Sharper Iron — There Is a Redeemer – Job 22:1-30: Endless Iniquities
Eliphaz takes his third and final turn to speak. He is sure that Job’s evil is abundant, and so Eliphaz begins to name the laundry list of sins that Job surely must have committed. While Eliphaz correctly identifies many forms of wickedness, he is wrong to assume that Job’s suffering means that Job has done these things. Nonetheless, Eliphaz urges Job to receive this instruction for his own good. Eliphaz remains convinced that if Job will repent of his wickedness, he can secure the blessing of God once again.
Rev. Dr. Daniel Brege, pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church-Preble, near Decatur, IN,joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study Job 22:1-30.
To learn more about St. Paul Lutheran Church-Preble, visit stpaulpreble.org.
“There Is a Redeemer” is a series on Sharper Iron that studies the book of Job. The suffering of Job raises important questions. Does man fear God for no reason? Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil? Who can be an arbiter for man? As this book of wisdom literature wrestles with such questions, God reveals to us that He is our Living Redeemer whom we are right to fear, love, and trust above all things.
Sharper Iron, hosted by Rev. Timothy Appel, looks at the text of Holy Scripture both in its broad context and its narrow detail, all for the sake of proclaiming Christ crucified and risen for sinners. Two pastors engage with God’s Word to sharpen not only their own faith and knowledge, but the faith and knowledge of all who listen. Pastor Appel serves at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, IL. Learn more at flcgodfrey.org. Submit comments or questions to: listener@kfuo.org
Sharper Iron is underwritten by Lutheran Church Extension Fund. Together in faith, LCEF helps to start, sustain and strengthen LCMS ministries through financial and strategic partnerships. Visit lcef.org.
Job 22:1-30
Eliphaz Speaks: Job’s Wickedness Is Great
[1] Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said:
[2] “Can a man be profitable to God?
Surely he who is wise is profitable to himself.
[3] Is it any pleasure to the Almighty if you are in the right,
or is it gain to him if you make your ways blameless?
[4] Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
and enters into judgment with you?
[5] Is not your evil abundant?
There is no end to your iniquities.
[6] For you have exacted pledges of your brothers for nothing
and stripped the naked of their clothing.
[7] You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
[8] The man with power possessed the land,
and the favored man lived in it.
[9] You have sent widows away empty,
and the arms of the fatherless were crushed.
[10] Therefore snares are all around you,
and sudden terror overwhelms you,
[11] or darkness, so that you cannot see,
and a flood of water covers you.
[12] “Is not God high in the heavens?
See the highest stars, how lofty they are!
[13] But you say, ‘What does God know?
Can he judge through the deep darkness?
[14] Thick clouds veil him, so that he does not see,
and he walks on the vault of heaven.’
[15] Will you keep to the old way
that wicked men have trod?
[16] They were snatched away before their time;
their foundation was washed away.
[17] They said to God, ‘Depart from us,’
and ‘What can the Almighty do to us?’
[18] Yet he filled their houses with good things—
but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
[19] The righteous see it and are glad;
the innocent one mocks at them,
[20] saying, ‘Surely our adversaries are cut off,
and what they left the fire has consumed.’
[21] “Agree with God, and be at peace;
thereby good will come to you.
[22] Receive instruction from his mouth,
and lay up his words in your heart.
[23] If you return to the Almighty you will be built up;
if you remove injustice far from your tents,
[24] if you lay gold in the dust,
and gold of Ophir among the stones of the torrent-bed,
[25] then the Almighty will be your gold
and your precious silver.
[26] For then you will delight yourself in the Almighty
and lift up your face to God.
[27] You will make your prayer to him, and he will hear you,
and you will pay your vows.
[28] You will decide on a matter, and it will be established for you,
and light will shine on your ways.
[29] For when they are humbled you say, ‘It is because of pride’;
but he saves the lowly.
[30] He delivers even the one who is not innocent,
who will be delivered through the cleanness of your hands.”
Although a mathematics degree may not be incredibly helpful to (proudly born-and-raised Texan) Rev. Timothy Appel while hosting Sharper Iron, his love of CFW Walther and the season of Easter will come in handy. His Call is shepherding the flock at Faith Lutheran Church in Godfrey, Illinois, and he’s also husband to wife Kristin and dad to their growing basketball team of children. When he’s not carrying out pastoral duties, you may find him reading “The Lord of the Rings,” snacking on Reese’s peanut butter cups, playing dominoes with his boys, or studying up on Texas history (including Sam Houston, of course).
