Yet he filled their houses with good things: but the counsel of the wicked is far from me.
The verse belongs to the third speech of Eliphaz accusing Job, within the extended debate between Job and his three friends over the cause and purpose of human suffering. It is followed by Job's reply expressing confidence in God's mercy and addressing the end of the wicked. The words are Eliphaz's own wisdom and observation, spoken because he had never seen a thoroughly good man suffer so severely.
As part of Eliphaz's speech, it is not reliable as a true account of God or Job where it conflicts with inspired Scripture. It reflects the friends' belief that prosperity was a sign of God's favor and a token of righteousness. What it says is generally true but was misapplied to Job, since evil is ultimately punished and good is ultimately rewarded.
It teaches that God fills even the houses of the wicked with good things for a time, even though they rejected Him. Its second clause expresses rejection of the counsel of the wicked and keeping separate from it. Affliction does not prove that the sufferer is under God's displeasure. God used Job's trial to glorify Himself forever, to bring comfort and hope to thousands of sufferers, and to prove a blessing to Job himself.
The verse belongs to the third speech of Eliphaz accusing Job, within the extended debate between Job and his three friends over the cause and purpose of human suffering. It is followed by Job's reply expressing confidence in God's mercy and addressing the end of the wicked. The words are Eliphaz's own wisdom and observation, spoken because he had never seen a thoroughly good man suffer so severely.
As part of Eliphaz's speech, it is not reliable as a true account of God or Job where it conflicts with inspired Scripture. It reflects the friends' belief that prosperity was a sign of God's favor and a token of righteousness. What it says is generally true but was misapplied to Job, since evil is ultimately punished and good is ultimately rewarded.
It teaches that God fills even the houses of the wicked with good things for a time, even though they rejected Him. Its second clause expresses rejection of the counsel of the wicked and keeping separate from it. Affliction does not prove that the sufferer is under God's displeasure. God used Job's trial to glorify Himself forever, to bring comfort and hope to thousands of sufferers, and to prove a blessing to Job himself.