The Lord Rebukes Job's Friends 7 After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. 8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.” 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job's prayer. The Lord Restores Job's Fortunes 10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold. 12 And the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning. And he had 14,000 sheep, 6,000 camels, 1,000 yoke of oxen, and 1,000 female donkeys. 13 He had also seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first daughter Jemimah, and the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-happuch. 15 And in all the land there were no women so beautiful as Job's daughters. And their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 And after this Job lived 140 years, and saw his sons, and his sons' sons, four generations. 17 And Job died, an old man, and full of days. Now that everyone is listening and God has established His position as Judge and Jury and Plaintiff, not Defendant, He is about to execute judgment that is both righteous and full of grace and mercy. God has dealt with Job and he has repented, so that issue is taken care of and is off the table. Job's sin is now under the blood of Christ and is as far as the east is from the west and God chooses to remember it no more and continues to see Job as holy and blameless in His sight, because when He sees Job, He sees the finished work of Christ.
Not so for Job's friends Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar. They never repented, and therefore there is judgment brought against them for the slander that they spoke against Job without evidence or cause. God speaks to Eliphaz as the oldest of the group and holds him accountable for his actions and the actions of the other friends. God said that He burns with anger against all three of them because they had spoken incorrectly about God, unlike His servant Job. So, what did they say that was wrong? It wasn't that Job needed to repent or that he was proud and needed to be humbled, because that's exactly what Elihu and even God said. No, it is the message of redemption that Job proclaimed and forgiveness that Job preached that his friends made a mockery of an they chose to believe instead in a God that was vindictive and full of wrath--not one that was full of grace and mercy and was quick to forgive the one who repents. They preached a gospel of good works and told Job to stop doing bad things and start doing good things and maybe God would start loving him again. This is the kind of god that most of the world serves--one where they can frame what is "good" and what is "bad" and declare themselves to be righteous in their own eyes and claim they have earned the blessings of their god including their eternal security. That is not the gospel message of the Bible. The friends were ordered to offer burnt offerings of seven bulls and seven rams (a huge sacrifice as one bull and one goat were usually killed once a year for the entire sin of the nation of Israel). This should bring us back to the image of Job making sacrifices that seemed excessive for the possible sins of his children--even though he hadn't seen them, he knew they had been committed (and it's one of the most obvious cases we see of someone paying the price for someone else in the Old Testament--usually we see each man have to pay the penalty for his or her own sin, but Job paid for the sins of his children and took the cost upon himself, much like God would later). They were told that Job would pray for them and God would hear the pray of Job and would forgive them on his behalf. Again, see the intercessory work of Job here acting like a priest, this time not for his family, but for his "friends" who really turned out to be his enemies. Let's pause for a minute to think about what God is doing here. First, he doesn't tell the unsaved men--Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar--to pray to Him and He never promises to hear their prayers, as they are still unrepentant. He instead tests Job to see if Job will forgive them in the same way that he himself has been forgiven. Will he act in a way that is consistent with the Spirit of God or with his flesh? We see Jesus teach His disciples about what happens to the man that claims to belong to God, but is unwilling to forgive his brother--but this is a different kind of love and forgiveness, for these men had shown themselves to be enemies of both God and Job, but God chooses to deal with them graciously for the sake of His servant. That's amazing that sometimes God honors our requests for our unsaved "friends." Do you have anyone in your life that you know that needs you to intercede on their behalf that God might hear you and grant them grace to not experience the full punishment they deserve? (See Psalm 103:10 and Proverbs 20:22) Do you need to extend forgiveness to someone who has betrayed you and shown their true colors to you? Show them what you are made of by showing them the new creation that God has made you to be. "Do not repay evil for evil, but overcome evil with good." (I Peter 3:9) Now for the part we've been waiting for. What will God do with Job? Will he leave him in his sorry estate, or will God raise him up to his previous status, or will he maybe even exalt him even more because of the trial he had endured? Let's see. Notice the blessing comes to Job after he offers the intercessory prayer for his friends and forgives them. God would not bless him if he continued to live according the flesh and continued to be bitter, hold a grudge and be unforgiving in the face of the forgiveness that God had just shown. The first thing that God restores to Job is his relationship with all of his friends and family who had deserted him. Once again they come to him and have fellowship with him--something that I'm sure that Job missed greatly as family and community is everything in the Near East. Finally people came near to him to comfort him and show him sympathy, and each of them brought a piece of gold and a gold ring as a gift for him--probably as their own offerings and the price they would pay for restoration to their relationship. Next, God restores Job's physical blessings, but in nearly ever case, He gives Job twice as much as he had before. It may look strange to us that Job ends up with the same number of children and not double, but Job never really "lost" those children if they too were saved--either way though, they are unlike the animals. The souls of his children live on, and so, God did double the number of children that Job had. God blessed Job's daughters with This too is a great blessing from the Lord. Last, but not least, God gave Job many more years of life. Job was already older from the sound of things, but it sounds like God gave him another 140 years of life after this so that he could see his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren and that four generations (from Job to his great-grandchildren) could be together. This again is a great blessing from the Lord and one of the key measures that the culture looked at to see if God was pleased with you--they assumed if you displeased God, He would kill you, but if you pleased Him, He'd give you long life. The final words seem to indicate that Job died happy having lived a full life. While no one would want to go through this experience if they had a choice, God knew that this was what it would take to purify His servant Job and teach him even more about who He is, and it was not purely done for Job's benefit, but for the friends of Job that they might learn who God really is and have a chance to see repentance and for all who lived at that time to see and hear Job's testimony, as well as for everyone who has come after and read Job's story.
