7 “Are you the first man ever born? Were you brought forth before the hills? 8 Do you listen in on God’s council? Do you have a monopoly on wisdom? 9 What do you know that we do not know? What insights do you have that we do not have? 10 The gray-haired and the aged are on our side, men even older than your father. 11 Are God’s consolations not enough for you, words spoken gently to you? 12 Why has your heart carried you away, and why do your eyes flash, 13 so that you vent your rage against God and pour out such words from your mouth? 14 “What are mortals, that they could be pure, or those born of woman, that they could be righteous? 15 If God places no trust in his holy ones, if even the heavens are not pure in his eyes, 16 how much less mortals, who are vile and corrupt, who drink up evil like water!
17 “Listen to me and I will explain to you; let me tell you what I have seen, 18 what the wise have declared, hiding nothing received from their ancestors 19 (to whom alone the land was given when no foreigners moved among them): 20 All his days the wicked man suffers torment, the ruthless man through all the years stored up for him. 21 Terrifying sounds fill his ears; when all seems well, marauders attack him. 22 He despairs of escaping the realm of darkness; he is marked for the sword. 23 He wanders about for food like a vulture; he knows the day of darkness is at hand. 24 Distress and anguish fill him with terror; troubles overwhelm him, like a king poised to attack, 25 because he shakes his fist at God and vaunts himself against the Almighty, 26 defiantly charging against him with a thick, strong shield. 27 “Though his face is covered with fat and his waist bulges with flesh, 28 he will inhabit ruined towns and houses where no one lives, houses crumbling to rubble. 29 He will no longer be rich and his wealth will not endure, nor will his possessions spread over the land. 30 He will not escape the darkness; a flame will wither his shoots, and the breath of God’s mouth will carry him away. 31 Let him not deceive himself by trusting what is worthless, for he will get nothing in return. 32 Before his time he will wither, and his branches will not flourish. 33 He will be like a vine stripped of its unripe grapes, like an olive tree shedding its blossoms. 34 For the company of the godless will be barren, and fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes. 35 They conceive trouble and give birth to evil; their womb fashions deceit.”
Why does Eliphaz accuse Job of being foolishly wicked in Chapter 15?
Eliphaz attacks Job’s character, and his argument is that Job’s own words and pride reveal his inner corruption. The foolishness is self-generated, a failure of the heart. Eliphaz accuses Job of lacking wisdom. He starts with this question, “Would a wise person…” then he lists all the things a wise person would not do that he implies Job does:
- Being full of hot air
- Having empty notions about things
- Arguing with useless words
- Adopting the tongue of the crafty.
Eliphaz thinks that Job is a fool, and his own mouth condemns him. In Round 1, Job was affirming his innocence before the jury of his friends. But Eliphaz, the preacher-turned-prosecutor, accuses Job that his words are what prove him guilty.
Eliphaz accuses Job of arrogance.
He starts sarcastically with, “Are you the first man ever born?” and “What do you know that we do not know?” implying that Job thinks he knows more than everyone else.
Ironically, it is Eliphaz who speaks arrogantly.
Eliphaz sees himself as God’s messenger. He is the one who knows it all, especially about men who are wicked. So Job better lean in and learn. In his first speech, Eliphaz described the blessings of the godly man, but in speech 2 Eliphaz warns Job of the suffering of the wicked man.
How does Eliphaz describe the fate of the wicked man?
Eliphaz paints a vivid and terrifying portrait of a man who is tormented, living in despair and darkness. Eliphaz never says “this is you, Job” but every listener in the audience knows exactly who he means. Eliphaz has stopped trying to help Job and started doing the Accuser’s job for him.
The accuser, Satan, condemns Job saying he will not be faithful to God. Eliphaz does the same. He accuses Job of being unfaithful, wicked even. In his final statement, “For the company of the godless will be barren” he implies that Job lost his family because he was a godless man. And when he says “They conceive trouble and give birth to evil” Eliphaz is accusing Job of secretly conceiving the sin that gave birth to the death of his family and all of his suffering. Ouch! Think of how this must hurt Job coming from a friend.
Eliphaz has moved from trying to correct Job to condemning him. He is pushing Job to confess an evil, secret sin worthy of his punishment. A sin that Job would have to fabricate because it does not exist. As the community he loves watches this trial and defamation grow, can you imagine Job’s frustration? Hurt? Humiliation?
In Job’s response, his emotions reflect his friends’ escalating persecution. In Round 1, Job was anguished, searching, grieving, still half-engaged with his friends’ arguments. In Round 2, he is angry and defiant.
