Oops! That Was Meant for Me!

“Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image [was] before mine eyes, [there was] silence, and I heard a voice, [saying], Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:” (Job 4:15-18 AV)

Eliphaz speaks of a dream which he dreamt.  A dream in which the Spirit of God, or another spirit, relayed to him the LORD’s lack of confidence in people.  Even if those people were the people of God.  He said the LORD spoke to him that God is purer, especially in wisdom, then man would even be.  He use this dream as a pretext for correcting Job, yet he never considers this vision applies more to him than to Job.  Had he applied it to himself, he may not have said a word to Job.  This statement is coming off a remark of Job in which is rightly states the answer to this all is within himself, but his distress is clouding the ability to see it.  Eliphaz, as old and as wise as he is, should have assented to that point and realized God’s revelation to himself was about him!

How many times have we done that?  I remember a few times when preachers close to me preached a message and had no idea the LORD was speaking to them.  One was a class instructor in Bible college.  He was teaching missions.  All the while the LORD was speaking to him to resign his position and start a church!  The other preached on a character flaw of which he himself was the greatest example.  This gentleman never did listen!

But preachers are not the only ones.  Parents and grandparents do this all the time.  Of course, we try to cover our hypocrisy by saying, “Do as I say and not as I do.”  We do our devotions as see the faults of others, never considering the LORD might be speaking to us.  We go to church and listen to the preacher. We are having a great time so long as he is addressing the faults of others.  When he speaks of ours, we assume the LORD must mean someone else.  It is the old beam and mote issue.  May the LORD humble our hearts and give us humility to discern when He is speaking to us that we might head His word!