LIVE DISCUSSION: "Man Drinks Iniquity Like Water" (Job 15:14-16), Part 4/4

What if your best qualities are more like moonlight than sunlight—real, beautiful, yet entirely borrowed? We lean into that humbling image to explore why God doesn’t place His trust in creatures, even righteous ones, and how that clarifies the difference between holiness that shines and holiness that originates. The conversation threads through Job’s story, Eliphaz’s hard words, and the subtle ways sincere doctrine can be twisted into a weapon when a friend is in pain.

Together we unpack strong biblical language about human depravity—unclean, abominable, filthy—and show how a truthful diagnosis amplifies, not diminishes, the glory of grace. The more clearly we see sin’s depth, the more clearly we see Christ’s sufficiency. That realism reshapes discipleship: resident sin remains, so we practice daily vigilance, keep our minds renewed, and resist the myth of spiritual autopilot. A listener question opens a careful distinction about heaven being “not pure” in God’s sight: it’s a contrast of dependence, not a flaw in glory. Even angels stand by grace, not independent moral credit.

We also address the pastoral heart of the matter: what it means to bring Scripture as a balm rather than a bludgeon. Eliphaz states true things but misapplies them to accuse Job of “drinking iniquity like water.” We talk about how sin can feel like false refreshment, why living water in Christ displaces those cravings, and how real comfort looks like presence, patience, and prayer—not drive-by proof texts. The episode closes with reflections, gratitude, and a call to keep drawing from the Word and the Spirit as our sustaining stream.

If this conversation stirred something in you—about humility, compassion, or a fresh thirst for living water—follow the show, share it with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review so others can find it. Your reflections help us keep these deep, honest dialogues going.

Transcript

Borrowed Light From The True Source

SPEAKER_06 0:00

They understand that no man is clean, that no man is righteous. If they understand that God puts a trust in no, and not even in saints and in the saints and the angels in heaven, and heaven itself is not clean in this sight, you would think that that would be the grounds to cut Job some slab. You think they would be going like, yeah, brother, we know. We know we're in the same boat. We're all sinners. What's happening to you could just as easily happen to us. Why? Because no man is clean in God's sight, not even the angelic host that haven't fallen. But again, we're not talking about their sin. We're talking about the source of their purity, the source of their righteousness. So even though we as Christians, even though we as Christians are righteous in God's sight now, as believers, even though we're righteous in God's sight right now, God doesn't put his trust in man and us. Because whatever righteousness we have, whatever light that we have within us, is derivative of him. When you look at the stars and the moons, what are they doing? The moon and the stars and the planets. They are receiving light from the sun. The light doesn't derive from the moon and the stars. It is derivative light that comes from the sun. And we have the sun of righteousness in our Savior, Jesus Christ. So whatever light that we have is derivative of the sun of righteousness, the sun of the morning, the bright morning star. We are reflections, we are light bearers, not light itself. And that will never change. Even in glory, that will never change. We will go into eternity being his light bearers. That's what we are. And when you see these things, it makes so much sense. And I and I really love this verse here. I just really love. You know, man is described not only as unclean, but abominable and filthy. We're loathsome. It's not just weak, like some people would have you believe. We are loathing, loathsome in God's eyes. Filthy and abominable. What in that mire of humanity do we derive ourselves and our minds the ability to exercise any desire, any pursuit, any aspiration after God? Nowhere. This is one of those doctrines that I wish I could just open up people's heads and pour it in. This is essential to determining how it is you extol the glories of the majesty of God. The more abominable you see yourself, the more wicked you see yourself, the more sinful you see sin is, you will see the glory of God in a much higher degree than you did when you first came to faith. Yes, I know that we have our sins removed from us, but we all know that we are dealing with resident sin. We know that we are being sanctified, we know that we are mortifying death in this mortal body. We feel the remnant effects of sin that was in our human bodies. And until we shed it, it is going to be still with us, dying daily. The difference is we know it. We know it. We are aware. He has made us partakers in understanding the effects of sinful nature. And if and if sin can be this bad and how it affects us and how it makes us mourn and how it makes us plead with God, imagine what it must have been like when we when we had no limitations and no moral restrictions, no righteous boundaries given to us by the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

SPEAKER_04 4:50

I just wanted to ask, because we know that Satan approached um God or he was able to come to God in the heavens in the council, right? And um this is a reason why the heavens are not even pure in his sight at the moment. Well, you know, as of now, because Satan, who is a fallen um celestial being, is still was still able, when this is written, able to approach God in such a way and come to and fro, or you know, right?

