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A spirit visits Eliphaz at night

“Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it. Amid thoughts from visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, dread came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones shake. A spirit glided past my face; the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance. A form was before my eyes; there was silence, then I heard a voice: Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error; how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed like the moth. Between morning and evening they are beaten to pieces; they perish forever without anyone regarding it. Is not their tent-cord plucked up within them, do they not die, and that without wisdom?’

Eliphaz shares this account but he doesn’t seem to realise that this is not a good spirit. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is Satan himself who visits Eliphaz. There are a number of things about this that are very unlike visits from angels. Angels seem to either appear indistinguishable from men or as dazzling, bright beings whereas this being is in the dark so Eliphaz can’t make out it’s appearance.

But by far the most telling thing is how it speaks about God. Angels praise God but this spirit suggests God is unjust and unfair.

It also casts doubt that God could or would ever look favourably on anyone. No suggestion of grace or forgiveness, love or kindness.

It says God doesn’t trust his servants, and charges his angels with error. This seems to me to be an insight into how Satan thinks he has been treated unfairly and his punishment is arbitrary (although being a liar, it’s hard to really know what he thinks, he should know his punishment is deserved, but doubtless he would like to persuade others it’s unfair).

He wants others to believe there is no point turning to God. He wants to make them despair and join in his own suffering.

I think it’s fair to say there’s more than a hint of disdain for mankind in the spirit’s words.

It’s a crafty approach the spirit uses because there is some wisdom and truth there. It is actually the case that, as Paul says,

all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

But the spirit misses out the good news, as Paul continues

and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

Romans 3:23-26

Leaving out the good news recasts God from the merciful, loving, forgiving, gracious God he is to a cruel, indifferent god who is an enemy of mankind.

Satan wants us to think like him. We need to be on guard against becoming embittered and angry towards God. We need to avoid despairing of life and nurture the hope we need in God. We need to strive to love everyone, even our enemies and want their good, not their harm.