Eliphaz continues to hammer the point home that Job was wicked. And should Job submit to God, his prosperity will be restored.
We begin with the idea that God doesn't owe anyone anything. Agreed. But its injustice to apply this to Job. Job doesn't feel God owes him anything. Never did. Asks certain things of God. Wishes certain things from God, but never accuses God of not paying what Job is owed. God doesn't need man's righteousness. What little man's righteousness benefits God, so greatly does God's righteousness benefit man.
Eliphaz then launches into accuser mode, pointing fingers at Job for ludicrous offenses that never happened. And Eliphaz had no basis for this attack. It was all very comical to read, if I didn't picture Job getting madder and madder and more and more offended.
Then Eliphaz says to repent of these things.
This is the lynchpin of why Eliphaz's "wisdom" cannot be abided. We know Job did nothing to bring about his tragedy. But this is what Eliphaz believes about Job (and God, kinda), so the obverse must be true: Reaching out and forging a treaty with God will certainly restore the wealth and blessings Job enjoyed before. Eliphaz is in no position to make this promise.
I wonder if pagan culture was seeping in here. Where devotees would rise and fall and perceive punishment and blessing from their idols, based solely on their deeds. We've read with the kings and judges that God blessed the righteous and disciplined the wicked. Also, despite the wicked kings in the Davidic line, God kept his promise to David.
It looks like bad advice to tell someone who is suffering that they need to confess their sins to God, if the belief is that this suffering is a direct result of these sins.
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