SPEAKER_05 5:25

Right.

SPEAKER_04 5:26

So is is um I guess that was my question. Is that why the heavens are not pure in his sight because of of that fallen state of the angels and or the ones that have fallen and that Satan is able to come and approach God?

SPEAKER_06 5:44

No, I think it's I think that what he's doing is I think that, I mean, it is that too. But I think that what he's doing is is that he is showing a contrast. You know, in other words, like I said, he's not saying, like, like, for instance, the angelic hosts that are in heaven now, the righteous angels, they're there. They're in heaven now. Even even believers that have gone ahead, they are there now. And what God is saying is that I don't put, he doesn't put his trust, it's not, it's not, he's not, what he's trying to do is contrast the righteousness and the holiness and the and the purity of those who are with him as opposed to fallen men. And so what God is saying is if I don't trust them who are righteous and holy, because their righteousness and purity and holiness is derivative of me, how much, how much more unlikely will God put his trust in man? And so what he so what he's trying to do is show this this contrast. If I don't hold them in a in a in a in a position where I would warrant giving them trust, how much more or how much less would I be offering that up to sinful, abominable, unclean, filthy man? Does that make sense?

SPEAKER_04 7:14

Yes, because it's not that the ones that are righteous in heaven, they're righteous by their own uh doing or um nature, but it is because of his righteousness that he extended to them that that they are what they are and why they remain faithful.

Seeing Our Sin And God’s Glory

SPEAKER_06 7:31

That's right, because he's he's he's pointing out that even though they are righteous and holy and all that, and do his bidding and they obey, what he's saying is that what they do that makes them that I did, I do in them. I keep them, like you read in Jude 24. But for the man, for mankind, who is filthy and abominable, and when he looks at them, he sees nothing but that which is worthy of condemnation. How can you, man, reasonably think that there's something in you that warrants my trust? In other words, there's nothing in you that can make you pleasing to me unless I do something for you completely, just as I do with the angelic hosts. And I don't trust them. But it's not that we're not talking about trust from the standpoint of I, you know, he knows that when he tells them, he gives them an order to do something, they do it. But the point is, he's making this contrast between the righteous and the unrighteous. How can a sinful man believe that there's something within himself that can produce that which is clean when he himself is unclean? If I look at those who are clean and pure and don't put trust in them, what makes you, what, where do you, where does man believe he sits where God will consider his actions clean in his sight when he is filthy and abominable? So this is what he's what he's saying. Sister May, go ahead. And sorry, sister, I missed you because I didn't see it. I might have been when I had my head down or something.

SPEAKER_01 9:19

It's okay. So in essence, I'm trying to get this together in my head after everything I heard. So in essence, LA Faz is saying, even if angels are not fully trusted by God, how much more, Job, you who are morally disgusting and addicted to injustice. So it's it's I feel like when he's saying this though, it's no longer abstract theology. It's it's a moral indictment against Job. But where he gets it wrong is that it contradicts this is where the Lord, I feel this is one of these verses, these sets, where I feel the Lord came went in on Eliphaz and said, Hey, you got me wrong here. Meaning that because I'm trying to get my thoughts together, sorry. Because the Lord declared Job blameless and upright, Eliphaz is now in a space where he's describing Job as corrupt and addicted to injustice, but then on the other hand, God says in the beginning, there's none like him. So he's basically a false witness to God on behalf of Job.