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The Lord Challenges Job 40:6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 7 “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 8 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? 9 Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor. 11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him. 12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand. 13 Hide them all in the dust together; bind their faces in the world below. 14 Then will I also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you. 15 “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you; he eats grass like an ox. 16 Behold, his strength in his loins, and his power in the muscles of his belly. 17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. 18 His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron. 19 “He is the first of the works of God; let him who made him bring near his sword! 20 For the mountains yield food for him where all the wild beasts play. 21 Under the lotus plants he lies, in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh. 22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him; the willows of the brook surround him. 23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened; he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth. 24 Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce his nose with a snare? 41 “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? 2 Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3 Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words? 4 Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever? 5 Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls? 6 Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? 7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? 8 Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again! 9 Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. 10 No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me? 11 Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine. 12 “I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his goodly frame. 13 Who can strip off his outer garment? Who would come near him with a bridle? 14 Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth is terror. 15 His back is made of rows of shields, shut up closely as with a seal. 16 One is so near to another that no air can come between them. 17 They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated. 18 His sneezings flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn. 19 Out of his mouth go flaming torches; sparks of fire leap forth. 20 Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke, as from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21 His breath kindles coals, and a flame comes forth from his mouth. 22 In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him. 23 The folds of his flesh stick together, firmly cast on him and immovable. 24 His heart is hard as a stone, hard as the lower millstone. 25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; at the crashing they are beside themselves. 26 Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. 27 He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make him flee; for him, sling stones are turned to stubble. 29 Clubs are counted as stubble; he laughs at the rattle of javelins. 30 His underparts are like sharp potsherds; he spreads himself like a threshing sledge on the mire. 31 He makes the deep boil like a pot; he makes the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 Behind him he leaves a shining wake; one would think the deep to be white-haired. 33 On earth there is not his like, a creature without fear. 34 He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride.” Job's Confession and Repentance 42 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 “I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ 5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; 6 therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” Just like last time, we will look at God's soliloquy and Job's response to it as a single unit as we don't want to lose Job's response to what God is saying and doing--that's pretty much the whole idea of the book. How is Job's response this time different than last time?
After issuing His challenge, God opens by asking Job if he can control the largest of the beasts of the earth (Behemoth)? The animal is so large that it appears to fear nothing except God Himself for God made Behemoth so that no weapon would pierce its thick skin and it would fear no snare or trap. Some fancy this creature to be some kind of dinosaur while others imagine it to be some kind of elephant or mammoth. It doesn't really matter exactly what kind of creature it is, God and Job both know what creature is being talked about and that it is a force of nature beyond Job's control that every wise man would treat with respect--so why not have even more respect for a God that is bigger and more powerful than Behemoth because He made it? Do you see the flaw in in Job's actions? He shows more honor and respect for the creature than the Creator. God again points to another massive creature, this time the largest creature in the sea, named Leviathan. We know little of this creature outside of what God says here, but it too seems to have been designed so that it did not need to fear being hunted. God created the sea and all that is in them and the land and all of its vegetation and the animals that dwell on the earth simply by speaking. Even with all the power and glory and majesty that these creatures have, they can't hold a candle to the power, glory and majesty of the Lord. So, again, why would man, specifically Job, show more reverence to an animal of the land or sea than to the God who spoke it all into existence? Job seems to see finally see the error of his ways and takes his focus off of himself and puts it on God when he says, "I know you can do all things and no purpose of Yours can be thwarted." That's a good start--so now the question is to try and inquire about what the purpose of God might be. If we know that nothing can interfere with God's purposes then the right question probably should be "What exactly is it that God is trying to accomplish here?" Job seems to understand, finally, that some of the things that his friends were saying were actually right and that Job was proud and needed to be humbled. However, God will speak to them next because they were wrong in how they spoke of God as well. "The fear of the Lord" does not mean you have to be afraid of God if you belong to Him, but you do need to respect Him and His power and authority. This is a poor illustration because no one can "tame" God, but since God used the imagery of these massive wild beasts, what if one of them could be "tamed"? Even if that were so, it could trample and destroy things and people and would not be "safe." I like the line form The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe about this when one of the children ask Mr. Beaver if Aslan, the Lion that represents Jesus in the allegorical story, is safe. “Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr Beaver ..."Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” ― C.S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe We should have much the same view of God. He's not safe, but He's good. We do not tame and control Him, but He is in control of all things and can change the very heart of man and do all the things we've been reading about and more. As amazing as they all are, I think the power of the gospel to change the very nature of a man and make that which was dead to be alive is as powerful as anything else God has mentioned here. With all this in mind, Job finally puts himself in a posture of listening to God and the instruction that God wants to give instead of wanting to talk and make God listen to him. He closes his mouth and opens his ears. He sees God for who He truly is and no longer requires any other answer. Then we get to the main point of it all--don't miss it. Job responds with not just words of repentance, but actions in accordance with repentance. He returns so the ash heap, but this time not to have a pity party for himself, but because he truly realizes the sorry state that he's in and he takes a proper position and attitude before God. Only in repentance will our mourning be turned into joy because God was, is and will continue to be all that we ever really needed and He will completely satisfy us. It is God who is our hope and our eternal reward and nothing can take Him away from us if we belong to Him. The Lord Answers Job 38 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? 12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. 16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this. 19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, 20 that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? 21 You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great! 22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, 23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? 24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? 25 “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, 26 to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, 27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass? 28 “Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29 From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? 30 The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. 31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? 32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth? 34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? 35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? 36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, 38 when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together? 39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? 41 Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food? 39“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? 2 Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, 3 when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young? 4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open; they go out and do not return to them. 5 “Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, 6 to whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place? 7 He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver. 8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing. 9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger? 10 Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you? 11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor? 12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor? 13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love? 14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground, 15 forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them. 16 She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear, 17 because God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding. 18 When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider. 19 “Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? 20 Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. 21 He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. 22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword. 23 Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin. 24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet. 25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting. 26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? 27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? 28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold. 29 From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away. 30 His young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he.” 40 And the Lord said to Job: 2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.” Job Promises Silence3 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” Here it is! The moment we have all been waiting for, and the moment that Job has been asking for. God shows up, but instead of showing up as the one who is going to answer the questions, God shows up in a mighty way and asks the questions--questions that are going to sound very familiar if you paid attention to what Elihu asked Job.
