"Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: it stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom." Job 4:12-21

LESSON 1, VERSE 12:

The Old Testament Book of Job is amazing, divinely inspired of God and without error!

One of Job's "friends," Eliphaz by name, had a "vision" one night in his sleep.

From that "message" he received, under a very strange set of circumstances mind you, Eliphaz builds a whole theology!

One which he wrongly applies to Job in his particular situation.

The basic premise taught by Eliphaz's experience with this "spirit" of the night is that one must be careful where he learns spiritual truth!

Be cautious when it comes to choosing a Preacher!

One's very life, or death, may depend upon that decision!

Our Text for a few days will be Job 4:12-21. Realizing we cannot study all that Passage in one sitting, let's begin by laying a contextual foundation.

Here's how it happened, Eliphaz's own words: "Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face ...." Job 4:12-15

This man is actually going to apply what he "learned" from an "apparition," a "spirit," a "ghost," an "angel" or "demon" one!

The noun "spirit" is spelled "ruach" in Hebrew, just like the word used of the precious Holy SPIRIT, but do not confuse the two please!

The "spirit" Eliphaz encountered was NOT from God!

The noun "thing" is "dabar" in Hebrew, their word for "speech" or "saying" or possibly even a "sermon!" The dreamer says, "Now a thing was secretly brought to me." Keep in mind, brought by a spirit!

The adverb "secretly" is attached to the verb in Hebrew, "secretly brought." And "nadab" means "with stealth!" To come under cover! There is an eeriness about this whole situation that is never associated with the Holy Spirit of God, or with real Bible Preaching either!

Some folks like "esoteric" preaching, secretive and private! Jesus never did!

Others like their preaching individualized, privatized, when all alone! Again, our Lord seemed to promote fellowship and group worship, "the assembling of ourselves together!" Hebrews 10:25

Eliphaz "received" the spirit's message, "laqach" meaning "to fetch, to seize, to take in one's hand," implying eagerness and perhaps even forcefulness!

Why is it we can be "neutral" to hearing the preaching of God's Word and "excited" about some new thing that comes along?

"Mine ear received a little thereof," said Eliphaz. The word "little" is "shemetzs" in Old Testament language and means "a whisper!" To emit a low pitched sound!

I'll take my preaching loud and clear, please!

Yet truthfully the only other time "shemetzs" is used in  the Bible, Job 26:14, it is applied to how "little" of God we really know. "Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?" Surely Eliphaz is not favorably comparing this "darkened spirit" of his to the Lord God Almighty!

Let me say it again. You'd better be careful where you get your preaching!

Lord willing, more tomorrow on this "spirit sermon" Eliphaz heard! A wrong spirit apparently!

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world." 1st John 4:1

And this old backslidden, no ... apostasized, world is filled with more preaching and teaching spirits, not from God, than it has ever been! Or at least they are more active than ever!

Did you hear a godly Spirit-filled Preacher yesterday?

Did he faithfully proclaim the precious Word of God?

Did you learn something from the Scriptures?

Were you challenged by the Holy Spirit of God?

It matters!

                                                                              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 2, VERSE 13:

Eliphaz, whose name incorporates God's Name "El" and the Hebrew noun for "gold," had a vision one night.

We of course would know nothing about his dream were it not for Scripture.

The Temanite, another name for Eliphaz based on his home town, readily accepted this strange "vision" and preached it to Job one day.

But Job, godly man that he was, rejected Eliphaz's vision, his sermon based upon it, and the application that followed!

Listen to the great Patriarch of Wisdom, "How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?" Here Job as much as called the vision of Eliphaz anything but "right words!" Furthermore, still indicating his evaluation of the speech he just endured, Job asked: "Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?" The vision, sermon and comments consisted of "perverse things!"

That word "perverse" is astounding. "Havah" is really related to the Hebrew verb "to be," spelled "hava." Yet all of the sixteen times it's used Biblically, "havah,"  the King James translators render it "calamity, wickedness, mischief, naughtiness or mischievous!" All except one that is, "substance" is the word in Proverbs 10:3, revealing its grammatical definition!

Interestingly, "hava" is the central core for God's Name "Jehovah" also! Looks like Job is calling this "vision" of Eliphaz "perverse" in an especially wicked sense! Perhaps it is being compared to idolatry! A "substitute" for God! A "hint" to this effect may be seen in Psalm 94:20 where "havah" is "iniquity," but particularly a "throne of iniquity!" Sounds demonic! Whatever that throne represents, it has no fellowship with God! "Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?"

