Job 22:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

You shall set a purpose in your heart, and it will be accomplished for you, as stated in Job 22:28. Those who are spiritually weak often assume that a person is deemed righteous based on their apparent prosperity. However, we recognize that the righteous are sometimes denied material blessings while the wicked may receive them abundantly. Consider how physicians treat their patients: when they determine that a person is beyond recovery, they may grant him all his wishes, yet those they believe they can heal are often denied certain desires. If Eliphaz applies this principle to spiritual gifts, it highlights that a man truly has 'established' a thing when the virtue he sought, if it aligns with God’s will, is granted to him to guide him towards righteousness.

Eliphaz delivers his final accusation against Job, attempting to demonstrate that since human righteousness holds no value before God, the divine punishments must be considered as expressions of God’s impartial justice. He argues that failing to assist one’s neighbor when given the chance is, in itself, a transgression. Job faces punishment for such sins. He tries in vain to comfort himself with the notion that God, in His majesty, finds it unnecessary to concern Himself with the mundane affairs of humanity. His reasoning parallels the mindset of ancient evildoers who considered God in a similar manner and met with sudden destruction through water and fire. Consequently, Job is urged to approach God with humility and repentance, after which the Lord will restore His grace upon him and bless him with joy. These passages evoke imagery of the flood and the downfall of Sodom.