What other scriptures support or refute the message in Job 4:7? Job 4:7—Eliphaz’s Assertion “Consider now, I plead: Who being innocent has ever perished? Or where have the upright been destroyed?” (Job 4:7) Scriptures That Echo the Same Principle • Deuteronomy 28:1–2 “Now if you will faithfully obey the voice of the LORD your God… all these blessings will come upon you and overtake you.” • Psalm 1:3–4 “He is like a tree planted by streams of water… Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.” • Proverbs 11:21 “Be assured that the wicked will not go unpunished, but the offspring of the righteous will escape.” • Proverbs 12:3 “A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.” • Psalm 34:19 “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all.” These passages teach a general, God–given pattern of blessing for obedience and ruin for wickedness. Passages That Confront the Simplistic Formula • Job 1:8 — God calls Job “blameless and upright,” yet the next verses recount devastating loss. • Psalm 73:3, 12 “For I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked… Behold, these are the wicked—always carefree as they increase their wealth.” • Ecclesiastes 7:15 “I have seen… a righteous man who perishes in his righteousness, and a wicked man who lives long in his wickedness.” • Ecclesiastes 8:14 “There is a vanity on earth: the righteous who get what the wicked deserve, and the wicked who get what the righteous deserve.” • John 9:2–3 “‘Who sinned, this man or his parents…?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither… but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.’” • Luke 13:2–5 “Do you think these Galileans were worse sinners…? No… but unless you repent, you too will all perish.” • 2 Timothy 3:12 “Indeed, all who desire to live godly lives in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” • Hebrews 11:35–38 — many righteous “were tortured… destitute, oppressed, and mistreated.” These texts reveal that righteous people do suffer, and wicked people often prosper—at least temporarily. Bringing the Threads Together • Scripture affirms a moral order (Deuteronomy 28; Proverbs 11:21), yet also records real-world exceptions (Job; Ecclesiastes 7:15). • Suffering can be corrective (Psalm 119:67), revelatory (John 9:3), or refining (1 Peter 1:6-7). • Ultimate justice is certain, even if delayed: “He has set a day when He will judge the world in righteousness” (Acts 17:31). • Therefore, Eliphaz’s principle is partly true but fatally incomplete; it overlooks God’s sovereign purposes in undeserved suffering and the final reckoning still to come. Key Takeaways for Today • Hold both truths: God rewards righteousness, and yet the godly may suffer now. • Avoid reducing life’s trials to a neat pay-and-reward formula; Scripture does not. • Trust the Lord’s character when circumstances contradict immediate expectations; He will vindicate the upright in His time. |
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