Job 5:12

Job 5:12 (KJV) states, "He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform [their] enterprise." This powerful verse, spoken by Eliphaz the Temanite to Job, underscores God's supreme power and active intervention in human affairs, especially concerning the plans of the wicked.

Context

This verse is found within Eliphaz's first speech (Job chapters 4 and 5), where he attempts to offer an explanation for Job's immense suffering. Eliphaz, one of Job's three friends, operates under the traditional belief that God is just and that suffering is often a direct consequence of sin. In this passage, he highlights God's active role in the world, bringing down the proud and frustrating the plans of those who scheme with cunning and malice. It serves as an affirmation of divine control over human endeavors, particularly those driven by selfish or malicious intent, and aims to reassure Job (from Eliphaz's perspective) that God deals justly with the wicked.

Key Themes

• Divine Sovereignty: The core message is God's absolute authority and control over all circumstances and human designs. No human scheme, however well-conceived or cunning, can ultimately succeed if it stands contrary to God's will or righteous purposes.
• God's Justice and Intervention: Eliphaz emphasizes God's active role in upholding justice by frustrating the designs of the wicked. This theme suggests that God directly intervenes to protect the innocent and ensure that evil plots fail.
• Futility of Human Craftiness: The verse vividly portrays the ultimate uselessness of human cunning, deceit, and manipulation when confronted by divine power. Those who plot with shrewdness or malice ("the crafty") find their efforts rendered completely ineffective by God's hand.

Linguistic Insights

The Hebrew word translated as "disappointeth" is parar (פָּרַר), which means to break, frustrate, annul, or make void. It implies a complete nullification or bringing to nothing, not just a hindrance. The term "crafty" comes from `ormah (עָרְמָה), which can denote shrewdness or prudence in a neutral or even positive sense, but in this context, especially when paired with "devices" (mezimmah – referring to thoughts, purposes, or schemes, often those that are mischievous or malicious), it clearly refers to malicious cunning or deceitful plotting. God doesn't merely impede their plans; He utterly breaks their power and renders them useless.

Related Scriptures

The truth that God thwarts the plans of the wicked and exercises ultimate control over human endeavors is a recurring theme throughout the Bible:

• The Psalmist declares that the Lord brings the counsel of the nations to nought, making the devices of the people of none effect.
• Proverbs emphasizes that many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
• In the New Testament, Paul reflects on how God has made foolish the wisdom of this world, further affirming divine superiority over human intellect and scheming.

Practical Application

For believers, Job 5:12 offers profound comfort and encouragement. It assures us that even when facing cunning adversaries, deceitful plots, or seemingly insurmountable obstacles orchestrated by human malice, God is ultimately in control. We can trust that He will frustrate the plans of those who work against His righteous purposes and His people. For those who might be tempted to use manipulation, deceit, or ungodly strategies to achieve their goals, the verse serves as a powerful warning: their "enterprise" will ultimately fail because it stands against a sovereign God who "disappointeth the devices of the crafty." It calls us to rely on God's wisdom, justice, and perfect timing, rather than human cleverness or manipulation.