Job Chapter 22. Watch your mouth.
Eliphaz responds to the words of Job. It appears the frustration has kicked into a new level and New height. Job was tired of hearing their accusations of being evil and so he asked them what his sin was? Eliphaz is so frustrated he actually list several. Where did this come from?
I see this a lot: people get so frustrated with someone or so hateful of someone that they say things about them that aren't even true.
I've seen this with Christian speakers who stand before secular universities and speak moral truth. Often there are students who stand up in protest and tell the speaker that he hates gays and hates blacks and he's a white supremacist. They make accusations that are outright lies and are based upon emotions versus facts.
The Pharisees and Sadducees did the same with Jesus. They made false accusations against Jesus with no intent of telling truth and they spoke with lies that would make Jesus look bad and made false accusations that would pander to the emotions of the people and get the people riled up so they were against the Lord.
When emotions kick in and override facts then you know people are not out for truth. But are all about self and self agenda versus truth and God agenda.
My challenge is to watch what you say! When you are offended it's easy to want to retaliate and say unkind words driven by one's selfish emotions versus motivated by love. Sometimes silence is a great defense versus getting sucked into an all-out war of words.
I Peter 3:10 “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.
Proverbs 10:19
Sin is not ended by multiplying words, but the prudent hold their tongues.
Proverbs 15:4
The soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.
Proverbs 21:23
Those who guard their mouths and their tongues keep themselves from calamity.
Eliphaz made false accusations against Job, but he really made it sound like he knew what he was talking about. May we be careful to never jump to conclusions or judgments about people and then go on to paint an inaccurate picture of them. How dangerous it is to mix in lies with the truth! It can completely ruin a person’s testimony if they become seen as a person who can’t be trusted! Some of what Eliphaz had to say was actually very good such as in verse 22 when he said to receive instruction from God’s mouth and to lay up His words in your heart.
May our words be true and our hearts be clean.
Here are verses that I was reminded of today:
Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer.
Matthew 15:7-9
You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me; in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”