Job 5: The Cruelty of the Prosperity Gospel

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty.” — Job 5:17

The Continuation of Error

Eliphaz does not stop at accusation. Here, he doubles down on the theology he introduced in chapter four. His speech may appear religious, even comforting at points, but beneath its surface lies a rigid and graceless system of the prosperity gospel. He believes God only punishes the wicked and prospers the righteous, and therefore Job’s affliction must be divine correction for hidden sin.

His tone shifts from observation to prescription. Now he begins to counsel Job, instructing him on what to do next: “As for me, I would seek God, and to God I would commit my cause” (v. 8). Yet he contradicts himself, for he just said, “Call out now; is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn?” (v. 1), implying there’s no one in Heaven to listen, not even God Himself. At face value, his advice in verse 8 sounds spiritual. Seeking God is good. Committing one’s cause to God is commendable. But the reason Eliphaz gives for doing so reveals the heart of his error: he believes that if Job repents, his fortunes will be restored.

Eliphaz’s prosperity gospel cannot accommodate for innocent suffering. His idea of God is like a scale—sin on one side, suffering on the other, and balance always maintained. But the God who speaks through Scripture is not so easily confined. He allows His saints to suffer without cause. He declares them righteous while they are still in the ash heap.

False Comfort

“Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty” (v. 17). This proverb contains truth. Scripture elsewhere affirms the Lord disciplines those whom He loves (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-6). But the way Eliphaz applies this truth is deeply flawed. He assumes Job’s suffering is, in fact, correction—that it’s the result of some sin Job must confess and be cleansed of. He presents chastening not as a possibility but as the diagnosis. And with that diagnosis comes the implied demand: submit to the correction, and God will restore you. It is pastoral malpractice.

Eliphaz’s theology offers hope, but it’s a conditional hope. It rests on the assumption that Job’s suffering is punishment, and if Job repents properly, blessings will return. This is not grace. What Eliphaz describes is a transactional, abusive relationship. And he turns repentance into a lever for personal benefit.

In Lutheran terms, this is Law without Gospel. It is works-righteousness disguised as piety. True Christian hope is not that God will remove affliction if we behave, but that He is near to us in affliction even when we have nothing left to offer.

The most dangerous thing about Eliphaz’s counsel is how attractive it sounds. He speaks of God exalting the humble, saving the needy, delivering from famine and war, healing wounds, and restoring joy (vv. 11-26). Who wouldn’t want that? His vision of the godly life is beautiful… on the surface.

But when placed into the mouth of one speaking to a man in ashes, who has lost his children, his health, and his livelihood without cause, these words become cruel. They imply Job has not yet humbled himself, that he has not sought God rightly, that his continued suffering is a result of his continued error. In this way, Eliphaz’s hope becomes poison. His comfort becomes condemnation.

The Church must learn this lesson. Well-meaning words, detached from the specific reality of a sufferer’s experience, can do real harm. Generic comfort is not always harmless. When we apply true doctrines in false contexts, we damage the souls we seek to help.

A Christless Promise

At the end of the chapter, Eliphaz concludes with certainty: “Behold, this we have searched out; it is true. Hear it and know for yourself” (v. 27). He invites Job to accept this diagnosis as proven truth. But what Eliphaz offers is not the Gospel—it is a theology that depends on human response, human insight, and human merit. It leaves no room for mystery, no space for unjust suffering, and no need for a Redeemer. Ultimately, Eliphaz’s counsel is Christless. He speaks of God’s might without His mercy. He preaches correction, but not forgiveness. He sees suffering as proof of guilt, not as a place where grace meets us. He has no category for the cross.

The Christian, by contrast, sees in Christ the suffering of the Innocent One, who bore not His own sin but ours. The cross is the antidote to Eliphaz’s cruel theology. There, we find a righteous man crushed, not because He was guilty but because He chose to bear the guilt of others. The suffering of Job foreshadows the suffering of Jesus—and Eliphaz’s error foreshadows the error of those who stood at Calvary and said, “He saved others; Himself He cannot save” (Matthew 27:42).

For pastors, Eliphaz is a mirror and a warning. His speech is full of doctrine, Scripture-like in tone, poetic in delivery—and yet, it is utterly misapplied, grace totally absent. As a true theologian of glory, he diagnoses what he cannot see and assumes what he does not know. His words may be theological, but they are not pastoral.

The faithful pastor must be guided by compassion and the Gospel. He must sit long before speaking. And when he speaks, he must never imply pain is always punishment or that repentance will always lead to restored blessings in this life. Instead, he must preach Christ crucified, who joins the sufferer, bears the affliction, and promises not immediate relief but eternal mercy.

Comfort that Condemns

Job 5 reminds us not all comfort is kind. Eliphaz probably meant well, but his theology injures rather than heals. He offers a path to restoration that bypasses grace and burdens the sufferer with guilt.

The Church must speak a better word. Not “happy is the man whom God corrects” as a blanket diagnosis, but “blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted” (Matthew 5:4). Not “return to God so your fortunes may be restored,” but “the LORD is near to those who have a broken heart and saves such as have a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” (Psalm 34:18-19). Job does not respond yet, but his silence speaks volumes. He has heard the cruelty of comfort, and he is not consoled, as we shall now see.