Job 5:17

17 Behold, happy ['esher] is the man ['enowsh] whom God ['elowahh] correcteth [yakach]: therefore despise [ma'ac] not thou the chastening [muwcar] of the Almighty [Shadday]: KJV-Interlinear

17 'Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves, So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. NASB

Eliphaz has been summarizing the evil rich man who will eventually come under Gods judgment, because of the mans wicked treatment of others. But now Eliphaz changes his tone and he considers an alternate purpose for suffering, namely suffering from discipline.

There are several types of suffering to be found in this world. First, there is the suffering that can come out of the world itself. Just being alive and living in this devils world, which we call the jungle, will produce a wide variety of sources of sufferings. Suffering from hunger, crime, prejudice, health, economic, social and so forth.

All unbelievers will receive all of their suffering from the jungle laws that rule the world. The strong oppress the weak, the big fish eats up the little fish and so forth. Eventually all unbelievers succumb to the jungle environment.

In rejecting salvation, then all unbelievers place themselves in the cross hairs of Gods judgment. As they continue in their defiance toward God, then their suffering will be intensified until they reach a maximum point, after which death follows, and thus the end of their life in this world. The purpose of jungle suffering is to bring unbelievers to the gospel and salvation.

Gods laws of divine establishment provide a stabilizing influence to offset the jungle laws. However, when defiance toward Christ continues, then even these laws will give way to the eventual and ultimate suffering and death of unbelievers.

As for believers, their suffering can come from the world just as that received by unbelievers, but believers, now that they have entered into the family of God, will come under the watchful eye of God. Discipline enters into the picture.

The world takes care of all unbelievers, but God applies His discipline only to His own family.

God will direct His focused discipline onto individual believers who are generally negative or lax in their spiritual lives. If people continue to be indifferent or abusive toward God, then this discipline can intensify over the course of their lifetime until they reach a maximum point, after which death follows. The purpose of this discipline is to get people back on track in their spiritual lives.

God has a plan for each individual believer. If you are still alive and breathing, then you still have an opportunity to get on track in Gods plan for your life. If you are not still breathing, then most likely you are not reading this Your options and opportunities have ceased to exist as you aren't even here any more.

Then there is the believer who is on track in his spiritual growth toward spiritual maturity. Does that mean that life is perfect and there is no longer any suffering to be had in this life? No. Sometimes God saves the best testing for this very portion of your life.

Suffering exists for the growing or mature believer, but this suffering is more of a training, or testing nature. If we get to soft in prosperity, then we can drift away from our spiritual life. So God very graciously gives us reminders of our place in this universe. We are nothing more than specs of dust. Don't ever forget that.

You can call all suffering experienced by all believers, when they respond correctly, as suffering for blessing, for that is the ultimate goal. There is suffering for cursing and that continues off and on throughout the life of the negative believer. But if the believer changes their ways, then that suffering for cursing changes to suffering for blessing.

All blessing is derived from ones positive attitude toward God, Christ, and doctrine. Responding correctly in your spiritual life, will always eventually result in blessing. We might not always see it right away, but it will be there sooner or later. All suffering for blessing to designed to accelerate and strengthen your spiritual growth.

Now Eliphaz is suggesting that Jobs suffering is for discipline, because of Job's presumed wrongs committed during the course of his life.

Thus, since God is giving attention to Job, that means that there is hope for Job.

As we have already seem, Jobs suffering is not from this category of suffering. But many folks do belong to the suffering for cursing category because of their misdirected life.

What you do not want to happen in your life, is for God to give up on you and turn His back on you. Once He does that, then your life will not last much beyond that point.

'

However, if you are reading this, then you have not yet been cast aside by God. Anyone who turns their life back to God will never be cast aside. Thus the hope of recovery.

If you are suffering, and you are now turning your life back to God as best you can, then you should rejoice. You are alive and God still cares enough for you, to give you your spanking.

Most folks in this stage don't have a clue as to how or what they need to do in their spiritual life, but just the effort of reading the Bible, of starting a daily study, and so forth is enough to begin the road to recovery. God will establish the recovery work for you. You just have to stick with your daily studies.

So, don't despise your suffering, whether you think you deserve it or don't deserve it. That part is irrelevant. God wants your attention, and suffering is the best way to get it.

God has a great life being prepared for you. The world has nothing for you. So, getting your priorities straight will help you advance in your spiritual life, your most valuable possession.

Prov. 3:12

12 For whom the LORD loves He reproves, Even as a father, the son in whom he delights. NASB

Heb. 12:7

7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? NASB

James 1:12

12 Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. NASB

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