Job 5:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Thus, the passive soul may receive a blow meant to awaken it, so that the one who has stumbled in self-assured negligence may recognize the sturdy nature of virtue following their trials.

As a result, the severe nature of correction can bring forth clarity; as the Apostle Paul declares, “But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light.” For the evidence of true health often lies in the experience of pain. Hence, Solomon observes, “For healing will cause great offenses to cease.” He also states, “For whom the Lord loves, He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” The Lord communicates to John through an angelic message, asserting, “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.” In addition, the Apostle Paul notes that “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Thus, although sorrow and happiness are seldom found together, it is rightly said here, “Blessed is the man whom God instructs.” This signifies that an individual who has been earnestly corrected through suffering can attain a joy beyond the reach of pain.

Therefore, let us not disregard the discipline of the Lord. Anyone who is angered by error and complains about punishment overlooks the correction of the Lord, believing it to be an unjust act. However, those who endure affliction not for the cleansing of sin but to test their resilience should reflect on the reasons for their correction. They must remember not to overlook the discipline of the Lord, as it serves to reveal truths about themselves that they are not aware of. Hence, the blessed Job, in his unrestrained expression of freedom amidst suffering, more accurately questions the judgments of the Creator as he understands the reasons for his trials. In contrast, Eliphaz, who views Job's experience not as a trial but as a means of purification, wrongly assumes that he is dismissing the Lord’s correction. We find that he bears a resemblance to heretics, who often distort the righteous deeds done in the Holy Church, attributing them to some misdeed. Despite his well-meaning intention in speaking, he fails to properly discern the audience he is addressing and ends up criticizing the principles of supreme governance.