Thy Strong Word — Job 5: Eliphaz: “Walk it off, Job”

Have you ever noticed how easy it is to hand out advice when you’re not the one suffering? It’s one thing to talk about God’s justice from the comfort of your own life, but it’s another when you’re the one in the ashes. Eliphaz continues his advice that began in the previous chapter. He thinks he’s offering Job wisdom—trust God’s discipline, endure hardship, and everything will work out. But is he really seeing the whole picture? Or is he just repeating what sounds good?

The Rev. Jacob Heine, pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Topeka, KS, joins the Rev. Dr. Phil Booe to study Job 5.

Why do the righteous suffer? That’s the burning question at the heart of the book of Job—one of the most profound and challenging books in all of Scripture. From a Lutheran perspective, Job’s story isn’t just about a man enduring unimaginable hardship; it’s about wrestling with God’s will, grappling with well-meaning but misguided advice, and ultimately finding comfort in God’s grace rather than human understanding. As Job’s friends offer simplistic answers, Job demands the truth, and God’s response reminds us of His infinite wisdom and mercy. Through it all, we see glimpses of Christ—the truly innocent sufferer—who redeems our pain and points us to the cross, where suffering meets salvation. Join us as we journey through Job, confronting tough questions about faith, suffering, and God’s mysterious ways with hope grounded in Christ alone.

Thy Strong Word, hosted by Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, reveals the light of our salvation in Christ through study of God’s Word, breaking our darkness with His redeeming light. Each weekday, two pastors fix our eyes on Jesus by considering Holy Scripture, verse by verse, in order to be strengthened in the Word and be equipped to faithfully serve in our daily vocations. Submit comments or questions to: thystrongword@kfuo.org.

Thy Strong Word is graciously underwritten by the Lutheran Heritage Foundation. Through the mission gifts of people like you, LHF translates, publishes, distributes and introduces books that are Bible-based, Christ-centered and Reformation-driven. Learn more at lhfmissions.org.

Job 5

“Call now; is there anyone who will answer you?
    To which of the holy ones will you turn?
²Surely vexation kills the fool,
    and jealousy slays the simple.
³I have seen the fool taking root,
    but suddenly I cursed his dwelling.
⁴His children are far from safety;
    they are crushed in the gate,
    and there is no one to deliver them.
⁵The hungry eat his harvest,
    and he takes it even out of thorns,^[a]
    and the thirsty pant^[b] after his^[c] wealth.
⁶For affliction does not come from the dust,
    nor does trouble sprout from the ground,
⁷but man is born to trouble
    as the sparks fly upward.

⁸“As for me, I would seek God,
    and to God would I commit my cause,
⁹who does great things and unsearchable,
    marvelous things without number:
¹⁰he gives rain on the earth
    and sends waters on the fields;
¹¹he sets on high those who are lowly,
    and those who mourn are lifted to safety.
¹²He frustrates the devices of the crafty,
    so that their hands achieve no success.
¹³He catches the wise in their own craftiness,
    and the schemes of the wily are brought to a quick end.
¹⁴They meet with darkness in the daytime
    and grope at noonday as in the night.
¹⁵But he saves the needy from the sword of their mouth
    and from the hand of the mighty.
¹⁶So the poor have hope,
    and injustice shuts her mouth.

¹⁷“Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves;
    therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty.
¹⁸For he wounds, but he binds up;
    he shatters, but his hands heal.
¹⁹He will deliver you from six troubles;
    in seven no evil^[d] shall touch you.
²⁰In famine he will redeem you from death,
    and in war from the power of the sword.
²¹You shall be hidden from the lash of the tongue,
    and shall not fear destruction when it comes.
²²At destruction and famine you shall laugh,
    and shall not fear the beasts of the earth.
²³For you shall be in league with the stones of the field,
    and the beasts of the field shall be at peace with you.
²⁴You shall know that your tent is at peace,
    and you shall inspect your fold and miss nothing.
²⁵You shall know also that your offspring shall be many,
    and your descendants as the grass of the earth.
²⁶You shall come to your grave in ripe old age,
    like a sheaf gathered up in its season.
²⁷Behold, this we have searched out; it is true.
    Hear, and know it for your good.”^[e]

Footnotes

Job 5:5 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain
Job 5:5 Aquila, Symmachus, Syriac, Vulgate; Hebrew could be read as and the snare pants
Job 5:5 Hebrew their
Job 5:19 Or disaster
Job 5:27 Hebrew for yourself

Rev. Dr. Phil Booe

Native North Carolinian Rev. Dr. Phil Booe serves pastor of St. John Lutheran Church of Luverne, MN, and host of Thy Strong Word on KFUO Radio. His parishioners probably think he can’t teach Bible study without a mug of coffee in his hand, and he’ll always be happy to eat a plate of sushi. When he’s not shepherding his flock or teaching on the radio, you might find him watching bad movies from the 50s, 60s, and 70s, and especially binging RiffTrax and MST3K episodes. Some day he’d love to travel to the Lutheran homeland in Germany, but for now he spends time in Minnesota with his wife, son, daughter, and cat, and looks forward to Holy Week every year.