Eliphaz and the response from Job: Job 4–7

Job’s situation was dire. His friends were telling him to take his complaint to God, who would listen if Job were indeed as righteous as he claimed. But to Job, it looked as though God wasn’t listening and was, instead, testing him.

It would have been preferable to Job if God had just crushed him, but that hadn’t happened. Job had to endure, even though he didn’t have the strength of stone or bronze.

His only source of comfort was that he hadn’t cursed God, despite the pain:

^{Job 7:6-13} Oh, that I might have my request,
that God would grant my desire.
I wish he would crush me.
I wish he would reach out his hand and kill me.
At least I can take comfort in this:
Despite the pain,
I have not denied the words of the Holy One.
But I don’t have the strength to endure.
I have nothing to live for.
Do I have the strength of a stone?
Is my body made of bronze?
No, I am utterly helpless,
without any chance of success.