Scene 2: Job to Eliphaz, “You Are Miserable Comforters!”
Job 16:1-22
Then Job replied: 2 “I have heard many things like these; you are miserable comforters, all of you! 3 Will your long-winded speeches never end? What ails you that you keep on arguing? 4 I also could speak like you, if you were in my place; I could make fine speeches against you and shake my head at you. 5 But my mouth would encourage you; comfort from my lips would bring you relief.
6 “Yet if I speak, my pain is not relieved; and if I refrain, it does not go away. 7 Surely, God, you have worn me out; you have devastated my entire household. 8 You have shriveled me up—and it has become a witness; my gauntness rises up and testifies against me. 9 God assails me and tears me in his anger and gnashes his teeth at me; my opponent fastens on me his piercing eyes. 10 People open their mouths to jeer at me; they strike my cheek in scorn and unite together against me. 11 God has turned me over to the ungodly and thrown me into the clutches of the wicked. 12 All was well with me, but he shattered me; he seized me by the neck and crushed me. He has made me his target; 13 his archers surround me. Without pity, he pierces my kidneys and spills my gall on the ground. 14 Again and again he bursts upon me; he rushes at me like a warrior. 15 “I have sewed sackcloth over my skin and buried my brow in the dust. 16 My face is red with weeping, dark shadows ring my eyes; 17 yet my hands have been free of violence and my prayer is pure.
18 “Earth, do not cover my blood; may my cry never be laid to rest! 19 Even now my witness is in heaven; my advocate is on high. 20 My intercessor is my friend as my eyes pour out tears to God; 21 on behalf of a man he pleads with God as one pleads for a friend. 22 “Only a few years will pass before I take the path of no return.
What does Job mean by calling his friends “miserable comforters”?
The Hebrew word for comforter comes from the root word nacham, which means to breathe deeply or sigh. So, in this context, a comforter is someone who sits with you in your grief and sighs with you. It’s what a friend should do, enter into your pain with you, but Job’s friends are miserable at it.
So when Job explodes and turns on all of his friends, accusing them all of being miserable comforters, there is more meaning in Hebrew than you might think. In fact amal, the Hebrew word for miserable, means toil or labor, mischief, trouble, and wickedness. It’s the kind of misery that grinds you down, like hard, unkind labor. Job’s friends are grinding down what little is left of him, and Job feels it deeply.
Job’s Vow
Job vows that if his friends were suffering as he is, he would treat them better. It’s a vow we should take too, and the Apostle Paul agrees.
Romans 12:14-18 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
17 Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. 18 If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
Mourn with those who mourn. Live at peace with everyone. So simple but often difficult in reality. These three friends failed the most basic call of friendship, and because of that Job’s suffering becomes even more miserable. That same failure for us would be a fail to keep the second greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:34-40 Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, the Pharisees got together. 35 One of them, an expert in the law, tested him with this question: 36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Sigh with the Suffering
When someone suffers, we are to love them as ourselves. For those listening who have suffered, this is a great gift that you can give to others who are suffering. For you know what the sufferer feels, and you know what the sufferer needs. You can sit with them and nacham, sigh deeply, and provide true empathy for their pain.
Job suffers even more in the void of the compassion he should be receiving from his friends. Job is under attack from:
- Satan, first and foremost, but Job doesn’t know that.
- His friends who think this is all his fault.
- But from God?
How does Job describe his perceived attack from God in Chapter 16?
Job again starts to lose his perspective in his pain and he describes this perceived attack from God as:
- God tearing him apart
- Throwing him at the wicked
- Making him a target of war
- Spilling his very life onto the ground
And yet Job is not saying this with hatred as one would have toward an enemy. Despair, maybe, but not hate.
Who does Job believe will vindicate him in the heavenly court?
Just when you fear Job’s faith may be slipping, he says there is a witness in heaven who will testify for him. He doesn’t know who, but Job knows He is an advocate on high. He doesn’t know his name, yet Job knows He is an intercessory friend.
Somehow, despite all that Job thinks God has done to him, Job’s faith still flickers. He has a witness, an advocate, and an intercessor. And though Job is well down the path to death, Job believes that he will be vindicated, because somewhere up there someone will validate his truth. Job has to guess at what we know. We know we have an advocate.
Jesus, Our Advocate
Romans 8:31-39 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:
“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
God chose Job for this heavenly court case against Satan. Satan accuses God that Job will not remain faithful. And Job’s friends condemn him as unfaithful. Job needs a defender, but he has no name for the One his heart yearns to defend him. We do.