Anyway, here's today's verse in Job: "In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men." Eliphaz is just beginning to tell about his vision. It's a vision in which a "spirit" is seen!

"Thoughts," the first noun in Job 4:13, is very enlightening! "Saiph" means "division!" And when applied to one's meditations, it means "divided thoughts, ambivalence or torn opinions!" Folks, those are not the kinds of thoughts the Holy Spirit produces! James even teaches us that: "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." This "vision" already should have been suspect to Eliphaz, but it wasn't!

The next noun, "visions," translates "chizzayon" which means "something seen, gazed upon or contemplated." One had best be careful what his eyes see and his ears hear! Many Prophets of God indeed had visions in those old days. Isaiah saw the Lord "high and lifted up" that way! But it WAS the Lord Whom Isaiah saw, not some confusing "spirit!"

"Deep sleep" is "tardemah" and means something like a state of being "stunned!" Lethargic! "Stupefied" says one text. Also do note that this "spirit" visits during the NIGHT, not early in the morning at the break of day!

Eliphaz should have been much more cautious about this dream or vision!

He wasn't!

He, here at least, lacked discernment!

But what would we expect from a man who called Job, godly and righteous Job, a backslidden hypocrite?

Some folks will listen to just anything, anybody, any Preacher!

Proverbs certainly addresses this issue: "The simple believeth every word." Proverbs 14:15

Folks, be careful, extra careful, whom you hear preaching the Word of God!

Respectfully keep him in the Word of God!

Your very life may depend upon it!

                                                                                   --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 3, VERSE 14:

I just read a book about music, particularly Godly music. The author taught us that one of the best ways to "judge" the merits of a song is to see what kind of bodily action, if any, that it produces! If it set one's hips to swinging or eyes rolling or feet waltzing ... it is sensual rather than holy!

Today's Lesson from the Bible has nothing to do with music, but the same principle applies anyway!

Eliphaz, "friend" of Job, has seen a vision, a "spirit" of the night!

Is this a good spirit or a bad one?

How can one tell?

Eliphaz recounts: "Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men ... a spirit passed before my face." This is Job 4:12,13 and part of 15.

But look at the reaction this spirit produced in Eliphaz. Such a thing is described in today's verse, Job 4:14. "Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake." So helpful are these words!

There are three syntactical markers in this verse, all quite powerful in their implications!

"Fear" here, the first noun, is spelled "pachad" in Hebrew. It is only used 49 times in the whole Old Testament. It means "terror or dread!" This describes "a sudden alarm!" It hails from a verb root meaning "to startle!"

Notice that Eliphaz does not say that the "fear of the Lord" or the "fear of God" came upon him, just plain old "fear!"

I suggest to you that "pachad" fear, when standing alone as here, not associated with God's Name at all, is precisely that ... not from God!

Paul wrote in 2nd Timothy 1:7, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."

John said, "Perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment." 1st John 4:18

The verb "came upon" translates "qara," usually meaning "to call" someone. Here its secondary meaning applies, "to encounter, to befall," usually unexpectedly! Eliphaz goes to sleep. Here comes that "spirit!" It begins to speak! Then, without warning, Job's friend is filled with paralyzing fear!

Next we must glance at the word "trembling." It's "raad" in Hebrew and means "to shutter," often violently! My computer can only find the word four times in Scripture!

Every time it is used of the true God, His judgment has just fallen! "Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling." But in Psalm 2, at least by this next-to-the-last verse, Armageddon may have just occurred! Or Psalm 48:7, another "wrath of God" scene, "Fear took hold upon them there, and pain, as of a woman in travail." The two underlined nouns translate "raad."

And look at this context for "raad." Isaiah 33:14 tells us: "The sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites." Not a good connotation for our word! This is not a heavenly scene!

Then this "spirit" makes Eliphaz's "bones to shake!" All of them! That's a total of 206 according to one medical source!

The verb "shake" is spelled "pachad" again, much like our first noun in the verse. "Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake." However, it is "pointed" just a bit differently as a verb than when a noun. A slightly different vowel sound is used.