Let's be clear that God is speaking to Job (at least at first). God lays out His own set of charges first that Job darkens His counsel (His presence) as one without knowledge (Job is making baseless accusations that are not founded on facts, but feelings and assumptions). God turns the tables on Job and tells him to prepare for his own defense, because God is going to question him since he fancies himself so wise that he has something to teach God. God then asks Job a series of rhetorical questions that reveal who He is by what He has done. Again, many of these things will sound familiar to us because Job and Elihu both used many of these illustrations throughout their arguments. God created everything perfectly with structure and order. He made it "just so" for the good of all who live here, especially man, and to reflect His wisdom and His glory, but sin has corrupted that perfect design for God's original creation and has brought judgment and condemnation on all who rebel against God, and God must judge "the wicked" by withholding "good" things from them (blessings) and with the addition of "bad" things (trials, tribulations, judgments, plagues, and other instruments of correction) to turn men's hearts towards repentance and to remove those so wicked that they would corrupt all other men around them that are also in need of repentance. Here specifically though we see God as Creator and Ruling Sustain or all--the Lord of All Creation. We cannot control nature, fully understand its power or its processes, or appreciate the fullness of its beauty, but all of it was created and established by the very Word of God--He spoke and it was (See Genesis 1). God points to to the weather, the seas, the foundations of the earth, the constellations, the starry hosts of heaven, and the animals all to exhibit His infinite wisdom, power and control--even when things seem to be out of control. I know it's a lot of text for today, but I encourage you to read and re-read this this passage of Scripture over, and over, and over again and let it really sink in. Do we too have a "little" view of God in the midst of our seemingly "big" problems? What happens to our problems when we set our gaze on a "big" God that can speak and all nature obeys and is subject to His righteous judgment? Do the problems change? No, but how we view our problems changes when we stop trying to find our own solutions to them and we put the problems into the hands of a God big enough to deal with them. Job gets a huge lesson on theology (who and what God is--His nature, character, and "invisible attributes" as revealed by what He has done and said), and it is said through the voice of thunder coming from a mighty whirlwind and in the presence of all of Job's friends who thought they were so wise that they could stand in the place of God and condemn Job--God is going to turn his attention to them soon, but he's not finished with Job yet, because Job doesn't quite get the message--Job still tries to answer God with a confession that is absent of repentance. So, God once again will speak to Job in 40:6-41:34 to try to bring about the correct response. Isn't it great that God doesn't just speak to us one time and wait for us to figure it out before He speaks to us again? Ever have someone like that? "Nope, I said it and you weren't listening. Now I'm just going to wait for you to figure it out on your own." Oh, what a sorry state we'd be in if God treated us that way! Praise the Lord that He's patient with our ignorance and foolishness and that He doesn't just destroy us for our pride and arrogance. He plays the "long game" much better than we do as He is eternal, but knows that we have a limited amount of time to make our decision to repent and believe--He is the only one who knows the number of our days because He is the one who has numbered them and ordained them all. Even the calamity that He brings upon us is for our good (if we repent and respond in faith) and for His glory (no matter how we respond). Like Job we often want to question God's plan and think we can instruct God on how to do things better in our lives, but God calls this folly, darkness and a lack of knowledge (about who He is and His character and attributes). If we really understood who He was and believed those attributes applied in our lives and the current situation we would not lack the faith to where we would need to put God to the test and ask Him to prove His goodness and justice and mercy and so on to us. God need not prove anything to His creation because creation puts His attributes on display, as does all that He has done in the past (and we have even more of that recorded for us). Everything God was in the past, He is right now, and He will continue to be forever and ever. He cannot change. Praise the Lord for this fact that we can hang onto the certainty of who He is and know that He is the same yesterday, today and forever! How do you respond to the words of God here? Is it adoration of who He is? Is it thanksgiving for what he has done? Is it confession and repentance for how you have failed? Is it supplication for asking Him to supply all your needs and take care of all those situations that need to be put in His hands instead of yours? All of these are appropriate responses to God's Word, but most of all let it sink in, take root, change you and bear fruit--fruit that is in accordance with repentance. Elihu Proclaims God's Majesty 37 “At this also my heart trembles and leaps out of its place. 2 Keep listening to the thunder of his voice and the rumbling that comes from his mouth. 3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go, and his lightning to the corners of the earth. 4 After it his voice roars; he thunders with his majestic voice, and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard. 5 God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend. 6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’ likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour. 7 He seals up the hand of every man, that all men whom he made may know it. 8 Then the beasts go into their lairs, and remain in their dens. 9 From its chamber comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds. 10 By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen fast. 11 He loads the thick cloud with moisture; the clouds scatter his lightning. 12 They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. 13 Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen. 14 “Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God. 15 Do you know how God lays his command upon them and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine? 16 Do you know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge, 17 you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind? 18 Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror? 19 Teach us what we shall say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of darkness. 20 Shall it be told him that I would speak? Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up? 21 “And now no one looks on the light when it is bright in the skies, when the wind has passed and cleared them. 22 Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with awesome majesty. 23 The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. 24 Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.” Elihu has yet a few more praises to sing to the Lord before he is done, and a few more rhetorical questions to ask Job about how to goodness, greatness, and majesty of God changes Job's view of himself and his circumstances.
