Job 22:21 - Exposition

Acquaint now thyself with him ( i.e. God), and be at peace ; or, make, I beseech thee ' a trial of him , and be at peace ; i.e. risk everything, throw thyself upon his mercy, and so make thy peace with him. To do so is well worth thy while, for thereby good shall come unto thee. It is a question what sort of "good" is meant. If we are to explain the "good" of this passage by Job 22:24 , Job 22:25 exclusively, Eliphaz will become a mere utilitarian, and he will be rightly characterized as "selfish and sordid" (Cook)—an anticipation of the Mammon of Milton. But there seem to be no sufficient grounds for singling out Job 22:24 , Job 22:25 from the rest of the passage, and regarding them as forming its key-note. The "good" which Eliphaz promises to Job includes, besides "the gold of Ophir" and "plenty of silver," such things as "delight in the Almighty," and confident trust in him (verse 26), God's hearing of his prayers (verse 27), the shining of light upon his path (verse 28), his own payment of his vows (verse 27), his giving assistance to the poor and needy (verse 29), and even his deliverance of the guilty by the pureness of his hands (verse 30); so that other besides material considerations are clearly taken into account, and the worldly prosperity which Eliphaz promises forms a part only of the good result which he anticipates from the patriarch making his peace with the Almighty.