In his book about Job, Let God Be God, Ray Stedman describes the worldview of Job’s three friends as pharisaism. That word comes from the name of a sect of religious leaders in Jesus’ time called Pharisees. According to Stedman, Pharisaism is defined as “orthodoxy without true godliness”.

Pharisees make a show of correct theology and righteous behavior, but inwardly they are proud, self-righteous, rigid and hateful. They see themselves as superior to others because they observe strict rules and rituals.

People who behave like Pharisees are so sure they are right that they will brow beat people who don’t agree with them until they come around to the Pharisee’s point of view. They use insults, accusations and name-calling to intimidate people into submission.

I once asked to talk with a former pastor of ours about a decision he made that worried me. A few minutes into the conversation he accused me of having some personal problems that disqualified me from speaking to the issue. He was entirely wrong about me, but the shift in the discussion stopped me in my tracks and ended the conversation. A Pharisee secures his position by hammering away with his talking points until his opponent gives up.

Eliphaz the Eloquent

Eliphaz was an eloquent practitioner of pharisaism. He talked and talked, moving from sarcasm to false accusations without missing a beat. In Job 25:6-11 he made up blatant lies about Job. There is nothing in the Bible that supports any of the things Eliphaz accused Job of doing. Job’s reputation was the opposite of Bildad’s accusations.

When Eliphaz advised Job on how to be at peace with God in Job 25:21-30, the things he said about God were true, but they were tarnished by his pharisaical motives.

Job is Unmoved

Job didn’t even bother to answer Eliphaz. He was thinking about something else while Eliphaz stormed at him, and when Job spoke he talked about what was really on his mind: his longing for God. He was sure that if he could meet with God in person he could make a good case for his innocence and maybe he would receive God’s blessings again.

Job had looked in every direction, but he couldn’t find God anywhere. He knew God was all around him, but he couldn’t catch a glimpse of him. He comforted himself with the knowledge that though he could not see God, God saw him.

“But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread.” Job 23:10-12

Job didn’t find it easy to keep on seeking God. He was terrified by God’s power and the fact that God might have even harder things for him to endure, but Job persisted in going after God.

“God has made my heart faint; the Almighty has terrified me. Yet I am not silenced by the darkness, by the thick darkness that covers my face.” Job 23:16-17

An Age-Old Question

An age-old question came to Job’s mind next. Why didn’t God punish the wicked in a timely way?

Job had never done the terrible things Eliphaz accused him of, but Job knew people who did those things. They stole land and livestock from widows and orphans. They persecuted the poor and forced them deeper into poverty. They refused to pay living wages so people who worked for them starved and didn’t have enough clothes. Little children were snatched from their homes as payment for their parents’ debts. People groaned and died under the oppression of the wicked rich.

And through it all, God seemed to do nothing.

Yet, as Job contemplated these problems he realized that evil people were actually like foam on the water; they broke up and drifted away. Over time wicked people lost their crops to heat and drought. Many of them died untimely deaths and once they were gone, no one remembered them.

“God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their ways.” Job 24:22-23

Fresh Insight

It seemed to Job that God was doing nothing — until he stopped to really think about it. What God did might be hidden or seem too slow by people’s standards, but God always acted. Job was so convinced of his new understanding that he said, “If this is not so, who can prove me false and reduce my words to nothing?” Job 24:25

Bildad’s Final Speech

Bildad heard what Job said in his discourse, but he certainly didn’t listen. When Bildad spoke again he returned to his list of talking points: God was great, Job was an unrepentant sinner. This time Bildad went even further and told Job that human beings were nothing but maggots and worms in God’s eyes.

This was not God’s point of view. God loved and esteemed people and was involved in their lives. Job had just finished talking about that! It was Bildad who looked at people from the height of his pharisaical tower and regarded them as worms.

Resilient Job

The Pharisees in Job’s life couldn’t crush him. One of the most outstanding things about Job was his ability to keep coming back from suffering and opposition. He never cursed God and he didn’t curse his tormentors. He wanted his friends to do better, but he didn’t condemn them. He also wasn’t influenced by them to become a Pharisee.

When Job got knocked down, he looked up. He kept his eyes on God, his advocate and his redeemer in heaven.