Elihu described God's voice as "thunderous" which fits with what we see other places, where it is described as "the rushing of many waters" and where some who hear God speak, but don't understand what He says think they heard thunder. Elihu says that while the thunderous voice of God may be terrifying (at least at first) to keep listening to it to gain understanding, yes, but also to simply appreciate the beauty, glory, and majesty of the Lord our God. We've already discussed how He commands the dew and the rain and controls the sea, but now Elihu says that God also controls all the weather--He makes it snow, causes it to be cold so that the beasts go into hibernation, and causes the whirlwinds. Elihu says that the breath of God is like a cold wind that can freeze even large bodies of water and make them solid ice (it has transforming power) and once again God controls the rain and the thunderstorm. Why does God do all these things? Elihu speaks to the reason. The primary reason that Elihu gives for God sending these things that seem "bad" to us (natural disasters, snow storms, ice--which would make it hard to fish, and so on) is that it drives men to correction and repentance. Elihu clearly thinks this is a message that Job needs to hear again, but he doesn't assume this is the only reason that God does these things. Elihu also says that God will do these things to care for His land. Now that's an interesting concept given that we are somewhere in the patriarchal period. How does Elihu know about God having a special land that He has sworn to protect? It seems like Elihu is thinking of a specific land here and not the whole world. Again, we don't know exactly where we are in the timeline of history or how much these Gentile people knew of God's covenant with Abraham and his family, but ti seems like they understand something about God using some things that would seem like disasters to us to protect and bring restoration to the land that He calls His own. Last, but not least, Elihu makes the argument that God does these things out of His great love. That is certainly doesn't sound right to us, because we associate many of these things with God's judgment and wrath and we think of those things as mutually exclusive, but Elihu says that's not the case. It is for God's good and loving purposes that He causes (not just allows) these things to happen. Yes, God causes and directs natural disasters--they are not a loss of God's control, but an expression of His power and majesty and a loving call for all to come to repentance and salvation before the time of the final judgment. Elihu makes that very clear when he finishes this statement by saying, "He causes it to happen." What does He cause to happen? I think the answer is both the event and the results--God causes the event to bring about the desired results that He has already ordained and established. God uses all things to work together for His glory, but also for the good of all those who belong to Him and are called by His name and are called according to His purposes to be the people that He has called them to be. Elihu once more turns back to Job and now urges Job to consider the greatness and majesty of God. Elihu's questions are going to sound awfully familiar in the next few chapters when God speaks as God is going to ask almost the exact same questions to Job Himself--only He is going to show up as a fiery whirlwind and speak out of the thunder, so Elihu is spot-on when He speaks of God this way. God works in ways that are mysterious to us, working in ways we can not see or comprehend, both in the natural and supernatural realms. Elihu focuses on nature first to ask Job if he understands how lightening works and why it strikes where it does or how the clouds are formed? Elihu knows the answer and reminds Job that he can't control the weather and that's obvious because we get hot when the wind comes out of the south (this was a place in the Northern Hemisphere with deserts to the south and east, so we've seen the heat of the south wind and the dry, arid east wind described here in Job). Now the questions get harder. Can we spread out the skies like a mirror (interesting language since the sky actually does reflect the color of the oceans back to us--that's why it appears blue)? We have nothing that we can say to a God with this kind of power and majesty and authority. We can bring no case against Him, and Elihu says that it as if we live in darkness and do not see clearly, but He does. God could simply swallow us up if He wanted, and there is no court (at that time) that would allow us to demand an audience with God. Aren't you glad though that we now know God as our Heavenly Father and that He commands us to boldly approach the throne of grace and cast all of our cares upon Him, because He cares for us? He does not stand far off from us (even though that would be His right to do so), but He has drawn near to us because we could not come near to Him. I believe in Elihu's final words, he will focus on one of God's most important attributes--His holiness. No one can approach God or even look upon the holiness of God because of the sin in our lives. The glory and majesty of God shine brighter than the sun and would be blinding to anyone that would dare try to look directly at it--in fact we know that God says that anyone that would try to do that would die because sin and His holiness cannot co-exist. Elihu continues that God will always win if we try and play hide-and-seek with Him. He knows everywhere where you try to hide and will always find you, but He could hide and you would never know where to look for Him or how to find Him. It is only by His revelation that we know anything about Him, how to approach Him, and the Way to Him for those of us that belong to Him. He is great in power and righteousness, and He will never violation that righteousness--He will always do the right thing. Specifically to Job this means that any charge that Job wants to bring against God of any wrongdoing is a false charge because God can do no wrong and it has to be a mistake on Job's part, not on God's part. Elihu concludes to say that because of all this, men fear God and rightfully so, because God does not regard those who are wise in their won eyes or are conceited, haughty or proud. "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble." )James 4:6). Elihu Extols God's Greatness 36 And Elihu continued, and said: 2 “Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God's behalf. 3 I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. 4 For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you. 5 “Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. 6 He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives the afflicted their right. 7 He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne he sets them forever, and they are exalted. 8 And if they are bound in chains and caught in the cords of affliction, 9 then he declares to them their work and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly. 10 He opens their ears to instruction and commands that they return from iniquity. 11 If they listen and serve him, they complete their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasantness. 12 But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword and die without knowledge. 13 “The godless in heart cherish anger; they do not cry for help when he binds them. 14 They die in youth, and their life ends among the cult prostitutes. 15 He delivers the afflicted by their affliction and opens their ear by adversity. 16 He also allured you out of distress into a broad place where there was no cramping, and what was set on your table was full of fatness. 