Afflictions Sanctified
D. J. Burrell, D. D. Job 5:17-18 Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects: therefore despise not you the chastening of the Almighty:… This passage is true, but it is not the whole truth concerning suffering. Eliphaz takes the position of one who has special insight into Divine truth. I. HE TOUCHES UPON THE FACTS IN THE MATTER. 1. The chief fact before him is that suffering is real. The reality of it is the very substructure of his thought. It is not well for us to brood over sorrows. But it is not well for us to deal with them by shutting our eyes to them. A large part of the Scripture is occupied with the trials of life. Pain is here a colossal, awful fact. 2. Another fact patent to Eliphaz was that suffering comes from God. It is "the chastening of the Almighty." God is not responsible for everything which He permits. He is not responsible for sin. Nor is He responsible for suffering as a whole, which has come into the world as the result of sin. But He is responsible for the method of the application of individual sufferings, now that suffering is here. The saint can look up out of his sorrows and say, "God means something by this for me." From God's point of view no suffering is intended to be wasted. II. ELIPHAZ PROCEEDS TO SHOW THE PURPOSE OF SUFFERING. 1. Its purpose is to lead one to self-inspection, confession of sin, and repentance. 2. But the true intention of it, of course, lies back of the thing itself. Suffering is not for suffering's sake. There is always in God's thought a sequence to come. III. THE RESULT OF GOD'S CORRECTIVE AFFLICTIONS IS SHOWN. 1. Eliphaz shows it to be an advance for the soul, which is led by them to penitence. 2. He shows that outward prosperity comes to those who accept God's correction and turn from their sins. In his words we find an idealisation of the prosperity of the righteous. There may be a literal reference to the present life. It may refer to the blessedness in the future life of the saint who patiently accepts God's correction here. Righteousness as a rule pays, and wickedness as a rule does not pay. The conclusion of the whole matter is set forth in the words, "Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth." (D. J. Burrell, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: WEB: "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.