"Then Elihu said:
2 “Listen to me, you wise men.
Pay attention, you who have knowledge.
3 Job said, ‘The ear tests the words it hears
just as the mouth distinguishes between foods.’
4 So let us discern for ourselves what is right;
let us learn together what is good.
5 For Job also said, ‘I am innocent,
but God has taken away my rights.
6 I am innocent, but they call me a liar.
My suffering is incurable, though I have not sinned.’
7 “Tell me, has there ever been a man like Job,
with his thirst for irreverent talk?
8 He chooses evil people as companions.
He spends his time with wicked men.
9 He has even said, ‘Why waste time
trying to please God?’"
Elihu seems to me to be a bitter man. I'm not sure what would cause him to be so, but just looking at his statements here, I can tell that what he says and is going to say isn't going to be the most constructive words spoken in this conversation. Then again, I COULD be reading more into it than I should.
Verses 10-20:
Everyone knows that God doesn’t sin!
The Almighty can do no wrong.
11 He repays people according to their deeds.
He treats people as they deserve.
12 Truly, God will not do wrong.
The Almighty will not twist justice.
13 Did someone else put the world in his care?
Who set the whole world in place?
14 If God were to take back his spirit
and withdraw his breath,
15 all life would cease,
and humanity would turn again to dust.
16 “Now listen to me if you are wise.
Pay attention to what I say.
17 Could God govern if he hated justice?
Are you going to condemn the almighty judge?
18 For he says to kings, ‘You are wicked,’
and to nobles, ‘You are unjust.’
19 He doesn’t care how great a person may be,
and he pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor.
He made them all.
20 In a moment they die.
In the middle of the night they pass away;
the mighty are removed without human hand."
Pretty heavy stuff don't you think? I can't help but see some truth in Elihu's words here. While I'm not sure I would have spoken them in the way that he has, leading to a point/goal that I'm not sure would be conducive to Job in his situation.
Verses 21-30:
he sees everything they do.
22 No darkness is thick enough
to hide the wicked from his eyes.
23 We don’t set the time
when we will come before God in judgment.
24 He brings the mighty to ruin without asking anyone,
and he sets up others in their place.
25 He knows what they do,
and in the night he overturns and destroys them.
26 He strikes them down because they are wicked,
doing it openly for all to see.
27 For they turned away from following him.
They have no respect for any of his ways.
28 They cause the poor to cry out, catching God’s attention.
He hears the cries of the needy.
29 But if he chooses to remain quiet,
who can criticize him?
When he hides his face, no one can find him,
whether an individual or a nation.
30 He prevents the godless from ruling
so they cannot be a snare to the people."
There are times that I have wondered if I have done things to make the poor cry out and catch God's attention. I can't help but think about all of the times when I've had an opportunity to stop and help someone, even if it's just buying them a sandwich from a fast food place and yet I didn't. I know these days the tendency is that there are a lot of people who are 'faking' their cover stories to get money for drugs and alcohol, but there are still some people who are legitimately in need all around us. My question that I need to ask myself each day is, "How can I be Christ to them today?"
Verses 31-37:
31 “Why don’t people say to God, ‘I have sinned,
but I will sin no more’?32 Or ‘I don’t know what evil I have done—tell me.
If I have done wrong, I will stop at once’?
33 “Must God tailor his justice to your demands?
But you have rejected him!
The choice is yours, not mine.
Go ahead, share your wisdom with us.
34 After all, bright people will tell me,
and wise people will hear me say,
35 ‘Job speaks out of ignorance;
his words lack insight.’
36 Job, you deserve the maximum penalty
for the wicked way you have talked.
37 For you have added rebellion to your sin;
you show no respect,
and you speak many angry words against God.”
Verses 31-32 pose very good questions in my opinion. Why DON'T we tell God these things? Also verse 33 points out a little information that I think is important. Elihu says that Job has chosen to reject God. Now while he's wrong about Job, I find it interesting that he attributes it to a choice. In order for Calvinism to be correct, there would be no choice, because Job would irresistibly have to reject God. The mere fact that Elihu pointed this out, I think is pretty big. While his conclusion about Job may be incorrect, I'm not so sure his underlying premise about choice is.
"Father please forgive us when we fail to live as You call us. I pray that we would grow closer to You and in turn be transformed into the people You desire for us to be! Thank You for loving us and for sending Jesus to save us from sin and the realm of evil. May we recommit our lives to You each and every day. It's in Jesus' name that I pray, amen!"
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