Daily Devotion for Lent 2025, Day 22

Today's Reading: Job, Chapter Twenty-two

Eliphaz speaks about Job’s great wickedness.  This isn’t anything new from the perspective of the other speeches from Job’s friends.  But as we begin to see the list of unhelpful qualities, we can see how Job could easily be seen theologically as a stand-in for the country of Judah.

The prophet Ezekiel has a critique of Judah and gives the ideas that those who transgress will die and those who follow God’s laws will live.  In chapter 18 of his own book, Ezekiel mentions the importance of restoring to the debtor his pledge, giving bread to the hungry and covering the naked with a garment in verse seven.

Interestingly, Eliphaz states in Job 22:6-7:

For you have exacted pledges from your family for no reason

    and stripped the naked of their clothing.

 You have given no water to the weary to drink,

    and you have withheld bread from the hungry.

Within Ezekiel’s understanding, the transgressors of these things will end up in exile.  

And even though Job has remained in his home, it is as if he is in exile in that all of the fruitfulness of his land (including his offspring) is gone.  Even Job’s health is in exile.

Sometimes our theology is in line
with a good dog/bad dog mentality

And the author of Job moves us to see that the character Job’s protestations are that he has done all the things that should afford him life.  And since this hasn’t happened, he wants answers.  The reader can see that the character Job is not really any different theologically from Eliphaz – the difference is that Job knows he should be on track with the blessings he’s received from God.

And as we see Job as a stand-in for Judah, we could see that there may be those within the country who would be asking the same questions.

This may allow us to ask the question, “Is there a way in which we can grow spiritually while in exile?”

Prayer for the day:

God, give us the confidence to believe that you remain with us even in our darkest times.  Remind us that even the beloved suffer from time to time.  Help us to understand that the faithful acts in which we engage do not guarantee us freedom from strife.  And when we forget these truths, be patient with us.  Amen.

Photo by Paul David via Flickr.com.  Used under the Creative Commons license.

New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.