Elihu still thinks Job is wrong!
Then Elihu said: “Do you think this is just? You say, ‘I am in the right, not God.’ Yet you ask him, ‘What profit is it to me, and what do I gain by not sinning?’
“I would like to reply to you and to your friends with you. Look up at the heavens and see; gaze at the clouds so high above you. If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself, and your righteousness only other people.
“People cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’
He does not answer when people cry out because of the arrogance of the wicked. Indeed, God does not listen to their empty plea; the Almighty pays no attention to it. How much less, then, will he listen when you say that you do not see him, that your case is before him and you must wait for him, and further, that his anger never punishes and he does not take the least notice of wickedness. So Job opens his mouth with empty talk; without knowledge he multiplies words.”
OUCH! Obviously, Elihu believes that God is sitting up there in the sky ignoring people and their cries for help. Elihu is correct in saying that men’s sins cannot hurt God, for God is beyond that. But Elihu goes on to say that men’s righteousness does nothing to God. “If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness only affects humans like yourself, and your righteousness only other people.”
Which God is Elihu serving? If God is not concerned about the people He has created, if God is truly so indifferent, why worship Him? What is the point? At least Job firmly believes that God is involved; Job is simply angry because he cannot understand why he has worshiped God all these years, only for his life to fall apart anyway. Perhaps Elihu is propitiating small local deities and simply mouthing platitudes about a God with whom he has no first-hand experience. If God is truly indifferent to our sins, why has God repeatedly warned against pagan practices such as fertility cults and child sacrifice?
“People cry out under a load of oppression; they plead for relief from the arm of the powerful. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?’” Once more, Elihu is jumping to conclusions. How is Elihu so certain that everyone who cries out under a load of oppression is wicked? Why does Elihu assume these people are refusing to ask “Where is God my Maker?” And if God is so unconcerned about the affairs of men, then why would He “teach us more than he teaches the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds in the sky?”
APPLICATION: Does God really care about what happens to people? When we suffer, is God simply sitting off in heaven someplace ignoring our griefs? Here, Elihu argues that because some people are wicked, God will not listen to anybody who begs Him for help. But all of us find ourselves under a load of sin. Romans 3:1-0-12 tells us, “As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”
If God were only to heed the cries of perfect people, He would never answer a single prayer. But the Bible records thousands upon thousands of prayers that have been answered. Moses, Elijah, Kings David and Hezekiah all prayed in faith and God answered them. Even Job eventually had his prayers answered. I have previously told the story of a man who was trying to leave his motorcycle gang and whose life was being threatened by gang members; when that man prayed, God delivered him. Elihu is wrong! God does hear the prayers of the wicked as long as they are sincerely asking for help.
Elihu is equally wrong in assuming that there are no remedies for sin. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ was born as a man, suffered and died a shameful death on the cross at Calvary so that our sins would be paid for.
Why has God allowed these speeches of Elihu to be preserved? Elihu’s are everywhere, and their tactics have not changed in thousands of years. Sufferers are also everywhere and the Elihu’s are still smothering them with words.
What lesson can we take away? Once more, Elihu is partially correct, but he’s also fundamentally wrong. GOD DOES CARE! GOD DOES HEAR! GOD DOES SEE YOUR SUFFERING! GOD IS NOT INDIFFERENT! God knows those situations that are driving you to despair and He can you strengthen you so that you can endure them. God has servants who can come along side and encourage you. If you are a friend to someone who is suffering, pray and ask God what you might do to help. But remember that many times, long-winded speeches are the very last thing such people need. May God help us so that we do not copy Elihu!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, there are many people in despair who fear that You really don’t care about them. Speak to their hearts and bring others to come to their aid. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment