At destruction and famine thou shalt laugh: neither shalt thou be afraid of the beasts of the earth.
At destruction and famine there is security without fear, and there is freedom from fear of the beasts of the earth, as part of a broader assurance of protection and divine care from various troubles. In extraordinary times God gives His chosen extraordinary help, so that safety amid destruction and famine and freedom from fear of earthly dangers belong to that help.
The assurance expresses a general truth about God's ultimate care for His people, that they can face destruction, famine, and danger from animals without fear under that care. These assurances are precious and have been proved true in the past, showing God's ultimate care. Because the promise belongs to Eliphaz's counsel about Job and God, it cannot be accepted as reliable on its own but must be weighed against and supported by the rest of Scripture.
The true assurances were misapplied to Job's suffering, so adversity and affliction do not prove that a person is under God's displeasure or outside God's favor. Not every promise stated applies without qualification to Job's circumstances. Joined to the promise of a peaceful dwelling, the promise applies to believers enduring hardship and opposition for the truth, that God will sustain them through tribulation and prepare them for a place in glory in the new earth.
At destruction and famine there is security without fear, and there is freedom from fear of the beasts of the earth, as part of a broader assurance of protection and divine care from various troubles. In extraordinary times God gives His chosen extraordinary help, so that safety amid destruction and famine and freedom from fear of earthly dangers belong to that help.
The assurance expresses a general truth about God's ultimate care for His people, that they can face destruction, famine, and danger from animals without fear under that care. These assurances are precious and have been proved true in the past, showing God's ultimate care. Because the promise belongs to Eliphaz's counsel about Job and God, it cannot be accepted as reliable on its own but must be weighed against and supported by the rest of Scripture.
The true assurances were misapplied to Job's suffering, so adversity and affliction do not prove that a person is under God's displeasure or outside God's favor. Not every promise stated applies without qualification to Job's circumstances. Joined to the promise of a peaceful dwelling, the promise applies to believers enduring hardship and opposition for the truth, that God will sustain them through tribulation and prepare them for a place in glory in the new earth.