How can Job 22:1 guide us in examining our motives for serving God? Setting the scene “Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered:” (Job 22:1). A short sentence, yet it launches a long speech in which Eliphaz questions Job’s motives and usefulness before God. Even this brief introduction nudges us to pause and wonder: when we open our mouths—or set our hands to serve—why are we doing it? A single verse with a big prompt • Eliphaz “answered.” He stepped forward convinced he had the right assessment of Job’s heart. • He spoke with confidence, but his theology was flawed (Job 42:7-8). • The moment highlights how easy it is to act (or speak) for mixed reasons: pride, self-assurance, or a desire to correct others rather than to honor God. Motives under the microscope Job 22:1, by merely showing Eliphaz responding, invites us to examine: 1. Who is at the center? – Is my service driven by a need to appear wise (like Eliphaz)? – Or is Christ truly central? (Colossians 1:18). 2. Am I depending on my own insight? – Eliphaz believed he had the answers; yet only God’s word is flawless (Psalm 18:30). – Genuine servants lean on Scripture, not personal opinion (2 Timothy 3:16-17). 3. Do I seek God’s approval or man’s? – Eliphaz’s speeches impress human listeners but displease the Lord (Job 42:7). – “If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ” (Galatians 1:10). 4. Do I recognize God’s self-sufficiency? – Eliphaz soon asks, “Can a man be of use to God?” (Job 22:2). – Acts 17:25 reminds us God “is not served by human hands, as if He needed anything.” – Service, then, is privilege, not necessity; gratitude, not obligation. What pure motives look like • Gratitude: “Everything comes from You… and from Your hand we have given to You” (1 Chronicles 29:14). • Love: “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15). • Glory to God: “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). • Dependence: “Apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Practical checkpoints for today – Before beginning a task, quietly ask: “Am I answering like Eliphaz—confident in myself—or am I responding to God’s call with humility?” – Measure success by faithfulness, not applause. – Keep Scripture open; let God’s voice, not personal logic, shape your words and deeds. – Remember: God gains no deficiency-filling benefit from us; we gain the joy of aligning with His eternal purposes (Romans 11:36). In summary Job 22:1 may feel like a mere narrative hinge, yet it places a mirror before every servant of God. Eliphaz’s confident answer urges us to ask: Are we stepping forward in self-assured correctness, or in humble, grateful submission to the One who needs nothing yet graciously invites our service? |
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