And thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee; and light shall shine upon thy ways.
Commentary for this Verse
Job 22:28 is the high point of Eliphaz's final appeal to Job — a picture of a man whose word carries weight and whose road is lit. Commentators weigh it carefully, because of who says it and who hears it.
Who Is Speaking
The line is not God's promise to Job. It is the closing appeal of a friend who has just accused Job of serious sin. Commentators say this difference changes how we read every line in these speeches.
William KellyWe must remember that the Book of Job is inspired, but the speeches inside it are not. It would be a big mistake to think they are. Satan's words were not inspired, yet the book records them too. Part of the value of the book is that it shows us where the speakers went wrong. Every one of the three friends was badly mistaken in what he said, and so was Job.
The record is exact; the theology inside it is not always sound.
Leslie M. GrantThis does not mean that Job's words, or those of his three friends, were a revelation from God. It means God reported exactly what they said, even when they were wrong. At other times their words were right, but they applied the truth wrongly.
The Condition Attached
Verse 28 does not stand alone. It hangs on an "if." Eliphaz is offering a bargain: repent, and this will follow. Eliphaz read Job's suffering as proof that Job had walked away from God.
Leslie M. GrantHe refused to believe that Job knew God at all. So he was sure Job had to be converted before any good could come to him. At least he did not think Job's case was hopeless. But Job would have to take his advice and "return to the Almighty." … Job had never left the Almighty, so telling him to return was insulting. Let us never treat a suffering believer as an unbeliever.
Fine Words, Wrong Man
The promise itself is lovely. The problem is the man it was aimed at. Job's trouble had nothing to do with hidden sin. And he valued God's favour far above the wealth Eliphaz held out to him.
William KellyNo doubt this advice seemed wise and necessary to Eliphaz, and in many a case it would fit. But it was completely out of place for Job. To him gold and silver weighed no more than dust, and God's favour was everything. The trial had no answer yet. Hidden sin was not the issue, so repenting of it was not the issue either. What was needed was deep submission to God's will. God could use the enemy to bring out the patience of the sufferer, and use his friends to expose his impatience.
There is a second trap in the offer.
Arno Clemens GaebeleinThe appeals themselves are all proper, but they are completely out of place with Job. If Job followed this advice and repented as Eliphaz demanded, he would be agreeing with the false and lying accusations of his three friends. He would be admitting that he was the wicked man they said he was.
What the Words Themselves Say
Taken on their own, the words describe how a believer speaks and how a believer walks.
Leslie M. GrantWords spoken in faith will have good results, and a believer's ways will be seen to be "in the light."
The Light That Actually Came
The strange thing is that the picture came true — by a very different road from the one Eliphaz mapped out. Commentators note that his closing words read almost like a forecast of how the book ends.
William Kelly"If you return to the Almighty, you will be built up." And so it happened. Eliphaz had no idea that this return was about to be made openly, to the shame of him and his friends.
And when the light did shine, it came after a change in Job himself — not after a bargain kept.
F. B. HoleGod blessed Job richly. He restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. He did this when Job had prayed for his friends — and not until then. … Yet God did not let that flood of blessing roll back over Job until Job had been deeply changed in spirit and character.
Summary
- Speaker — The book is inspired; the speeches inside it are an accurate record of men who were often wrong. Check who is talking before you claim the line.
- Condition — The promise is the payoff of an "if": repent of hidden sin. Eliphaz built it on a false reading of why Job was suffering.
- Misapplied — Good advice for someone far from God, but insulting to a believer under trial. Never treat a suffering believer as an unbeliever.
- Meaning — Words spoken in faith bear fruit. The believer's path is walked in the light.
- Fulfilment — The light did shine on Job's ways. But it came only after God changed Job deeply and Job prayed for the friends who wronged him.