But when all three of these constructions are used together, fear as a noun then some trembling followed by more fear as a verb, a wicked spirit is surely being described.

I say so because of the effect it produced on the man Eliphaz.

Using these three "markers" I can find not one Old Testament allusion to our true God anywhere, Jehovah God I mean. The God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! I say Old Testament because these words are all Hebrew.

In the New Testament Paul associated "fear and trembling" with several different ideas, but not in the sense used In Job 4:14. "Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12 (Both "phobos" and "tromos" here are reverent and holy, certainly not contradictory to Scripture as was the "spirit" of the night in Job chapter four.)

Yes, the "spirit" Eliphaz has encountered is bad!

But he failed to sense that!

He even goes around quoting the thing again and again!

That sure makes his discernment concerning Job rather suspect, doesn't it?

If a man can't tell when he is confronted by a demon on Monday afternoon ... I think it not best to ask him to lead in prayer on Sunday morning!

This "spirit" brought fear and nervousness and debilitation to its subject.

Here's what the Holy Spirit of God brings: love and joy and peace and patience and gentleness and faith and meekness and self-control and much, much more! "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." Galatians 5:22-23

Well, it's true of "music!"

And it's true of "spirits!"

And of everything else too!

Jesus taught it best: "Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Then four verses later: "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

Amen!

                                                                           --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 4, VERSE 15:

There is a physical world. We live right in the middle of it! As Christians, we are indeed "in" the world but not "of" the world!

There also is a spirit world! The Bible teaches us that there exists "an innumerable company of angels!" Also we read of devils; fallen angels or demons really.

These beings, both good and bad, occur not only in the New Testament, but also the Old!

One night a friend of Job's, Eliphaz by name, experienced one of these, a "spirit" I mean! "Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up." Job 4:15

Was this thing visible or invisible?

In verse 16 Eliphaz gives us a little more information. "It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying ...." This spirit, whatever it was, had "image" to it! And apparently "form" too, "mareh" in Hebrew being translated "appearance" 35 times and "sight" 18 more times in the King James Bible!

Now folks, we do not want to speculate here. But I'm telling you with some confidence, given by the Holy Spirit of God I believe, that this spirit is NOT a good spirit! One can base such a conclusion upon the message the spirit gives! It is wrong time and time again in what it says, unbiblical!

The noun "spirit" is spelled "ruach," the same as is used of the Holy Spirit and means "wind or breath or air." He are some examples of good spirits, one bad and three good ones: "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 2nd Timothy 1:7

This brings to mind a question.

How did this happen to Eliphaz?

Was he "open" to such revelations?

Was he not like Joseph, of whom Pharaoh said: "Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" Genesis 41:38

The very character of Eliphaz must be suspect after this!

I personally do NOT commune with these kinds of erroneous spirits, do you? Much rather would I desire to live, as Paul says, in the "communion of the Holy Ghost." 2nd Corinthians 13:14

No wonder God later in the Book of Job said to Elphaz: "My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is right, as my servant Job hath. Therefore take unto you now seven bullocks and seven rams, and go to my servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and my servant Job shall pray for you: for him will I accept: lest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job." That's pretty strong rebuke here in Job 42:7-8.

Again I say it. It matters much to whom you're listening! Especially when you are receiving spiritual truth!

To "hear" wrong is to eventually "live" wrong!

Lord willing, more tomorrow, especially concerning the traits and properties of this "spirit!"

                                                                              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 5,VERSE 16:

This "spirit" Eliphaz encountered is really described in some detail in Job 4:15-16. Watch: "Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying ...." 

The thing could move! "Chalaph" means "passed by" and carries the idea of progressive action. Thus this spirit may have come more than one time! Grammatically it is possible. If so, Eliphaz is guilty of participating in idolatrous activity! "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me," clearly thunders the Lord in Exodus 20:3. That then would put Eliphaz on the level of such men as Westcott and Hort, who did so much to attack and belittle the Manuscripts which gave us the King James Bible, the Textus Receptus or Received Text. They also, it is said in many places, dabbled in the occult, attending séances and contacting the world of the spirits!

When Eliphaz said that his "hair stood up," he proves consciousness during this experience. He was not just dreaming! "Stood up" translates "samar" which means "to shiver or to bristle!" This is a "piel" stem verb, intensity and drama being indicated! It also indicates incomplete action, on-going activity!