Why Heaven Is “Not Pure” In Contrast

Eliphaz’s Charge And Misuse Of Truth

SPEAKER_06 10:43

Yeah, yeah. He he's he's blatantly calling Job an unrighteous man. But see, now he's he's not like he's not like Bildad. Bill Bill Dad is brutal. And we'll see him again later. But you're right, Meg. He he he is basically, have you you guys can all probably uh uh uh understand this. You probably have experienced this. You might have been in a situation where somebody is some other brother or sister, and this can also be somebody who's not a Christian at all, and you'll know what I mean when I say this. There's something that you are holding to, whether something you believe, a biblical truth, or it could be something going on in your life that you're struggling with, you know, an addiction maybe, uh, or you know, cheating on your husband or you're cheating on your wife, or whatever is going on, something is going on wrong. And you might have, or it could be something that is perceived by another person, like in this case for Job, as being a problem, and you have this, you have some person come up to you, they won't, they won't, they will accuse you of wrongdoing by citing a particular set of verses, let's say, from the Bible. In other words, they use the verses, they use the verses to say, speak for them what they are unwilling to say. You know what I mean? It's like, it's sort of like if they believe that you are a certain way, acting a certain way, living a certain way, then they will find passages in the scriptures and tell you something like, you need to go read this, or can I read this to you, whatever. And they they use it as a weapon to condemn you. They won't come out and say it, but they'll they but they are using the the word of God to sort of tell you what they really feel about your situation. This is what this is what a lot of people do. Rather than just sitting down and saying, hey, you know, let's talk about what's going on with you and see if there's anything that I can do to help. And I'll tell you, sometimes the last thing you want to hear is somebody spitting a bunch of verses at you. Because the first thing you're gonna be thinking is like, I know that. But I have a real problem. And I have, and and I need help if you want to provide it in being comforted in this situation. Can you help me do this? But this should really be the thing that a friend, a brother in Christ, sister in Christ should want to do. But a lot of times, people, this is when this is the time when you're at your lowest. This is the time where people want to showcase their knowledge. This is when they want to showcase it, they want to show off. And they start flipping through passages of scriptures, and and they're they're trying to show you how you're doing this. This is what your problem is. And, you know, it could be true in certain situations, it might not be. But the issue is how do you take the word of God and use it to be a help, a help tool to bring a person to see from a compassionate standpoint what they need to do. It's easy, and what I mean is somebody can take verses out of the scriptures or whatever, and say, this is what I think we should focus on, or whatever. And or sometimes they just take it, they want it because they want you to admit that you've done this or you've done that. And you know, it can be all over the place. It's it's so different with everybody. But the whole point is we should always do what we can to try to restore a person. This is not what this is not what's happening here. These guys, Eliphaz is saying some very true things, these are very true doctrines, and the and it's crazy because the very doctrines that he's putting out right now should be the very reasons why they should be showing Job some comfort. Because as he says, no man and all men are in this situation, so that should be the motivation to help Job. But that's not, they're using it as a bullying tool, as a bullying tool. And so this final image that we have here that I really love about this, and we'll start to wrap it up, is that you know, he says that how much more abominable and filthy is man, which drinks water like iniquity. Now, listen, this portrays sin not like something that is forced upon him, but as something he willingly receives. And for him to be saying this to Job is pretty bold, it's pretty bad. Because he's accusing Job of drinking iniquity like water. It's a brazen comment to make. And so, you know, and he's saying that not only is it something that he willingly receives, receives, but he delights in it. He's refreshed by it. Water is refreshing. This is what he's saying. You're you you you are drinking sin like water, you find refreshment in sin. And you consume it daily and regularly for its nutritive value. So water is something that we we freely take in, and we take it frequently, we need it, and we do it without reluctance at all. We need it. So fallen man absorbs sin into his thoughts, his affections, and his actions. And this is what he's accusing Job of. He's saying that your sin has become your natural nourishment to your depraved heart and soul. This is true when it comes to sinful man. He's it is true, but he has miscalculated Job. Job understands this. Job is responding to this. They are misapplying it, they're weaponizing this doctrine. It's a true doctrine, but this isn't Job. If you know, like it takes, if you go three days, three days without water, you're in you're gonna be on your deathbed. It takes three days before you die from water. There are always an exception here and there, where you might go a fourth day and perhaps even maybe a fifth day, but that would be rare, and that has a lot to do with the climate and the setting that you're in. It depends on how much sodium is in your body. But you are not gonna go five days not having water before you die. So here's my point: in this if it takes three to five days to die from water, and that means that you will die unless there is some kind of intervention. Not drinking water is fatal without any intervention, and this is this is the connection that he's making with this water analogy. Men, sinful men, they drink sin like water, they drink up sin as if their life depends upon it. They see sin as having nutritional value. They argue that they need to do what they do, and they argue that they don't need the Lord in any kind of way. They find nutritional value in it, they find refreshment in it, they find that they need it frequently, they see it as an just as a necessity, but the way we see water as a necessity. And notice that when you don't Have water, how quickly we perish without water. It is stable. Your body, I forget the number, eighty to ninety percent water. I forget the number. Water. And this is what God is comparing sin with me. It is a very much a part, a constituent component. Sin that is, is very much a constituent, a constituent component of the natural, sinful man. The way water is to natural man, physically. And the only way, the only way that we can receive salvation in this condition is to die to sin. If water, if the absence of water means death, and water is being compared to sin in man, then we need to die to sin in order that we might be saved by Christ. That's where I will end it. We need the Lord Jesus Christ. And the crazy thing is, and the beautiful thing is, to be saved, we need to be washed and renewed by the word of God. So when you look at that, being washed and renewed by the word of God, by the regenerative, by the regenerative work of the Holy Spirit in our lives, is that saving water that we need. It is very different. And we exchange that water for the sin. And we drink like water. We need to die to sin, and we need to trust in Christ for our salvation wholly and completely. There you go, John. I couldn't think of the word I was thinking of, but that's what I was thinking of. Living water. We need that living water. That's what we need. Last words. No sermons, please. And we'll wrap it up for tonight. Brother Rod, last word for tonight.