Jesus, Our Defender
In Romans 8 Paul asks:
Romans 8:33-34 “Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? 34 Who then is the one who condemns?”
Paul answers his own questions:
- Who will bring charges against those whom God has chosen? No one, not anymore, Satan has lost. It’s God who justifies. We don’t have to defend ourselves as Job did.
- Who will condemn God’s people? No one because: “Christ Jesus who died — more than that, who was raised to life — is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”
Praise God, we do not ever have to live a life in a courtroom like Job’s wondering who will defend us. Jesus will. Whether great or small, our sin was justified on the Cross.
If we are ever faced with miserable comforters as Job was, we can rest assured and know that while we may be persecuted and condemned by those around us we have an advocate in heaven who sits at the right hand of God. He sees us, loves us, defends us, and redeems us, whether we sinned or not. We need to see him as Job did. He called his intercessor his friend. And no matter what we face in this life, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.
Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
How does Job’s suffering relate to the New Testament?
There is so much we can learn from Job, but fortunately we are not in Job’s situation. We have the Word of God to cling to, something Job sensed but couldn’t validate. And from John 1:1 we know that the Word is Jesus Christ.
Job 1:1-4 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
So we have the Word, the Bible, and we have the Word, the advocate who gives us the confidence to know we are forgiven, we are loved, and we are heirs to a life without suffering. We are assured of something Job could only hope for. And that is why we read and discuss every Word in the Bible Book Club. There is a lesson in every book that contributes to the larger story of God’s plan for our redemption.
Suffering is an emotional rollercoaster, and Job is proof. Having vented his anger at his friends, Job is spent, hopeless, and feels the end is near.
Scene 3: Broken But Not Hopeless
Job 17:1-16
1 My spirit is broken, my days are cut short, the grave awaits me. 2 Surely mockers surround me; my eyes must dwell on their hostility. 3 “Give me, O God, the pledge you demand. Who else will put up security for me? 4 You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore you will not let them triumph. 5 If anyone denounces their friends for reward, the eyes of their children will fail. 6 “God has made me a byword to everyone, a man in whose face people spit. 7 My eyes have grown dim with grief; my whole frame is but a shadow. 8 The upright are appalled at this; the innocent are aroused against the ungodly. 9 Nevertheless, the righteous will hold to their ways, and those with clean hands will grow stronger. 10 “But come on, all of you, try again! I will not find a wise man among you. 11 My days have passed, my plans are shattered. Yet the desires of my heart 12 turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near. 13 If the only home I hope for is the grave, if I spread out my bed in the realm of darkness, 14 if I say to corruption, ‘You are my father,’ and to the worm, ‘My mother’ or ‘My sister,’ 15 where then is my hope— who can see any hope for me? 16 Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?”
What is Job’s physical and emotional state in Chapter 17?
One reason Job may have been so desperate for a heavenly advocate is that his physical condition is dire. Job pleads for death. His end is near; the grave awaits him. And one senses, he has no desire to fight to live.
He is a man in whose face people spit, and he is exhausted from the cruel injustice and his inability to defend himself. And yet he also says, “Yet the desires of my heart turn night into day; in the face of the darkness light is near.” Job’s emotions are a contrast between despair and hope.
And so he asks the question: 15 where then is my hope— who can see any hope for me? and 16 Will it go down to the gates of death? Will we descend together into the dust?”
He is asking if his hope of being vindicated will die with him. He feels that death is at his door, and there is not much time for God to act and prove his innocence so that he can die in peace knowing he is reconciled with God.
What Job cannot see is that God has a plan for him, and it is not death. Job, despite his rollercoaster of emotions, is winning. He can’t see it through the darkness, but his faith will turn darkness into day. The light is near.
In our next chapters, the arguments will be fewer and faster. Bildad will blast and Zophar will speak his last.
Group Discussion Questions for Job 15–17
- Based on the retribution principle, Job’s friends believed suffering always equals sin. Have you ever found yourself applying that same logic, even unconsciously, to someone else’s hard season or your own?
- Job’s emotional state in Chapter 17 swings between “the grave awaits me” and “in the face of the darkness light is near” sometimes in the same breath. When you’re suffering, can you relate to this shifting perspective, or which of those two voices feels loudest?
- Job is winning the heavenly court case even though it looks like he is losing on earth. How does that reframe the way you think about seasons of suffering in your own life?
