Job 22:4

4 Will he reprove [yakach] thee for fear [yir'ah] of thee? will he enter [bow'] with thee into judgment [mishpat]? KJV-Interlinear

4 'Is it because of your reverence that He reproves you, That He enters into judgment against you? NASB

Are people punished because God fears their greatness? Can man advance in life so far that it might threaten God, His reputation, His plan, His authority, His power?

What was it that Satan told Adam and Eve in the Garden? Perhaps that they would be as gods, if they ate from the forbidden tree? Wasn't the Tower of Babel constructed in order to get an equal footing with God? And that immediately implies that God feared them, and therefore prevented them from becoming as smart as He, or perhaps even smarter, or perhaps even equal or better.

Does God punish Job because of his advanced goodness?

Throughout history, people have taken actions against others because they feared them. Kings would punish anyone who might threaten their power. Pharaoh was afraid of the Israelites. Herod was afraid of the promise of a Messiah so he killed children. The priests crucified Jesus because they feared losing their political positions and power over the Jews, and with Rome.

In almost every social setting people will gossip, and malign, and judge and undermine anyone who threatens them, or anyone whom they perceive as a threat, or anyone they just do not like.

But would God lower Himself to this level of arbitrary treatment of people? No.

Eliphaz ridicules Job because it was Job who earlier suggested that he wanted a hearing with God, a representation between God and man, and an answer to these circumstances.

We know that Job was referring to the advocate of man, the advocate who was Himself God, who would represent Man before God, an advocate who Himself was man as well. Since no man can stand before God, then someone else, a redeemer, someone who was both man and God, must stand in our place.

Eliphaz did not listen to Job, and did not get this. Eliphaz was only formulating his rebuttal against Job, rather than learning the good principles that Job had to offer. Even in suffering, Job was making more sense, than his friends.

But now Eliphaz is getting ready to go overboard with Job and begin his condemnation of Job. A condemnation that had no basis in fact, but was now going to become a last ditch effort at winning the argument based on lies.

When people who are continually out of fellowship, their life is surrounded by lies and therefore they will inevitably resort to lies in everything they do. Even if their accusations have some truth in them, they will distort them in order to prove that their argument is just, and their victim is not.

Likewise, spiritually negative people will create ridiculous arguments. They will be condescending. They will ridicule.

And so, Eliphaz suggests to Job that God is not punishing him because he is soooo good, as Eliphaz believes Job is making that suggestion by questioning his suffering. Nor is God going to negotiate with Job in this matter, as Eliphaz believes that Job had suggested by wanting an advocate.

But Eliphaz believes that Job is suffering because Job is a sinner, an intense sinner.

Eliphaz draws his conclusions without facts. Wasn't it Satan who began this whole affair?

But as liberal minded people do, they will make up a charge against someone, and because the charge is so serious, then regardless of the facts, there must be something behind the charges. And if necessary, they will fabricate facts, or circumstances, in order to substantiate their charges.

Now is the time to post a prayer.