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Job 4:21. "If their tent-cord is plucked up within them, do not they die, and that without wisdom?"

 

This is Job's friend Eliphaz describing a vision he had in which a spirit appeared to him asking him if man can ever be righteous before God (and implying that he cannot). The spirit ends with this question about tent-cords, meaning if our lives are taken from us, we die, often without wisdom.

 

I think Eliphaz should have engaged in a bit of discernment before sharing this vision as some kind of guidance, as this seems to me to have been an evil spirit. The spirit he described caused dread in him; he was "trembling, which made all [his] bones shake"; as the spirit glided past his face, "the hair of his flesh stood up"; he could not discern its appearance, it was just a form before his eyes. (Job 4:14-16). Then the spirit began asking questions, implying that mortal man is unsavable. It pointed out that even some of the angels committed error, "how much more those who dwell in houses of clay"? (Job 4:19). The spirit was clearly trying to cause despair or hopelessness in Eliphaz.

 

If only Eliphaz had the benefit of Saint Ignatius of Loyola's rules for discernment of spirits, he would have known that this was an evil spirit. Applying those rules, and assuming Eliphaz was trying to be a good and holy person (even though he was a bit misguided in his advice to Job), we can conclude he would have been being guided by the good spirits. In other words, since Eliphaz had accepted God and was desirous of His guidance, God would have answered Him and provided such guidance through His angels or spirits. (Note that the opposite is true if we are not seeking God and not trying to live holy lives. In that case, the devil will provide his own guidance, which will feel very seductive and can often feel like spiritual guidance, because it, in fact, is.)

 

If Eliphaz was being guided by the good spirits, they would have given him feelings of peace if they had been appearing to him. They want, after all, to help him get to God, they don't want to scare him off with unpleasant feelings or scary visions. Any encounter with the evil spirits, however, would be accompanied by feelings of disquiet, and possibly revulsion and/or fear. These are God's warning signs. Something is not right if you encounter a spirit and feel terror (note that this not the same as awe, which can feel like fear, and is a common response to spiritual encounters such that the angels always have to tell us to "Be not afraid" - they mean, "Don't be so overwhelmed that you don't listen to what I'm about to say to you!")

 

Also, when the spirit began talking, it spoke in questions; questions that were meant to cause Eliphaz to doubt God's promises. This is exactly how the serpent did its work on Eve, and is one of the devil's useful tricks. He whispers questions in our ears, making us think we are coming to these conclusions on our own, spinning a web of deception and doubt in our minds that clouds what we understand of God. God's spirits come in light, to illuminate our minds and let us understand the messages they are bringing us. Their messages may not be easy to hear, but they never make us doubt God's goodness. The evil spirits will often also come disguised as angels of light, but our physical and emotional reactions to them, if we are on the right path, are clues to what we are dealing with.

 

Saint Ignatius's rules for discernment have been invaluable to me. As I read more and more about how the demonic realm works, in books like Slaying Dragons, I see how much Saint Ignatius has already taught me about how evil works. Eliphaz would have benefited a lot from St. Ignatius's rules - in fact, he even says he could not discern the spirit's appearance. Although I know he had his own encounters with the devil, I wonder if St. Ignatius referred back to this episode in Job when thinking through his spiritual exercises.