What does Job 22:1 reveal about human ability to impact God positively or negatively? Setting the Scene “Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied,” (Job 22:1). These simple words launch Eliphaz’s third and final speech. Though verse 1 is only an introduction, it immediately frames the question he will raise in verse 2: whether humanity can bring any benefit or loss to the Almighty. What Eliphaz Is About to Claim • Verse 2 (for context): “Can a man be profitable to God? Yet he who is wise is profitable to himself.” • Eliphaz’s premise: human righteousness or sin cannot add to, or subtract from, God’s inherent glory, sufficiency, or blessedness. What Job 22:1 Reveals • The verse identifies Eliphaz as the speaker, signaling that the idea humans cannot influence God’s well-being comes from a fallible friend, not from God’s own mouth. • Nevertheless, Scripture records the statement, inviting us to weigh it in light of the entire canon. Other passages confirm the basic truth that God is self-sufficient. Human Inability to Improve or Diminish God • God is “from everlasting to everlasting” (Psalm 90:2); His essence cannot be enhanced. • “If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? … Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself” (Job 35:6-8). • “Nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything” (Acts 17:25). • “In Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:17); creation depends on God, not the reverse. Ways Humans Do Relate to God While we cannot alter God’s nature: 1. We can please or displease Him relationally. – “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6). – “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Ephesians 4:30). 2. We can glorify Him reflectively. – “Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father” (Matthew 5:16). 3. We receive, not supply. – “From His fullness we have all received grace upon grace” (John 1:16). Takeaway for Daily Life • God does not depend on human effort; He invites relationship. • Our obedience does not enrich His essence, yet it delights His heart and displays His worth to the world. • Rest in His self-sufficiency and serve with gratitude rather than anxiety, knowing the outcome is never to shore up a deficiency in God, but to magnify His already perfect glory. |
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