Next the same "spirit" that passed by, "stood still!" And "amad" means "to remain" in a place! To endure! To take one's stand! It is even translated as "continued" or "waited" several times in our Bibles. This spirit has a mind of its own! It can think and exercise volition, going and coming as it pleases!

Notice the spirit is called "it." However the verb used here is "amad" in its 3rd person masculine singular form! Just as they did with the Holy Spirit, occasionally calling Him "It," the King James translators chose to let this spirit remain genderless. But he indeed has personality!

Next Eliphaz said he "could not discern" the form of that spirit! We can sure agree with him on that point! He could not discern! Anyone who will listen to an evil spirit and repeat its teaching is more than simply undiscerning, but downright insensitive to the things of God! "The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going," wrote Solomon in Proverbs 14:15. Hello, Eliphaz!

Also, though he did not have access to the exact verse, Eliphaz surely needed the truth of 1st John 4:1. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God."

The Hebrew verb for "discern" is "nakar" and means "to recognize or acknowledge or regard" something.

The noun "form" is spelled "mareh" and means "appearance" or "sight" 53 times in the King James Bible! It also is twice translated as "to look upon" when verbalized. There's something here! Normally a spirit is invisible, but it can inhabit or overtake a willing body of some kind, at least on occasion! Satan in the serpent in Eden! An angel in Balaam's donkey speaking to the wayward prophet. Or even Legion whom Jesus cured of demonic possession!

Eliphaz continues, "An image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying ...." The Lord willing, we will get to what was said tomorrow.

Meanwhile, "image" means "semblance or likeness." But obviously this once it is literally rendered "image!"  The Hebrew word is "temunah." Now Moses, the Man of God, could see the "similitude" of the Lord, using "temunah" as its base. God is talking here in Numbers 12:8, defending His Leader Moses: "With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?" I've underlined "temunah." I am suggesting to you here that a "similitude," as used in this context, can been seen! "A graven image, the similitude of any figure, the likeness of male or female," here excerpted from Deuteronomy 4:16, proves it! Constantly through the Old Testament "graven images" are paralleled with the "likeness of any thing" that could be worshipped idolatrously.

So far this "spirit" has been before Eliphaz's "face," and now more specifically, his very "eyes!" Both "paniym" and "ayin" are valid and literal Hebrew words for human body parts. Eliphaz is physically responding to this apparition! He also may be sinning grossly!

Then, "there was silence." Do note the italicized words. Literally, "Silence!" And "demamah" means "stillness" or "quiet" or even "calmness!" Is Eliphaz at home with this thing? Or is he just ignorant of its dangers? Our word is only used three times in all the Bible!

Then notice, it could speak!

The noun "voice "is "qol" and means a sound or noise, but here it has intelligence behind it! Words are uttered!

Do remember that several times fallen angels, demons, in the New Testament yelled at Jesus! Mark 1:23-25 provides a classic example: "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him." I've capitalized the pertinent words.

Now we have come to the real test! Let's see what this thing says. Does our Spirit bear witness with this spirit?

The sad thing is the Eliphaz "heard" this sermon! And "shama" means not only "to listen," but at times "to obey!"

Be careful here!

                                                                          --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 6, VERSE 17:

We are hearing the words of a "spirit!"

Quoted by Eliphaz, one of Old Testament Job's "friends."

"Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?" Job 4:17

On the surface these words look great!

Any Christian today would say, "Amen!"

But look at the motive behind them! They are spoken in an attempt to discredit Job, whom God has described as "perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil." Job 1:1

Or even better, "There is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man." Job 1:8

Other things Eliphaz says against Job include: "They that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same." Job 4:8

Further, in Job 5:3-5 Eliphaz continues: "I have seen the foolish taking root: but suddenly I cursed his habitation. His children are far from safety, and they are crushed in the gate, neither is there any to deliver them. Whose harvest the hungry eateth up, and taketh it even out of the thorns, and the robber swalloweth up their substance." In other words; Job, you are a fool!

Eliphaz to Job: "For thy mouth uttereth thine iniquity, and thou choosest the tongue of the crafty. Thine own mouth condemneth thee, and not I: yea, thine own lips testify against thee." Job 15:5-6

And he whom God calls "upright" Eliphaz calls "wicked!" With Job right there in front on him,  "The wicked man travaileth with pain all his days, and the number of years is hidden to the oppressor."

