Job 5:17-27: a reflection

17“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects. Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. 18For he wounds and binds up. He injures and his hands make whole. 19He will deliver you in six troubles; yes, in seven no evil will touch you. 20In famine he will redeem you from death; in war, from the power of the sword. 21You will be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, neither will you be afraid of destruction when it comes. 22You will laugh at destruction and famine, neither will you be afraid of the animals of the earth. 23For you will be allied with the stones of the field. The animals of the field will be at peace with you. 24You will know that your tent is in peace. You will visit your fold, and will miss nothing. 25You will know also that your offspring will be great, your offspring as the grass of the earth. 26You will come to your grave in a full age, like a shock of grain comes in its season. 27Behold, we have researched it. It is so. Hear it, and know it for your good.”

In the midst of Eliphaz's speech to Job come words that hold a true and comforting picture of God, that even when he wounds, he binds up, and even his correction is aimed at healing. Happy is the man whom God corrects, Eliphaz says; do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For he wounds and binds up; he injures, and his hands make whole. Though Eliphaz misapplied his framework to Job's particular suffering, this picture of God is true and echoed elsewhere in Scripture: that God's correction is not cruelty but is aimed at our healing and good, and that the same hands that wound also bind up. God wounds and binds up; his correction aims at healing. The hand that wounds is also the hand that heals. God's correction is aimed at our good, not cruelty. Even when God wounds, he binds up and makes whole.

Notice the picture of God in these words: he wounds and binds up, injures and makes whole. It is a picture of a God whose correction is not the cruelty of one who wishes us harm, but the discipline of one who loves us and aims at our healing. The same hands that wound are the hands that bind up; the correction and the healing come from the same loving God. Scripture elsewhere confirms this: that God disciplines those he loves, that his correction is for our good, aimed at our growth and healing, not our destruction. This helps us receive God's correction rightly. When God corrects us, disciplines us, allows the wounding that turns us back to him, we can know that his aim is not to harm but to heal, that the hand that wounds will also bind up. We need not despise his correction or resent it as cruelty; we can receive it as the discipline of a loving God aimed at our good. God's correction is the discipline of love, aimed at our healing. The God who wounds in correction also binds up and heals. Receive God's correction as aimed at your good, not your harm. God disciplines those he loves, for their healing.

That is worth taking to heart, for God's correction is aimed at our healing and good, not our harm, and the same hands that wound also bind up. We can resent God's correction as cruelty, or despise his discipline; but even Eliphaz spoke truly here, that God wounds and binds up, injures and makes whole, and Scripture elsewhere confirms that God disciplines those he loves for their good. God's correction aims at healing. When God corrects or disciplines you, do not despise it as cruelty; receive it as the discipline of a loving God who wounds only to heal. Receive God's correction as the discipline of a loving God aimed at your healing, not cruelty meant to harm, for even in Eliphaz's speech comes the true picture that happy is the one whom God corrects, that we should not despise the chastening of the Almighty, for he wounds and binds up, injures and his hands make whole; for we can resent God's correction as cruelty or despise his discipline, but the same hands that wound in correction are the hands that bind up and heal, and God's correction is not the cruelty of one who wishes us harm but the discipline of one who loves us and aims at our good, as Scripture elsewhere confirms that God disciplines those he loves for their growth and healing, so that we can receive his correction rightly, not despising or resenting it, but trusting that the God who wounds will also bind up and make whole.

Lord, in the midst of Eliphaz's speech to Job come words that hold a true and comforting picture of you, that even when you wound, you bind up, and even your correction is aimed at healing. Happy is the man whom God corrects, Eliphaz says; do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. For he wounds and binds up; he injures, and his hands make whole. Though Eliphaz misapplied his framework to Job's particular suffering, this picture of you is true and echoed elsewhere in Scripture: that your correction is not cruelty but is aimed at our healing and good, and that the same hands that wound also bind up. Show me the picture of you in these words: you wound and bind up, injure and make whole. It is a picture of a God whose correction is not the cruelty of one who wishes us harm, but the discipline of one who loves us and aims at our healing. The same hands that wound are the hands that bind up. Scripture elsewhere confirms this: that you discipline those you love, that your correction is for our good, aimed at our growth and healing, not our destruction. This helps me receive your correction rightly. When you correct me, discipline me, allow the wounding that turns me back to you, I can know that your aim is not to harm but to heal, that the hand that wounds will also bind up. Take that to my heart, for your correction is aimed at my healing and good, not my harm. When you correct or discipline me, keep me from despising it as cruelty or resenting it; help me receive it as the discipline of a loving God who wounds only to heal, Lord, trusting that the same hands that wound will bind up and make me whole.