Weaponizing Scripture Versus Comfort

SPEAKER_03 22:55

Um I just gotta just uh these these verses just just, you know, remind just give me a reminder constantly that, you know, I can say true things about the Lord, but sometimes, you know, just like, you know, I might not I might miss his heart, you know what I mean? But like I still still gotta apply them to people that I may know that are still hurting, you know, that they may not be as close to the Lord as I may have been, or where I am currently, you know, so just gotta keep going as I spoke of my daughter, my family, and stuff like that. And as long as they see me doing it, then God be to glory that they'll eventually join me. So, you know, that's what these verses reminded me of tonight.

SPEAKER_06 23:34

So uh Amen, brother. Amen, brother. Uh Sister Meg, last word for tonight. Meg, you there? All right, brother John Langloy. Last word for tonight, brother.

SPEAKER_08 23:53

Um, I was inspired um to write another poem based on uh this uh verse here. Let's see. Um how much more abominable and filthy is man. Um people who know me and been around me so much know that practically every day I find a coin on the on the ground. And it's just it became a joke. It was just so ridiculous. And um it made me think about sometimes I'll see the most nasty, rough looking penny, you know, just sitting over there by the curb or or something, and I was like, man, that's I I don't even want to pick that up. But that it made me think about if God wasn't so gracious and loving, that's how he would be looking at me. You know, that that that is just I don't even want to touch it, look at it, you know, pass right by it. And um so uh just uh like everyone else who knows, just want to express my gratitude publicly, how much I'm grateful to the Lord, you know, He loved me so much.

SPEAKER_06 25:13

Amen, brother. Thanks for that, John. All right, brother Pat, last word.

SPEAKER_07 25:24

You know something, um uh, man, this passage brought to uh my mind, and and you might understand why, Jonathan. There was a teaching particular, well, it's particularly uh popular in some parts of the Southern Baptist teaching, uh some Southern Baptist uh denominations called easy believism. It's sometimes referred to as greasy grace and right. And they take something that's true uh about God's grace, but they don't teach all there is about the human nature, they don't teach about the depravity, the utter depravity of man. And when you don't have a strong understanding about the depravity of man, then you won't live a vigilant life. This is super important as a Christian because you can't leave it on autopilot. This flesh is depraved. And if you just leave things on autopilot, what's gonna happen to your thinking? What's it gonna lean towards? What's your flesh, your actions and your lifestyle going to trend towards? It's gonna trend towards the flesh. And so, as a Christian, understanding our depravity, we it's a constant vigilance in having our thinking renewed and being washed by the word and being in the spirit and being careful about our lives.

SPEAKER_06 26:49

Amen. Absolutely, brother. Thanks for that, Pat. It's so true. And that that, you know, I think that there are so many things that, when misunderstood, it usually results and producing a lack of vigilance, especially in the immediate approximate time frame that we're in, the present. And uh so I think you're completely right there. Sister Candy, last word for tonight, sister.

Drinking Iniquity Like Water

SPEAKER_00 27:20

So since Mr. Langloy took the poems from me, I'm not gonna read footprints, but I do want to read like the last four sentences of it. And it says, I don't understand why when I needed you most, you would leave me. And the Lord replied, My precious, precious child, I love you. I would never leave you. During your times of trial and suffering, when you see only one set of footprints, it is then that I carried you. And then to follow up with that one, 1 Samuel 12, 22 through 24, the Lord will not abandon his people because that would dishonor his great name. For it pleased the Lord to make you his very own. But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you.

SPEAKER_06 28:10

Amen, sister. Good word there. Brother Jeffrey, last word.