Then later Eliphaz, missing the whole point of the book of Job, says to the godly Patriarch: "Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makest thy ways perfect?" Job 22:3

Answer: YES!

Yet again Eliphaz, even more boldly, asks: "Is not thy wickedness great? and thine iniquities infinite?" Job 22:5

Job, you need to know God better: "Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee." Job 22:21

And Job, maybe: "If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles." Job 22:23

Talk about pride, in Eliphaz's heart I mean!

The motive behind these words is to "hurt" the Man of God, Job! "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?"

The nouns for twice used "man" here are not identical. "Mortal man" translates "iysh," man in general but particularly as weak and frail and headed for death!

Whereas the second occurrence is "geber," man the champion, the victorious warrior!

I wonder if in Eliphaz's heart there may lie some jealousy or envy or bitterness toward Job.

Now this "spirit's" first utterance is not all bad. Like most of wrong preaching, it contains some truth. Some vital truth. "Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?"

The root of the Name for God here is "El," the Strong and Mighty One! But here particularly it's "eloahh." Used 58 times in the Bible, this Name for God is predominant in Job 3:4 through 40:2.  The noun "maker" is "asah," One Who builds or creates. This verse parallels Genesis 1:1 in its naming of God and ascribing to Him holy and miraculous labor. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."

But the key expressions in our Text's question are "more just" and "more pure." Spelled "tzsadaq" and "taher," both respectively broach the very character of God. Here's a spirit that knows a lot about God! Like those of the New Testament also: "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." Mark 1:23-24

However, in both the Job case and the Mark case, the knowledge is woefully incomplete, inferior even!

More righteous?

More pure?

Actually "taher" means "brighter!"

The very idea!

But, here's the point. This "spirit" misses a fact, a vital one! Man of course cannot be "more just" or "more pure" than God!

But, because of the shed Blood of the Lamb, man can be righteous and pure in the eyes of God!

And Job knows about this kind of sacrifice too! See Job 1:5 for an example. The Burnt Offering celebrates and commemorates Jesus' Death on Calvary, as a pleasing Substitute to Almighty God ... a Substitute for you and me!

In fact, I'll go this far. Man, if saved, can today be in God's sight "justified," just as if he had never sinned!

Don't believe it?

"For He (God the Father) hath made Him (Jesus) to be sin for us, Who (Jesus) knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Here in 2nd Corinthians 5:21 we have, through Jesus, taken on the very righteousness of God!

Amen!

Now that's the vital fundamental Truth this "spirit" would not touch!

                                                                                  --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 7, VERSE 18:

Still attempting to "whittle" Job down to size, Eliphaz repeats something he heard a "spirit" say one night. "Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly." Job 4:18 here is talking about God.

In essence it is declaring that God puts absolutely no trust in His servants! For that matter, it is here alleged, God calls his angels foolish!

Like some random "spirit" or "philosopher" or "professor" might say, there is some truth embedded in these words. Its truth to error ratio may even be as high as 40/60.

God does limit His trust in mankind! He knows we are made of dust! Of Jesus John 2:25 tells us: "He knew what was in man."

But in Job's case, the very principle behind his suffering was the fact that God was "proud" of Him! God "trusted" him to stay faithful in trial. That Job would still lean on the Lord even if he lost all his wealth! Listen to God challenge the Devil over Job.

"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?" Isn't Job a good one? asks the Lord. Almost as if He's taunting the Devil! You have none like him, Satan!

The Wicked One responds, "Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land." Lord, I guess he does love You! Thou hast made him a billionaire! Everything he touches turns to gold!

Then, the wicked idea: "But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face." Job serves Thee because Thou payest him so well! Take away those blessings and Job will turn away from Thee!

Now ... watch God "trust" Job!

"And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD"

A godly "contest" is under way, Job being the spiritual athlete, unknowingly too!

Look what happens, with God's overseeing permission too, although engineered by the Devil! "And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: and there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: and the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: and, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee."

All ten children dead, and their families!

All Job's livestock gone!

A billionaire one day, penniless the next!

But ... will Job's faith hold true? Will God's confidence in His servant prove right? Will Job disappoint His lord?

"Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, and said, Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. "

The Devil lost that one! Job did not "curse" God! "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly." Good!

Don't tell me that at times God does not "trust" His servants!