17 “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked; judgment and justice seize you. 18 Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing, and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside. 19 Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress, or all the force of your strength? 20 Do not long for the night, when peoples vanish in their place. 21 Take care; do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction. 22 Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? 23 Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’? 24 “Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung. 25 All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar. 26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable. 27 For he draws up the drops of water; they distill his mist in rain, 28 which the skies pour down and drop on mankind abundantly. 29 Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds, the thunderings of his pavilion? 30 Behold, he scatters his lightning about him and covers the roots of the sea. 31 For by these he judges peoples; he gives food in abundance. 32 He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark. 33 Its crashing declares his presence; the cattle also declare that he rises. Elihu continues to speak on behalf of God and says that he will get his knowledge from afar (from heaven) and will ascribe righteousness to his Maker and that his words are not false because they are coming directly from God and God cannot lie and has perfect knowledge (Elihu is claiming to be a prophet of God)--we'll see if these claims really hold up or if they are as real as the claims of Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar when they too said they had a word from the Lord (or at least from a spirit that they assumed was the spirit for the Lord).
Elihu argues that God is no respecter of persons because of any status that they might have here on earth, and He has both the strength and the wisdom to know how much punishment needs to be applied in any given situation to either draw men to repentance or establish to all that the person has rebelled against God and will not repent. God is always watching--especially "the righteous" that are the people of His eternal covenant of the gospel--and He is control over the rising and falling of kings and nations. Elihu argues that if a righteous man is ensnared in a trap it's a trap that he got himself into and should not blame God for it--I think meaning that each man is enticed into sin by the desires of his own heart. We see that taught directly in the New Testament. God is gracious though and opens the ears of the one who cries out to Him to give that man instructions on what he needs to do to repent, so that the man might be restored in relationship with God and men. But God will not let His elect continue to live in rebellion and they will "die by the sword" (a phrase used both for battle, but also for execution, especially by a king instituting the death penalty. In this case saying that God is the King who institutes the death penalty by whatever means He chooses in order that a citizen of His kingdom might not continue to live in such a way to dishonor the name of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and dishonor His kingdom and His righteousness.) Elihu then says that the godless, or wicked, men don't even cry out to God for help. Maybe that's because they don't even believe He exists (atheists) or they just hate Him so much that they will never pray to Him (and He has no obligation to hear the prayer of the unrighteous anyways because it is the Holy Spirit and Christ who bring our prayers to the throne of God, and the wicked man has neither the Holy Spirit inside of Him or Christ as his Brother and Advocate). Elihu says that the godless love to be angry (this is one of the characteristics we see of those controlled by the flesh in I Corinthians 6 and other places in the New Testament). Their lives lead unto death and sexual perversion (it sounds a lot like the argument made in Romans 1). Then some interesting words--God delivers the afflicted by their affliction, meaning that He uses their affliction to drive them to the point of repentance and possibly salvation. He uses adversity to open up their ears to be willing to hear what He has to say to them, because often times people are unwilling to hear and listen to the voice of God when everything is going well for them. God draws people to repentance and brings them back to the table where good food is set before them (think of the parable of the Lost Son that we just studied in The Gospel Project--you can find the text in Luke 15, and the lesson video in our Discipleship Discord). I believe the next part is directed towards Job. Elihu says that judgment like that which comes upon the wicked person is upon Job, and that Job needs to be careful to not be enticed into becoming a scoffer. Nothing that Job can say or do will stop the wrath of God's justice and judgment from coming if that is in fact what is happening. It is God that decides when the judgment starts and when it stops because God uses it for a purpose--to drive people to repentance, or sometimes to prove that a God's judgment of the unrighteous is just because the wicked man refuses to repent to be saved. Sometimes the temporal suffering we receive here and now is a warning of the eternal suffering to come if we do not repent and turn to Christ for salvation. Of course, the story of Job tells us that there other times that "bad things happen to good people" and that we cannot always make the assumption that someone has done something evil to deserve the punishment they received. I'll come back again to the question that the disciples asked Jesus before He healed a blind man--"Who sinned that this man was born blind?" (They meant to ask if the child was somehow conceived in sin and that sin of the parents was passed onto the child and he was being punished because of what they did or perhaps the child did something sinful while still in the womb and was being punished by God by being blind from birth)> Jesus answered that neither the man nor his parents caused the man's blindness by their sin (it was simply a result of sin entering the world through Adam and Eve), but that this was so that God could be glorified. Sometimes that's how it is with our sufferings--they exist for God to be glorified with how we live through them, or how He delivers us from them, but in all situations, God is to get the glory. That seems to be what is unknown at this time--God can use pain and suffering in His people for greater glory for Himself. It's not always about punishment or wrath or even purification--sometimes it's simply about reminding us and everyone around us that God is the only one we can cry out to for help that will hear us and deliver us, but also the one we can speak of like Daniel's three friends facing the fiery furnace: Daniel 3:16-18 English Standard Version 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. 17 If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. 