Job 22:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Pray to Him, and He will listen to you, as stated in Job 22:27. Many lift their prayers to God, yet they do not receive His attention because they disregard the commandments of the Lord when He instructs them. This is reflected in the verse that says if someone turns their ear away from the law, their prayer becomes detestable (Proverbs 28:9). Eliphaz, believing that the righteous Job was not being heard, concluded that Job must have engaged in some form of wrongdoing. Consequently, he urged Job to fulfill his vows (Job 22:27). Those who make a vow but, due to their weaknesses, find themselves unable to complete it bear the consequences of sin. They may wish to act righteously, but the capability has been taken away from them. However, when the prohibitive sin is removed in the presence of the inner Judge, they are then empowered to honor their commitments, and the progression continues from this point.

Eliphaz delivers his final condemnation of Job, attempting to establish that since human righteousness carries no weight with God, the afflictions one endures must be seen as manifestations of God's just judgment. He asserts that if an individual has the chance to assist a neighbor but fails to do so, it is indeed a transgression. Such wrongdoings are the basis for Job's suffering. Job's attempts to soothe himself with the notion that God, in His omnipotence, does not concern Himself with the trivial matters of the earthly realm are futile; he mimics the ancient evildoers who similarly dismissed God's oversight and met with abrupt destruction by flood and fire.