And Job is just one on the list.

Add yourself!

God has invested His "treasure" in your weak human earthly "vessel!" Is that not trust? Jesus lives in you! The Holy Spirit indwells you! The Word of God is hidden in your heart!

Let's live like that! Let's, as Paul says, "walk worthy of our calling!" See Ephesians 4:1 for my proof text.

Next, that "spirit" told Eliphaz that God charged his angels with folly. That's partly so! "Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly."

There are a host of fallen angels! Demons we might call them! In fact, Eliphaz could be listening to one right now, in our Text I mean. The HOLY Spirit of God does not misapply Scripture!

But God has other angels too! Too many to count! Hebrews 12:22 teaches us that there exist: "an innumerable company of angels." Wow!

And these angels are not filled with "folly." The Hebrew "toholah" means "error" really. It may be linked to their term for "bragging!" That kind of pride is true of the Devil and his cohorts, but apparently not of the remaining angels!

To "charge" is "sum" in Hebrew, "to put, to place, to regard."

Consider these angels. Four of them have been standing around God's Throne for thousands of years now, "and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come." Revelation 4:8

That's not folly!

That's its very opposite, bragging on the Lord! Praising His Name!

And God full well knows that He has some angels who will remain faithful for eternity! Michael will still be on the job when the Rapture occurs! "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." See the Archangel here?

Again, no folly!

Then listen to Gabriel speak to John the Baptist's father, Zacharias. "And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings." Sounds like serious business to me!

And do remember that when Satan presented Himself to God in Job chapter 1, he came in the midst of a bunch of angels! "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them."

Do we detect a bit of jealousy here in this "spirit" commentary? "Envy" at the angels who did not originally sin?

Jealousy that is reflected by Eliphaz too? Toward Job the godly man?

Today get this fact.

It is not just WHAT people say that counts!

It is also WHY they say it!

The motive!

Be careful whom you hear preach today.

He MUST be tied into the Holy Spirit of God, thereby boldly proclaiming the Scriptures.

It's important!

                                                                              --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 8, VERSE 19:

It's called anthropology.

It fits into the wider science of theology, the study of God.

Just like ecclesiology is the study of God's Church and pneumatology is the study of God's Spirit ... so is anthropology the study of God's creation, mankind.

The "spirit" who has been talking to Eliphaz today gives us his anthropological bearings. They are interesting, but not completely Biblical!

Here's a spirit's view of humanity: "Them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth." Job 4:19

The verb "dwell" is interesting in any context. It is "shakan" in Hebrew and gives us the glorious word "Shekinah." The Shekinah Glory of God in the Old Testament was that aura, that visible manifestation, of His literal Presence, when God DWELT in the midst of His people!

By our dwelling in houses of clay the "spirit" means that the real "us," our innermost being, the human soul, lives in a clay body. This is true as far as it goes! Humans often in Scripture are likened to pottery, "earthen vessels" Paul says.

But what's omitted here is the rest of that truth. Although we are clay, God loves us! Jesus died for those who live in houses of clay! If saved, individuals possess precious treasure in those clay pots too! "We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us." 2nd Corinthians 4:7

Even lost mankind is indwelt by life! Not spiritual or eternal life but physical life. And where did that originate? From God! "And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Genesis 2:7

It's not that we are JUST clay alone, but that we are clay HOWEVER ...! The devil never has nor ever will have a high view of mankind as does the Lord! Man is to Satan simply a piece of chattel. The spirit of that lie is adopted by present day evolutionists who say that we humans are merely advanced primates, monkeys still developing!

We are clay all right ... but created by God and loved of God and objects of His plan of redemption!

Even the noun "clay" is great! It's "chomer" or later just "omer" in Hebrew. While we see that word and think of a small clay vessel ... God sees it and thinks of a 55 gallon drum! What a size difference! Yes, an "homer" became a unit of measurement to Israel, a large one!

This "spirit" missed it again!

But more: "How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?"

God does not trust His servants and charges his angels with folly ... how much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?

Next mankind has a "foundation in the dust." We are indeed made from dirt or clay as we just saw in Genesis 2:7. But is that our foundation? The noun "yesod" means "that which is settled." It is the base or the very bottom of something.