18 But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” Sometimes our pain and suffering comes about by us being righteous and being obedient to God. In fact, Jesus promises this to us in the New Testament--that they will do many things to try to use pain and suffering and loss of freedom and possibly even loss of life to stop the spread of the gospel, and that anyone who suffers for the sake of the gospel and the name of Christ will be blessed and receive an eternal reward for being faithful to the end--even faithful to the point of death itself. Again, I think this is something these men have not yet learned about God as he's still working among men to try to teach them what His Law is (before giving it to Moses) through a system of positive and negative reinforcement. He's blessing them for doing the right things and punishing them for doing the wrong things so that they learn what He desires them to do, since all of that was corrupted by the Fall and the years of rampant wickedness and rebellion that followed pre-Flood. God will be gracious and give His Law to the people of Israel (sons of God), telling them to be a light to all the nations and teach them everything that He had commanded them in the Law and to make converts from all the nations (that should sound familiar--kind of like The Great Commission). But Israel took the light they had been given and hid it (like where Jesus talks about lighting a lamp and putting it under a basket). They kept it for themselves and only themselves and refused to share it with the others who they assumed didn't receive it because they didn't deserve it. They wanted the wicked Gentiles to experience nothing but the wrath of God and not to experience His grace or mercy. We see this in the Parable of the Lost Son with the older brother (who I believe is the son that is truly lost) when he wants nothing but condemnation for the sin that his brother committed--sin he's sure he knows but never saw happen and that was not committed against him--and he hates his Father for having compassion and grace and mercy for forgiving and restoring the younger brother and refuses to go inside to celebrate his brother being "born again" (twice the Father says the younger son was dead, but is alive again and was lost, but is found). That older son refused to be part of heaven because he couldn't believe in a God who would save "those" people when he was always about the business of DOING things to try to make God pleased with Him. This is the error so many made with application of God's Law--it was never about doing, but about being--Jesus restores this in Matthew 5-7 in The Sermon on the Mount and the disciples get it that it's an impossible standard that only the Son of God Himself can live up to in order to be THAT righteous. None of us stand a chance of making it on our own merits. That's something that we've seen Job and possibly Elihu understand, that that God is going to confirm shortly. It's about Him and what He does, not about us and what we do. I know that was a huge aside, so let's return to the text at verse 20. Elihu encourages Job to not give up on God and "embrace the darkness" and just become one of the wicked and rebellious people. I think Elihu and Job's friends saw this as a real possibility as time went on and Job slipped further and further into depression and his arguments changed from praising God in the midst of his pain and suffering to crying out that God would kill him or go back in time and blot him out from history so that he never existed or that in some way God would just let him die so that he would be at peace. But it got worse from there as Job seemed to become angry and frustrated that God would not answer him and continued to let him suffer and he started to question the goodness of God and His justice and compassion, and his arguments became more self-centered and less about shining the spotlight on God who he would continue to glorify no matter the circumstances. Was Satan right that Job would curse God? No! Job never went that far, and God was gracious enough to stop it before it might get to that point. Again, just wait for what God has to say. Elihu urges Job not to choose the path of iniquity and to be careful to not be proud and arrogant and assume that he has something to teach God or that he can in any way correct Him. God is perfect in power and knowledge. We should be going to Him to ask Him to teach us and to correct our ways and show us where we have gone wrong and to ask Him to show us the path we are supposed to take. Elihu concludes here by reminding Job of what he did right to start off with. Remember to continue in praise and worship, because it will help you to have a right attitude about God and your situations. Remember who God is by what He has done in and through you and in and through other people who you know. He is the God that gives us the dew and the rain for the daily provision and those times of extra blessings when they heavens open up and pour out their abundance on us--yet not everyone sees the rain in this way, but it is often associated with the blessings of God in the Bible. Then Elihu breaks out in adoration and praise for who God is--the one who controls the rain, the thunder, the lightening, and who controls the oceans of the great deep and uses them to cover the "roots" of the sea (the fountains of the great deep, most likely). He uses the storms and seas to judge His people, but He also gives them an abundance of food as an expression of His loving-kindness. He directs the path of the storm and the lightning strikes where and when He commands, and even the beasts of the field (the "cattle") declare the existence of God and His presence and glory. Elihu is encouraging Job to repent of his pride and arrogance and testing God and to once again return to the point of worshiping Him for who He is and what He has done. I personally think Elihu hit the nail on the head and that Job has slipped a bit since the last time we saw God proclaim Job's innocence in Job 2:10. Why do I think that? Because God is going to have some words of correction for Job really soon that are going to sound a lot like the words of Elihu. God Himself will speak from the whirlwind and no one will be confused about who is speaking for God because God will speak for Himself. It is going to be quite the scene that I can't wait for you to see. Elihu Condemns Job 35 And Elihu answered and said: 2 “Do you think this to be just? Do you say, ‘It is my right before God,’ 3 that you ask, ‘What advantage have I? How am I better off than if I had sinned?’ 4 I will answer you and your friends with you. 5 Look at the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds, which are higher than you. 6 If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand? 8 Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man. 9 “Because of the multitude of oppressions people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty. 10 But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, 11 who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’ 12 There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men. 13 Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it. 14 How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him! 15 And now, because his anger does not punish, and he does not take much note of transgression, 16 Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiplies words without knowledge.” Elihu answers Job's question that has been nagging at him. While all of Job's friends have been busy trying to figure out why Job has to be guilty and Job has been proclaiming his innocence, they weren't listening to the underlying question like Elihu was--"What does it profit a man to be righteous if his end and his lot in life is the same as the wicked man?" First Elihu points out that while all sin is against God, God does not somehow less of who He is because we sin as our sin against Him does not somehow injure Him, though in a very real sense we know that God chose to be injured physically in the death of Christ because of our sin, but yet Elihu's point is valid that God continues to be exactly who He is whether or not we are faithful to Him, and that the idea of "righteous" and "unrighteous" man are usually used in one man comparing himself to another since no one can compare themselves to the righteousness of God and declare themselves righteous--that is, not until God imputes His righteousness to us at the point of