What is the meaning of Job 22:7? You gave no water to the weary • In Job 22:7 Eliphaz accuses Job of refusing a basic act of mercy: “You gave no water to the weary.” Water is a life-sustaining gift, especially for travelers in arid lands. • Scripture consistently views offering refreshment as righteousness. Abraham hurried to bring water to his guests (Genesis 18:4-5). Rebekah’s willingness to draw water for a stranger and his camels marked her as God’s chosen bride for Isaac (Genesis 24:17-20). • Jesus later elevates the same act: “And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones… he will never lose his reward” (Matthew 10:42). • Turning away a thirsty person violates the love of neighbor commanded in Leviticus 19:18 and illustrated in the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:33-34). • Eliphaz’s charge implies a cold indifference that contradicts the character God desires: “If you extend your soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then your light will rise in darkness” (Isaiah 58:10). Refusal to help exposes a heart out of step with covenant compassion. and withheld food from the famished • Eliphaz deepens the indictment: Job allegedly “withheld food from the famished.” Denying bread in a culture where hospitality was sacred signaled cruelty. • God’s law demanded care for the needy: “If there is a poor man among your brothers… you shall open your hand wide” (Deuteronomy 15:7-11). Ruth’s story shows Boaz obeying this command by leaving grain for gleaners (Ruth 2:15-16). • Prophets rebuked Israel for the very sin Eliphaz names: “They sell the needy for a pair of sandals… they trample the head of the poor” (Amos 2:6-7). True worship includes sharing bread with the hungry (Isaiah 58:6-7). • In the New Testament, tangible aid remains a test of faith: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking daily food… what good is it?” (James 2:15-17). Jesus separates sheep from goats by whether they fed the hungry (Matthew 25:35-40). • Eliphaz assumes Job’s losses are divine punishment for ignoring these commands. While Scripture later shows his assumption to be wrong (Job 42:7), the moral principle stands: withholding provision from the starving is sin. summary Job 22:7 highlights God’s heart for practical mercy. Eliphaz wrongly applies it to Job, yet the verse still reminds every believer that righteousness includes meeting physical needs—offering water to the weary, food to the hungry, and thereby reflecting the generous character of God revealed throughout Scripture. |
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