Chapter 5
Eliphaz is still talking - getting to his conclusion in fact - as Chapter 5 opens. These verses:
6 For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble sprout from the ground, 7 but man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward. [Job 5:6-7 ESV], restating the principal that bad things are punishments for sin.
2022 - Vss 8-16 are a summary of how we view God and His work. Maybe the point of this is that what is happening to Job falls outside these boundaries that we put on God's behavior and His ways and His means. Yes...this is exactly how we "expect" God to behave. It is almost a caricature.
"Behold, blessed is the one whom God reproves; therefore despise not the discipline of the Almighty. For he wounds, but he binds up; he shatters, but his hands heal.
Job 5:17-18 ESV
This continues what Eliphaz is saying: that bad things are always deserved. That when bad things happen, to us or to ours, we have done something to bring it on ourselves. He also says the opposite. That when we are good, only good will befall us, and we will be kept safe though all around us falls apart.
2022 - I memorized this verse long ago, but always attributed it to Job himself, not to Eliphaz. I thought it was Job saying he understood, when it is in fact Eliphaz completely mislabeling what is going on with Job. Here is the version I memorized:
17 Behold, happy [is] the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty: 18 For he maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. [Job 5:17-18 KJV]
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints.
Proverbs 2:6-8 ESV
Another place where wisdom is spoken of as a tangible thing, not as an attribute or attitude. Wisdom can be learned. Wisdom is in God's possession, but He will dispense it to those who seek it.
This also coincides with what Eliphaz was saying. The wise are protected. Can it be both?
Maybe the Proverb is about the wisdom of avoiding evil men, and so not bringing trouble on yourself. Not talking here about the evil of Satan, which can still occur. Proverbs 2 is about wisdom that gives discernment in dealing with others and the world around us. It is not about how God does things.