repentance and salvation. Then Elihu makes the, "there are no atheists in foxholes" argument. Whenever things get really bad, everyone cries out to God--the only one big enough to help them--and no one has to convince them that there is a God who is the Creator. That same God is the one who gives us peace and joy in the dark times and the times of suffering and lets us go through our circumstances instead of living under them as we follow Him step by step, day by day. He has a special relationship with man and teaches us about Himself so that we know more than the animals or even the angels as we experience God as our Redeemer and Savior--something the angels will never fully experience and understand. But, must God answer the cry of the unrepentant, wicked man? Does God even need to respond to the cry of the so-called "righteous" man? Paul asks and answers this question in Romans 9:22--even if God did do such a thing and create a man to be a "vessel of God's wrath" and pour out His wrath on Him, God would be completely just in doing so because that man, a sinner, deserves nothing better. But God is not just just and we know more than His wrath, for we also know God to be full of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control (as the Spirit living in and through us and making us more like the Son also makes us more like the Father since the Son was the One who showed us the Father). In the same way that people who saw Christ should have been able to say they had "seen" God, so the world should be able to look at the Christian and say that they have "seen" the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit), Jesus and the Father living in and through you and they should know God's invisible attributes by your words and works now (and of course through the Bible--but we are filled with the Bible and are singing it, preaching it, and walking and talking it all day, every day, then they can't miss it, even if they never pick up a Bible and read it). Elihu argues that God does not need to answer Job's accusation because the evidence is clear through the natural revelation of creation that God is living and active. Just because God did not respond the way Job wanted when Job wanted Him to does not mean that God is not listening or not present (see Romans 1 where Paul expands on this idea in his argument for why all men stand guilty before God because they have chosen to ignore or deny His existence, power and authority, even though He has made it self-evident through creation). Elihu also answers that just because God is longsuffering doesn't mean we should count Him slack concerning His promise to bring justice and it is not reason to bring a charge or accusation against God. Let's take a look at a similar passage from a book we already studied (especially see verses 8-10 in light of Elihu's argument). 2 Peter 3:1-13 English Standard Version The Day of the Lord Will Come 3 This is now the second letter that I am writing to you, beloved. In both of them I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder, 2 that you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, 3 knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” 5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was deluged with water and perished. 7 But by the same word the heavens and earth that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. 11 Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, 12 waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! 13 But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. So what do you think about Elihu's argument? Is he right that Job has sinned and is too proud to admit it and is bringing an unjustified and possibly false accusation against God that doesn't deserve any of God's attention? Is Elihu right that God simply overlooks our sin because it doesn't personally injure Him? This is where I think Elihu really starts to slip with his argument--the more he talks, the further he gets away from what is happening and starts slipping into the same kinds of arguments as Job's friends accusing Job of speaking without knowledge and engaging in "empty talk," yet at least he's not accusing Job of intentionally lying like so many of Job's friends did.
Elihu will continue speaking for two more chapters (he really speaks no more or less than anyone else in the book other than Job), and then God Himself will show up and speak. Get read, because that is going to be quite the encounter and conversation! Elihu Asserts God's Justice 34 Then Elihu answered and said: 2 “Hear my words, you wise men, and give ear to me, you who know; 3 for the ear tests words as the palate tastes food. 4 Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good. 5 For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and God has taken away my right; 6 in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’ 7 What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water, 8 who travels in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men? 9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.’ 10 “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong. 11 For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him. 12 Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice. 13 Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him the whole world? 14 If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath, 15 all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust. 16 “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say. 17 Shall one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn him who is righteous and mighty, 18 who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man,’ 19 who shows no partiality to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of his hands? 20 In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand. 21 “For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his steps. 22 There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves. 23 For God has no need to consider a man further, that he should go before God in judgment. 24 He shatters the mighty without investigation and sets others in their place. 25 Thus, knowing their works, he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed. 26 He strikes them for their wickedness in a place for all to see, 27 because they turned aside from following him and had no regard for any of his ways, 28 so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to him, and he heard the cry of the afflicted-- 29 When he is quiet, who can condemn? When he hides his face, who can behold him, whether it be a nation or a man?-- 30 that a godless man should not reign, that he should not ensnare the people. 31 “For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne punishment; I will not offend any more; 32 teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do it no more’? 33 Will he then make repayment to suit you, because you reject it? For you must choose, and not I; therefore declare what you know. 34 Men of understanding will say to me, and the wise man who hears me will say: 35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge; his words are without insight.’ 36 Would that Job were tried to the end, because he answers like wicked men. 37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us and multiplies his words against God.” Elihu now steps in as the defense attorney for God since Job has leveled charges against God that He is unjust and doesn't listen to the cries of the righteous. Elihu seems to be speaking to the others there almost as we would to a jury and asks them to hear and process the arguments and listen to them and discern what is true and what is error in the same kind of way that the tongue tastes and discerns different flavors.
