Chapter 21 records Job's reply to Zophar. He looked to the Lord for his help and in these verses shows how the wicked often prosper in this life. Later in the chapter he brands the conclusions of his friends as pure falsehoods.
Chapter 22 begins the third cycle of speeches, with Eliphaz speaking first. He concludes that Job is a great sinner and charges him especially with his cruel treatment of the poor. He urges Job to get right with God.
Job replies to Eliphaz in chapters 23 and 24. He wavers between faith and unbelief in chapter 23:10-17. He makes a glowing statement in verse 10 when he says, "But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold." It is a happy day for the Christian when he learns, as Job did, that God knows more about us than we know about ourselves. It is a real revelation to us when we suddenly realize that He truly knows and understands everything we face and endure. Beyond that, He cares about us and will meet our every need.
Chapter 23:3 indicates that Job did not know that God was intimately near to him, even nearer than his very breath. There was no need for Job to go forward and backward, on the right hand or the left. The Lord was near him; even in his heart; for His throne was pitched there on the sands of the desert, between Job and his pitiless accusers!
