Job 33 Elihu Presents His Case against Job
“Listen to my words, Job; pay attention to what I have to say. Now that I have begun to speak, let me continue. I speak with all sincerity; I speak the truth. For the Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life. Answer me, if you can; make your case and take your stand. Look, you and I both belong to God. I, too, was formed from clay. So you don’t need to be afraid of me. I won’t come down hard on you.”
“You have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard your very words. You said, ‘I am pure; I am without sin; I am innocent; I have no guilt. God is picking a quarrel with me, and he considers me his enemy. He puts my feet in the stocks and watches my every move.’”
“But you are wrong, and I will show you why. For God is greater than any human being. So why are you bringing a charge against him? Why say he does not respond to people’s complaints? For God speaks again and again, though people do not recognize it. He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on people as they lie in their beds. He whispers in their ears and terrifies them with warnings. He makes them turn from doing wrong; he keeps them from pride. He protects them from the grave, from crossing over the river of death.”
“Or God disciplines people with pain on their sickbeds, with ceaseless aching in their bones. They lose their appetite for even the most delicious food. Their flesh wastes away, and their bones stick out. They are at death’s door; the angels of death wait for them.”
“But if an angel from heaven appears—a special messenger to intercede for a person and declare that he is upright—he will be gracious and say, ‘Rescue him from the grave, for I have found a ransom for his life.’ Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s, firm and youthful again. When he prays to God, he will be accepted. And God will receive him with joy and restore him to good standing. He will declare to his friends, ‘I sinned and twisted the truth, but it was not worth it. God rescued me from the grave, and now my life is filled with light.’”
“Yes, God does these things again and again for people. He rescues them from the grave so they may enjoy the light of life. Mark this well, Job. Listen to me, for I have more to say. But if you have anything to say, go ahead. Speak, for I am anxious to see you justified. But if not, then listen to me. Keep silent and I will teach you wisdom!”
Well, Elihu has been fuming, waiting for his chance to lecture Job. But Elihu isn’t doing any better than his elders. Job has complained that God is picking a quarrel with him and considers Job His enemy. Given Job’s circumstances, these conclusions are perfectly reasonable, if unpalatable. Elihu’s argument is that God is greater than any human being and that He answers prayers and delivers people. But Elihu is sitting there saying these things as he enjoys good health and presumably an average amount of wealth and success. Job, on the other hand, has lost everything and is suffering miserably. Not only have Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad accused Job of all kinds of horrific sins, but Job’s wife has even advised him to curse God and die.
St. Paul would never agree with Elihu. In 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Paul says, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us.”
In verses 8-10 of the same chapter, Paul goes on to say, “We think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.”
As the junior man in the group, it is possible that Elihu has never truly suffered in his entire life. Eilhu may be coming from a loving family enjoying a comfortable life style. Perhaps Elihu is married and has one or two sons who have always been healthy. Elihu likely enjoys excellent health and cannot possibly understand the everlasting torment that Job is enduring.
In many grocery stores, vegetables are shrink-wrapped in cellophane to protect them from contamination. Many people also live shrink-wrapped lives; that is, they have been insulated from problems. Unfortunately, such people are generally the ones most likely to give unsought-for advice, based on sheer ignorance. Elihu is obviously that kind of a guy.
Recently, we met with Madam Doris Hokett, an 86-year-old independent evangelist. Although Doris was quite tall when she was younger, Scheurman’s arthritis has severely bent her back to the point that she must use a walking frame. But Doris continues to base in Nigeria and travels through many countries in Africa, not to mention India and the United States each year. Not only does Doris preach and teach, but she also issues monthly calendars with inspirational daily sayings and scriptures, plus sending out email updates. If you have a problem, you want Madam Doris to pray for you, for when she talks, God really listens!
Years ago, Doris and her late husband Arthur began raising funds to build churches in northern Ghana. When Arthur died 14 years ago, they had built 46 churches. Now Doris is preparing to dedicate the 146th church! Such efforts would be awe-inspiring for anybody, but when you see Doris and realize how much she is accomplishing despite her infirmity, you can only stand and glorify God for what He is continuing to do through her.
Were Doris to spend time with Job, she would never waste words as does Elihu. Doris would ask Job how he feels, sympathize, and then encourage without accusing. Doris might even advise Job that God is not finished with Job yet and that God can still do something wonderful and even redeem every minute that Job has suffered. Certainly, Doris struggles, for she can remember the time when she was tall and graceful, before this condition contorted and shrank her. But Doris has more important things to do than blaming God or worrying about her physical condition. And Doris continues to laugh and praise God in the midst of her trials, encouraging those around her to do so also.
One of the things sadly lacking in every one of Job’s self-styled comforters is a sense of humor. These guys are about as grim as it’s possible to be, and it shows. For these guys, life is real and life is earnest and anybody daring to crack a smile simply doesn’t understand how serious things really are.
One of the things I struggle with as a surgeon is my failures. No matter how carefully one operates, sometimes things happen. When something goes wrong, there are always people standing around demanding that I immediately fix the situation. The limitations of our facility pose constant challenges, as do the finances of our patients. Is it better to attempt to fix something in our small facility where costs are reasonable or must we refer everyone to a bigger hospital? Sadly, costs at the bigger hospital are so prohibitive that many people leave unoperated to take their chances at home.
Elihu’s problem is simple: there are no short-cuts to compassion and Elihu doesn’t have a compassionate bone in his whole body. Once more, we must regard Elihu as a perfect example of what not to do and beg God to help us so that we will be sensitive to the suffering of others.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, help us to listen far more than we speak and to exercise compassion rather than judgment. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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