Elihu's main argument here is that God can never be unjust, so Job has to be wrong in his reasoning. He would have done great if he would have stopped there, but it seems that even Elihu has fallen into the trap of questioning the righteousness of Job, though he seems to maybe present evidence that others really did not. Elihu seems to indicate that Job has been hanging out with the scoffers and those who revile God and find no value in worshiping and giving glory to Him. That may have just been the natural state of things if everyone else abandoned Job and only those who were the "evil"/"bad" people remained and they were the ones that accepted Job when no one else would, but bad company does corrupt good character, and it is possible that there's some truth here to what Elihu is saying because we've seen Job slip and slide a bit from the beginning of the book where he would say absolutely nothing wrong about God and would continue to bless and praise Him to where he has seemed to question God's goodness and justice. Furthermore, Elihu says that Job is wrong to accuse God and demand that He show up for court and that Job should in any way be able to question God and make Him give an answer. God does not have to answer to anyone and would be completely just if one day He decided to destroy all of creation that He had created because He is the Creator and is owner and ruler of all creation. That puts Him in the position of the sovereign or king here, and Elihu argues that it is God's responsibility to judge and punish wicked kings and princes because His righteousness is so superior to theirs, and that He shows no partiality--everyone no matter their status when they died will stand equal before God and God will know all their deeds without questioning them and will execute perfect judgment with perfect knowledge. While all of this is true, Elihu seems to have forgotten (at least for the moment) that along with justice, God also loves and is full of both grace and mercy, both of which are totally "unjust" if your idea of justices is someone getting the wrath that they deserve for their rebellion. Grace gives you good things that you don't deserve because you could never earn the favor of God to deserve those things, and mercy prevents you from incurring the wrath that you do deserve--the translation of the Hebrew word for mercy that we see most often used in the Old Testament is "longsuffering." God is willing to suffer a long time (not forever) as you rebel against Him, break His Law and cause injury to Him before His wrath is filled up to a point where He will no longer be able to give mercy because to do so would tarnish His name of being Just and often because that wicked man is not afflicting innocent people whom God must defend. Man too is asked to be "longsuffering" with one another, but should we expect to need to patient for God to intervene? That seems to be the question here, and is God derelict or unjust when He does not intervene? The answer seems to be, "No," because all of us deserve what Job got and a whole lot more for all the rebellion that we have in our hearts and minds and the rebellious actions that we've committed which we can never pay for as at this time in the Bible there is no atonement for volitional rebellion (what the Bible would call a high-handed sin). There would be a whole system of sacrifices instituted for accidental sins, but people would still stand guilty because we don't just sin accidentally, we sin because we want to, because that is our nature, and for that, a different kind of Sacrifice was necessary. Moving on with Elihu's argument, he says that God is not wrong just because Job says say and that doesn't make God liable to repay a price to Job (that his name and reputation be restored). While it's true that God owes Job nothing, this is exactly what God is going to do for Job anyways in a few chapters. Even though God is not required to do so and Job has no right to demand it, God will do so in full view of all of Job's friends (including Elihu) to make it abundantly clear that Job was declared righteous and "not guilty" by God and everyone that said that this happened because God had rendered a verdict of "guilty" spoke without knowledge and they were the ones wrong and they needed to come and offer sacrifices to Job for the sin they had committed against him by accusing him without evidence and tarnishing his reputation and questioning his integrity. Does that mean that Job was perfect? No, but it probably means that Job was covered by the blood of Jesus and that he was holy and blameless in the sight of God because Job's sins had been taken away and nailed to the cross and were paid for by the death of Christ--even though that hand't happened yet, the payment was made in "full faith and credit" that one day the debt would be "paid in full" (a good translation of when Jesus said "It is finished."). Old Testament saints were not really saved in a different way and they didn't receive different benefits of salvation than us (other than we have been given the Holy Spirit to live inside of us in all places at all times where the Holy Spirit seemed to come on some people for a limited time and a limited purpose in the Old Testament). We simply put our faith in what we know did happen instead of putting our faith in what we knew needed to happen. So, Elihu is mostly right, and again, we don't see God really say anything to Elihu one way or the other, but we get the impression that he's building up towards also leveling charges against Job (specifically for what Job has done and said since the suffering started and they have all been there to hear it). If Elihu is right and Job has sinned in their midst and continues to argue that he is righteous and not deserving of punishment, that does present an issue for Job's argument. We'll see Elihu's indictment against Job next time. |
Daniel WestfallI will mostly use this space for recording my "journal" from my daily devotions as I hope to encourage others to read the Bible along with me and to leave a legacy for others. Archives
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