Eliphaz is Job’s friend. He is coming to comfort Job who has experienced extreme physical and emotional pain over the loss of his family and possessions. Now, His friend comes to him, claiming he had been given secret knowledge through a special revelation from God (verses 12-16) and that He learnt much from his personal experience (verse 8). My brother, my sister, the first thing Eliphaz does is to recall you the good things you have done to encourage you: “Think how you have instructed many, how you have strengthened feeble hands. Your words have supported those who stumbled; you have strengthened faltering knees. But now trouble comes to you, and you are discouraged; it strikes you, and you are dismayed. Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope?” (verses 3-6). Now, the problem with Eliphaz is that he has his own interpretation of your situation and will start making assumptions about it based on his own experience forgetting that God deals with each and everyone of us individually (verses 7-8). This is were Eliphaz becomes dangerous for your spiritual life, because he will also support his assumptions with he name of the Lord: Eliphaz told Job he had had a disturbing vision from the Lord concerning him (verses 12-16) and he even accuses the angels of the Lord for making mistakes (verses 18-19). Now, my friend, never forget that God is love and the Bible says He is our comforter and “in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5). If He sends you a messenger when in trouble, it won’t be to pinpoint your sins as Eliphaz did with Job, but to lift your spirit up and give you the strength you need to keep the faith. Yes, in times of trouble, we may be tempted to look for comfort or answers among advisers or well-meaning friends who may start encouraging us in the light of God’s truth. But the problem is that they might as well see your situation with their own eyes, as they may not understand God’s greater purposes concerning your situation. Therefore, my friend, let’s learn to build our knowledge of our spiritual condition from the Word of God, not from Eliphaz’s interpretations (later, God made it clear Eliphaz was not talking for Him – Job 42:7). Stay blessed in Jesus’ name. [facebook] [retweet]