Job 4:1-2

Then Eliphaz the Temanite replied saying:

If one ventures a word against you,

             Would it be too much?

Yet who could hold back his words now?

 

Back when all the initial anti-masking fervor was beginning, I decided to be an example and wear mine when in a social setting. I never identified with the modern wave of influencers, but I figured wearing a mask would not hurt me and I should do my part. I could always take it off to eat or drink or whenever no one was around. There has been so much stupidity and fear mongering over the time of this pandemic that I am constantly reminded of just how much this world needs God.

Eliphaz as mentioned before was the most powerful of Job’s friends and stood the most likely to gain from his demise. Therefore, he spoke first to claim his position. As is typical tragic fashion, he treats Job as a weak and defeated foe. In my mind, everything that Eliphaz says going forward is to be judged harshly as his behavior does not really seem to be loving his neighbor nor deferential to the positive influence Job has lived out as an example before his God, our God.

For those that follow politics at all, a common theme in tearing down one’s opponent is to attack their mental health and wisdom. Eliphaz does it here, his foes did it to Trump, and now his enemies are doing the same to Biden. What is tragic now is that rather than ignore the implications and move on, Biden’s friends are now trying to defend his mental abilities.

The pullout of Afghanistan is an unmitigated disaster and follows the poor path of history repeated constantly by the shortsighted. Some want to blame Biden. Some want to deflect the blame from Biden. Biden is our leader and deserves blame. Those who followed his lead deserve blame. There is plenty to go around. If Biden’s mental health were adequate, they would not stop to defend it. I fear it is as bad as it seems, and he will either continue to lead into disaster or he will be replaced by the token/crackpot that was his running mate. (Again, I know none of these people personally, so I use the personas provided by conflicted media. Harris may be more than a token and may not be a crackpot, but at least one major outlet has doubled down on this view I copy.)

Job is covered in sores, sitting on a dung heap, wishing he was dead. How could Eliphaz really think his words could be too much for Job? He does not. He is simply trying to mask the evil intent of his coming actions. Eliphaz fully intends to ride Job down and seal his position as the regional leader. He is not just venturing words, he is attacking. He is hoping that Job will mentally crumble and die. He wants it to be too much. He goes the step further to imply that to not launch into him would not be proper. What a load of poppy cock.

Beyond venture, options were “try”, “attempt”, and “assay to commune”. All seemed reasonable, but venture made it seem more deceptive and therefore more what I inferred. Apart from against, some version had the less direct “with”. All the more deceptive, but not needed for intent to be clear enough.

Rather than too much, options included “offend”, “cause to be impatient”, “be weary”, “be grieved”, “be tired”, and “could you stand”. The coming comments will obviously offend and what difference does being tired make to someone wanting to be dead? Too much just seemed too obvious. The last bit about holding back words was fairly unanimous although slight variations on phrasing were included.

Recently, I was made aware of two things about the vaccines that I had not bothered to consider. One, my influence over the actions of others. I had not thought about the vaccine in terms of influence only in terms of what is the closest to my sense of following the rules, the right rules. Two, the concern others had for me. I was being selfish in only thinking of the impact on me. The liberal jerk that told me I was being selfish by not getting the vaccine made we want to get it all the less because I disliked him so. If he had actually cared about me and explained how I was being selfish in terms that impacted me, he might have had the impact he wanted.

In the end, I wanted to take the vaccine once it had been fully approved and not only approved under emergency considerations. The rules had been established and I intended to follow them. I was not in an emergency and was content to wait.

I then was confronted with the fact that no matter what I thought, other people were influenced by my decision of what to do, and that their risk profiles might not match mine. In the extreme, if I caught the virus and died, I went to heaven early, so I was not concerned spiritually. Others without that condition might not be so ready to stand before God without the cleansing robe of Christ to put on. I did not pick my path expecting it to have impact on whether or when others got it. I might not go back and change what I did, but I should have had more awareness of influence.

And finally, I was confronted with the concern that others had for me. Getting the vaccine or not was for me an unemotional decision based on logic, knowledge, and my view of the world. Something akin to If A equal B and B equals C, then A equals C. If the risk was less than A, I did B, and if not I did C. In my bible study group, at least two of the six had tested positive for COVID and the other four of us had some symptoms along the way, but never got tested, so all six of us may have had it along the way. In my mind, early on getting it was binary, either I died or I did not. Later I saw that not dying had its own set of outcomes that were not as easy as all the times I had had the flu, recovered, and moved on. Anyway, I learned that my health had concerned others beyond the unemotional outcome within our family group. I should have had more concern for their emotions and less about the technical outcomes.

As it turns out, I had long ago decided I would take the vaccine as soon as it was fully approved. After a few discussions this week, I realized approval was eminent and decided to jump the gun and get started before school did. It was not the “ideal” of wait until the announcement I had envisioned, but the thing about life as I know from projects in my career, politics (interactions among people) sometimes has more impact than the technical (logic and rules).

So, if I retain any influence, I recommend people who can should get the vaccine(s). The main benefits are personal, you should not get as sick when you catch COVID if vaccinated. The secondary benefits on insurance or government costs and employer related losses all follow from your not getting as sick.

But, please remember than the vaccine has not been proven to keep anyone from catching or spreading the disease. Once vaccinated, I ask that you keep wearing a mask and keep sanitation and other measures to reduce the spread as part of your everyday life. Whether it is COVID 19 or the flu or whatever comes next, the best defense is cleanliness and cleanliness is close to Godliness.

Eliphaz starts his speech by deception, but the negativity is only a start. We learn about God as we move forward in the chapter both by what Eliphaz says and by what he leaves out.