But the first nine times "yesod" is mentioned in Scripture, it is translated "bottom" as in "the bottom of the altar" where the blood of sacrifice was poured! Yes, man is frail and made of dust ... but that's where the Blood of the Lamb is directed! To save lost sinners! That fact alone makes man mighty special in God's eyes! "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

And even the tenth time "yesod" is mentioned, 2nd Chronicles 23:5, God is preserving the Royal Seed of Israel, nearly extinguished by wicked Queen Athaliah!  Thus God is insuring the coming of The Saviour!

And being "crushed" before the moth, a low view of humanity for sure, represents "daka" in Hebrew. "Broken in pieces, crumbled, even destroyed" are literal meanings. The noun "moth" is "ash" and means that which is consumed, that which fails, that which shrinks!

The problem with this is that man, while exceedingly temporal and mortal, is also possessed by a soul, a soul that will live eternally somewhere! This is just a half-truth again!

Besides, Job who is really the ultimate subject of this context, was not easily crushed at all! Did Satan win this confrontation? Or did God, through His servant Job?

Let's see: "So the LORD blessed the latter end of Job more than his beginning: for he had fourteen thousand sheep, and six thousand camels, and a thousand yoke of oxen, and a thousand she asses. He had also seven sons and three daughters. And he called the name of the first, Jemima; and the name of the second, Kezia; and the name of the third, Kerenhappuch. And in all the land were no women found so fair as the daughters of Job: and their father gave them inheritance among their brethren. After this lived Job an hundred and forty years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, even four generations. So Job died, being old and full of days." That's from Job's last chapter!

Let me rebut this "spirit's" teaching today with one verse. Paul used it, so can we. "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." The emphasis here is of course on "Christ!"

Now  we must close.

Dear Saint of God, your clay vessel is full of Treasure!

Your foundation is Jesus! We "are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone." Ephesians 2:20

And your are protected by Almighty God, indestructible in that sense!

Amen!

It's very important where you get your spiritual information!

You want the full truth!

Only Jesus can give that!

Our Lord pledges: "If it were not so, I would have told you."

                                                                             --- Dr. Mike Bagwell

LESSON 9, VERSE 20:

Talking about mankind in general, this strange "spirit" Eliphaz encountered believes: "They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it." Job 4:20

Humanity is nothing!

Trash for the terrestrial garbage heap!

Life is meaningless!

There is no eternity!

Such are the feelings this kind of statement generates.

But this "spirit" is wrong ... again!

"They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever without any regarding it."

The verb "destroyed" is "kahath" and means "to bruise," or maybe even better, "to violently strike."

"Morning to evening" is just another way of saying "all the time."

However, the intensity of "kahath" above is confirmed by the use of a parallel verb, "perish." In Hebrew "abad" means "to wander away, to be lost!" But in the King James Text it is rendered as "perished" 98 times, it most frequent translation.

"For ever" is interesting. "Natzsah" implies something that "glitters!" The "light" at the end of the tunnel kind of thing! It means one's ultimate goal or destination.

And finally "regarding" is "sum" in Hebrew, a critical verb meaning "to place or appoint" but also "to consider."

This thing just said that man is going, at death, into some kind of oblivion! And that nobody cares either! And all that "nothingness" follows a life of untold tragedy!

It is almost as if this eerie "spirit" is baiting Job! As though he knows Eliphaz will repeat his words! Tempting him!

You all know who the tempter is, don't you?

Let me refute this line of thinking, that "man is destroyed from morning to evening: he perishes for ever without any regarding it."

While men and women certainly begin aging the day of their birth, it is wrong to say they are destroyed morning to evening. Here's God's goal for us. "So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." Genesis 1:27-28

Yes, when King Josiah died, a Revival stopped and wickedness rebounded and the Cause of God suffered, but what do things like that matter?

That is, if a nation can have women in its pulpits! After all, have you not heard of freedom?

The feminists probably wouldn't be too proud of this Bible story!

Of course, there are many men preachers who are compromisers too! But if you're listening to a woman do something that God reserves for a man, preaching, there's no way you can be right!

YES, IT IS IMPORTANT ... FROM WHOM YOU GET YOUR SPIRITUAL INSTRUCTION! ALWAYS BE UNDER THE SOUND OF THE STRAIGHT PREACHING OF GOD'S PRECIOUS WORD! ONE'S VERY LIFE DEPENDS ON IT!