SPEAKER_05 28:19

Well, it's been another excellent study tonight. Uh I just we are reminded that it is so difficult sometimes for us in our witness and in our testimony to show people that there is no good thing inside of us. We desire to be good, we desire to do good, to do well, to be loving, to be kind. And those things are good things of themselves, but they do not, will not, cannot buy us into heaven. We are entered by grace alone, and God did the entire work. I'm just grateful for the fact that we all understand that and agree with it because that is eternal life right there. Knowing that is the beginning of eternal life. If we without that, we we and we still if we still cling to the fact that we are good enough on our own, then we are not. I mean, it it's just a simple thing. So I just want to thank you for Jonathan for the teaching tonight that reinforces that we see it here as Job and his friends are discussing a little bit about it, and it's just been a great teaching. So uh thank you tonight, and good night, panel. So thank you very much. You're you're gonna be here to close this out in a minute, right? Uh yeah, I am. I you just usually call on me last. You still got to get to Lisa, but yeah, I'll close you out. Go ahead. I gotta make sure I gotta make sure you get comfortable.

SPEAKER_06 29:50

Okay, all right. I'm here, I'm good. Keep you in your toes, sister Lisa. Last word.

SPEAKER_02 29:56

Oh, I'll make it quick. I just want to thank everybody again. Another amazing study. Um, yeah, I um I love looking at these verses. I love the fact that the things that we know today, um, you know, Job was dealing with back then. And this is such an amazing book looking at how his friends treat him. You know, it's so easy for us to be any of them. And um, and we know now we know that when we suffer, at least we have a better understanding of what God's doing, even though we we we never know for sure. But um, this is just it's a beautiful book. So I I thank you that we're doing this.

SPEAKER_06 30:38

Amen. God bless you. Last word.

SPEAKER_04 30:46

Um, yeah, it just reminds me that you know, man should not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out the mouth of God. Um, you know, and also just reminds me of the woman at the well um with Jesus. And he says, if you knew the gift of God that was asking you for water for a drink, you would be asking me, and I would give you living water and you would never thirst again. So, you know, this is something that we should be take trying to take in is something that we will never have to thirst because with sin, you're never satisfied. You always, it's always more and more and more. And just with knowing the the peace that I have with God, that is satisfying enough to my soul that if I never got anything else, that that that would alone sustain me. Um, just having that peace with God. And so I'm just so thankful for that.

SPEAKER_06 31:52

I mean, sister, appreciate that. Well, Brother Jeffrey, you ready to close us out?

SPEAKER_05 31:59

Yeah, absolutely. Well, again, uh good job tonight, panel, Jonathan. Excellent teaching as always. Uh hoping to be back tomorrow night for more of it. Uh, it's just uh uh amazing what we continue to learn. And the the challenge here, everyone, as you all well know, is to apply what we learn and and make us stronger uh servants for him and sharpen our swords. So uh continue to do that and uh reach out to Brother Jonathan or to each other or to me or someone if you have a question or something, reach out to somebody and uh get the help, you know, and and and and be where God wants you to be. Father, we thank you tonight for your presence here. That you're here tonight, Lord, watching over us in every uh way possible. Lord, you've made it clear to us again from your word, Father, we uh that it is by your grace and your salvation alone that we are in relationship with you. Father, we just pray for those who may who've heard that message tonight. Lord, I just want to pray for the people who may have just scrolled by casually for just a moment or two, but they heard something that clicked in their brain and they and their heart, and it made them realize: you know what, I need to surrender all to Christ and let him be Lord in me. So, Father, we just thank you tonight for your presence here and for the for what you're building here and what you're doing. Be with us tonight, bring us back tomorrow night. We pray for your grace and presence here as we continue to grow in you. We give you all the praise and thanks now in Jesus' name. Amen.

SPEAKER_08 33:38

Amen. Amen. So Jonathan, yes. Amen. Oh, could I say one last thing?

SPEAKER_00 33:45

Sure.

Dying To Sin, Living Water

SPEAKER_08 33:46

Um, that poem that I wrote, there was one simple, single part of it that I wasn't sure about to finish the poem until we had this live tonight. And I actually changed two words in it before I read it. So I'm so grateful for this um live tonight. Thank you, everybody. Have a great night.

SPEAKER_06 34:08

Thank you very much. Appreciate that, brother. You gotta you gotta come up here more often. I like when you're up here, it's beautiful. I'll try. All right, Mariah. Time to say goodnight to those children.

SPEAKER_04 34:20

All righty. What do you say? Say goodnight.

SPEAKER_08 34:28

Finally, I get to take the night.

SPEAKER_06 34:32

Good night, I love you.

SPEAKER_04 34:39

Yeah, there you go.

SPEAKER_06 34:48

All right, everybody. Have a great night. God bless you all until the next time. Have a good night.

SPEAKER_02 34:53

God bless. Thank you, Jonathan.

SPEAKER_06 34:55

All right, bye bye. Good night, everybody. Bye.