Were Job's Counselors Good...Or Bad?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call, here’s this week’s question:Dear Dave and Tom, In the Book of Job, his counselors are rebuked by God, yet some of the things they say seem to be true in general.For example, in Chapter 15: 14-15, Eliphaz says, “What is man, that he should be clean? And he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?Behold, he putteth no trust in his saints; yea, the heavens are not clean in his sight.How much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water?”Am I to disregard everything Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar said to Job?

Tom:

Dave, certainly God comes down heavy against these three so-called counselors, and so on.But at the same time, they are saying some things that I think are consistent with what the Bible teaches.

Dave:

Well, we couldn’t expect that everything they said would be wrong, they may give good counsel.Much that they say could be true and is true.That doesn’t mean that this was inspired of God, this is God’s Word.God is giving you an accurate account of what these men said.But the problem with these men was they were judging Job.These were Job’s comforters, Job’s friends, and they’re telling him:“Wait a minute, I’ll tell you what your problem is, you’ve been out of touch with God, you’ve been disobedient to God, that’s why this has come upon you.”That was not true.

Tom:

So, if they took a truth but misapplied it, the application was wrong, that would make it bogus, wouldn’t it?

Dave:

Well yeah, but it doesn’t mean that the Bible isn’t true for saying it.

Tom:

No, I’m just saying their application to Job, that’s where they missed the mark, because as you said, they were judging his heart or judging the situation, and really had no understanding of what he was going through or what the circumstances were.

Dave:

Right, they didn’t know why this was happening to him.

Tom:

So Dave, what does that tell us about somebody out there that says, I’ve never read the Bible before, and now I’m a little confused because there are some things that I really need to understand the Bible from Genesis to Revelation to grasp whether this is a truth, this is consistent with what God is saying whether it’s His Word or not.

Dave:

Well, you would have to know the Bible, obviously, to know whether this would be consistent with the Bible.Ifit is consistent the Bible, fine, but it’s not inspired of God, so I don’t look to these men to learn some great truth.That’s not the purpose of this discussion they have; it’s to show that no matter how much wisdom you have—I remember a person saying to me well, I could give you her name but I won’t because of the tragedy.She was the wife of a well-known Christian leader who divorced her.She said, “Sometimes you can be so right that you’re wrong.”In other words, you could be as clear as crystal on doctrine and just as cold and hard.We have to apply these things in love and with understanding.So, that certainly was not done, they came there as his accusers, not as his friends.They came there to nail him to the wall, as it were.

Tom:

Now Dave, maybe some of our audience is a little confused by what you say, and maybe you can clarify it.You said that some of these things that they said were not inspired of God.Would that mean that—it’s in the Word of God, that it’s not inspired?You know, we went over this, all Scripture is God breathed, so how does that work?

Dave:

Well, I’m not going to give these men credit whom God will rebuke for him at the same time inspiring them to say what they say?No, everything that’s in the Bible is not inspired of God.When Satan tempts Jesus and he says, It is written, and bow down and worship me, and so forth, that’s not inspired of God.So there is much in the Bible that is not inspired of God.When Goliath says, I’ll give your flesh to the birds, and so forth, who are you to come out against me? Well, he’s not being inspired of God when he says that.The Bible is simple reporting what evil men say, but the Bible—God is not accountable for every wrong motive and every word that a person says just because it was recorded in the Bible.

Tom:

But Dave, can you make a distinction, I mean, it is in the Word of God, and it does say, as we quoted, all Scripture is God breathed?

Dave:

It says, Holy men of God, it says, “The prophecy came not all time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”It’s talking about holy men of God, it’s not talking about anybody out there who says something at some time that’s recorded in the Bible.So I have to make a distinction there.

Tom:

We’ll have to push this a little more, Dave, because 2 Timothy:3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
See All...:“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”Now the thing I am trying to make a distinction here is that everything in that Book God had ordained to be there.He doesn’t condone everything that’s said, I mean we’ve got scriptures by Satan.So I don’t want our audience to be confused when you say, inspired of God.No, God didn’t motivate Satan to be evil, but He did allow that to be in the Scriptures for our understanding, is that true or not?

Dave:

Well, Tom, we could have a discussion about this before our audience.It depends upon what it means.All Scripture—we’re going now to 2 Timothy:3:16All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
See All...:“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”Okay?Now, the inspiration of God would be in writing it down—

Tom:

Right, by the prophets.

Dave:

Right, but when those who are inspired of God are writing down what some evil man said, that is not included in what is inspired of God.The writing of it down, after all this is an account, an accurate account of what happened, and we can count on that.This is actually what these men said, but it’s not saying that everything they said that’s recorded in the Bible is inspired of God.

Tom:

Right, that we’re to take the heart of the believer —.Dave, you clarified it for me.I wanted to eliminate some confusion there that people are thinking, well, wait a minute, is Dave saying the Bible is not inspired?No, I think you clarified it.

Dave:

I hope so.