Defiant Prayers in Despair (Job 22:17, 26-27)

In the midst of unimaginable suffering, Job’s story challenges us to confront the raw edges of our faith and prayer life. What happens when our cries to God seem to echo back unanswered, or when friends’ advice rings hollow? This passage from Eliphaz’s speech to Job invites us to examine the tension between defiance and delight in prayer, reminding us that true communion with God emerges not from perfect circumstances, but from honest, persistent seeking.

They said to God, ‘Go away from us. What can the Almighty do to us?’

Then you will find your delight in the Almighty and lift up your face to God. You will pray to him and he will hear you, and you will fulfil your vows.

Background

The book of Job stands as one of the most profound explorations of suffering and faith in the entire Bible. Written likely during the patriarchal period or shortly after, it grapples with the age-old question: Why do the righteous suffer? Job, a man described as blameless and upright, loses his wealth, children, and health in a divine test orchestrated between God and Satan. His three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, arrive to comfort him, but their discussions devolve into accusations that Job must have sinned to deserve such calamity.

In chapter 22, Eliphaz the Temanite delivers his third and final speech. Teman was known for its wise men, and Eliphaz draws on traditional wisdom theology, which posits that suffering is always a direct result of sin. He accuses Job of various wrongdoings, from exploiting the poor to ignoring the needy, though there’s no evidence in the narrative to support these claims. Eliphaz’s rhetoric is a classic example of retributive justice: the wicked prosper temporarily but ultimately perish, while the righteous are restored if they repent.

Verse 17 captures Eliphaz’s description of the wicked—those who defiantly tell God to depart, questioning His power or relevance in their lives. This echoes the attitude of the ungodly in other scriptures, like Psalm 10:4, where the wicked boast that God has forgotten them. Eliphaz contrasts this with verses 26-27, offering a vision of restoration through prayer. If Job repents, he argues, God will hear his prayers, and vows will be fulfilled, leading to delight in the Almighty.

Historically, the Revised English Bible (REB) translation we use here updates the New English Bible, aiming for clarity and inclusivity while preserving poetic depth. The term “Almighty” renders “Shaddai,” an ancient name for God emphasizing His sufficiency and power. In the context of Job’s era, prayer was not formalized as in later Israelite worship; it was raw, personal dialogue with the divine, often amid crisis. Eliphaz’s words, though misguided in application to Job, highlight a biblical truth: prayer bridges the gap between human frailty and divine sovereignty.

The background also invites skepticism about Eliphaz’s theology. While he correctly notes that the wicked often reject God, his assumption that all suffering stems from personal sin is flawed, as the book’s prologue reveals Job’s innocence. This reminds us to approach biblical wisdom literature with nuance, recognizing that Job ultimately points to a God whose ways transcend human understanding.

Meaning

At its core, this passage reveals contrasting attitudes toward God in prayer: defiance versus delight. Verse 17 portrays the wicked’s prayer as a rejection—“Go away from us”—coupled with arrogance: “What can the Almighty do to us?” This isn’t prayer in the devotional sense but a dismissive challenge, implying God is irrelevant or impotent. Eliphaz uses this to warn Job, suggesting his suffering mirrors the fate of such people, who are “snatched away before their time” (v. 16). Yet, ironically, Job himself never adopts this attitude; his prayers are anguished pleas for justice, not dismissal.