Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Job 36:1-2 onwards. Indeed, Elihu continues his speech: He justifies God (v. 3) by refuting two false thoughts about him: First, despite his power, the Creator cares for his creature and does not despise him (v. 5). The righteous, in other words the believer, is the object of his special care. Whether He raises him up (v. 7) or sends him trials (v. 8), His eyes are always upon him. Second, God does not act in a capricious way, as Job had suggested. In allowing the trial, he pursues a specific goal: to show his own what they have done, to open their ears to discipline, to bring them back if there is reason for their iniquity. Discipline trains disciples. Heb 12:4-13 reminds us that it is reserved for “sons of God” just as parents correct their own children and not those of others. It is therefore a proof of our relationship with our Father. But, according to the same passage, the soul subjected to it can either despise it: not listen to it or attach importance to it (v. 12; Jb 5:17-19); or, on the contrary, to lose heart: that is, to forget that it was the faithful love of the Lord that prepared it (Psalm 119:75). A third attitude is the right one: to be exercised by this discipline, that is, to ask for what purpose God sends it to us (Heb 12:4-13).
Now another solemn lesson is before us. “And Elihu went on and said, ‘Wait for me a little, and I will show you that I still have words for God. I will bring from afar what I know, and I will give justice to my creator.” He always remains on this ground: It is impossible for God to say or do anything that is unworthy of himself. “For certainly my speeches are not lies; He who is perfect in knowledge is with you. Behold, God is mighty and despises no one; He is powerful in the force of intelligence.” Here we have the precious declaration of His grace. “He does not make the wicked live”; he supports it; That is why it cannot be said that he makes it live. “He does justice to the unfortunate. He does not take his eyes out of the righteous, and this one is with the kings on the throne”; it does not matter whether they are the unfortunate or the kings on the throne: they are all under the gaze of God. “He makes them sit forever, and they are raised. And if, bound in chains, they are caught in the cords of misfortune, he shows them what they have done, and their transgressions, because they have become great; and he opens their ears to discipline, and tells them to return from iniquity.”
Here, it seems, there is no question of the unconverted brought into God’s favor. Rather, it is the discipline exercised toward the righteous under His good hand. These are God’s ways and His righteous government that He maintains toward His own. But the latter can fail. Alas! Who is not aware of this? Here we see that, from the beginning, God’s ways were substantially the same as they are today. We are talking about His moral dispensations toward the soul individually, not the position, counsel, power, or privilege His Word reveals to us. Naturally there is no comparison whatsoever to be made between what was the share of those saints of old and the riches of grace and glory now manifested in Christ. We would not want to draw any such parallels. But the great moral principles are most instructive and, as from the beginning, God acted in souls to bring them to Himself, He then operated in His own to advance and instruct them. The discipline of the saints is therefore the great subject presented to us in this chapter. “If they listen and serve Him, they will accomplish their days in prosperity and their years in the pleasant things of life. But if they do not listen, they will go away by the sword and exhale unconscious. Hypocrites of heart amass anger; they do not cry out when God binds them.”
We do not mean, no doubt, that every word in this chapter applies only to the faithful. Indeed, in both the Old and New Testaments, in the midst of the description of the privileges that belong to the family of faith, we find words of warning to the hypocrites: “They will die in youth, and their lives are among men doomed to infamy. He delivers the unfortunate in his misfortune, and opens his ear in oppression.” He now applies to Job himself the principles he had expounded: “He would also have drawn you out of the mouth of distress and put you off, where there is no embarrassment, and fat would abound in the dishes of your table. But you are full of the judgments of the wicked; Judgment and justice will seize you. Since there is anger, take care that it does not take away you by punishment; and a great ransom will not make you avoid it. Will it take into account your wealth? No; – neither gold, nor all the resources of power. Do not sigh after the night that will take the people out of their place.” This is what Job had desired. “Beware of yourself! Do not turn to iniquity, for that is what you have chosen rather than affliction. Behold, God shows himself exalted in his power: who teaches like him? Thus, the point on which Elihu insists here is the teaching that God gives; not only the fact that He saves a soul so that it does not descend into the pit, but the way He instructs it. “Who prescribed his way, and who said, ‘You have done wrong?’ That is: who can say this to God? “Remember to glorify his work, which men celebrate: Every man beholds it, the mortal looks at it from afar. Behold, God is great, and we know not; the number of his years, no one probes him.” Elihu continues to develop this topic until the end of the chapter.
The following passage, beginning with Job 35:9, seems to be an indictment of those who, in great difficulty, do not see and recognize the divine blessings that are the compensation for their fate. Many in the world are cruelly oppressed. Elihu heard their pitiful cries. But he has this accusation against them, that they do not realize what it is to be subjects of the heavenly King. It is said that the feeling of dry and warm clothes is very noticeable in the season of siroccos or south winds, as well as the extraordinary stillness of nature under the same oppressive influence. “There is no living thing abroad to make noise. The air is too weak and languid to stir the hanging leaves even of tall poplars.”
Finally, the vast expanse of heaven, like a burnished metal mirror spread above the sea and land, symbolizes the immensity of divine power. “Can you with him stretch out the sky What is strong like a molten mirror? And now men do not see the light shining in the heavens: Yet the wind passes and cleanses them.” It is always clear beyond. The clouds hide the splendid sun only for a while. A wind rises and carries away the vapors of the glorious dome of heaven. “From the north comes the splendor of gold” – for it is the north wind that pushes the clouds that, when they fly south, are gilded by the sun’s rays. But with God is a much greater splendor, that of a terrible majesty.
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped for your better understanding.
How God educates humans:
- God’s righteousness
Isaiah 9:15 Jehovah, God of Israel, you are righteous, for today we are a remnant of the survivors. Here we are before you as guilty, and we cannot stand before your face. Psalm 48:11 Like your name, O God! Thy praise resounds to the ends of the earth; Your right hand is full of righteousness. Psalm 119:137 You are righteous, O Lord! And your judgments are fair; Jer 23:6 In his time, Judah will be saved, Israel will have security in his dwelling; And this is the name by which it will be called: The Lord our righteousness.
- Wonderful Works of God
Psalm 8:4 When I contemplate the heavens, work of your hands, the moon and the stars you have created: Psalm 19:2 The heavens tell of the glory of God, And the extent manifests the work of his hands. Psalm 111:4 He left the memory of His wonders, The Lord is merciful and compassionate. Rev. 15:3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the lamb, saying, Your works are great and wonderful, Lord God Almighty! Your ways are just and true, King of the nations!
- Eternal God
John 36:26 God is great, but His greatness escapes us, The number of His years is inscrutable. Psalm 9:8 The Lord reigns forever, He has set up His throne for judgment; Psalm 135:13 Eternal your name endures forever, Jehovah! your memory endures from generation to generation. 2 Pet 3:8 But there is one thing, beloved, that you must not ignore, and that is that before the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day.
- Last judgment, judgment according to the works
Psalm 62:13 To you too, Lord, goodness; For you render to each according to his works. John 17:10 I, the Lord, test the heart, I search the loins, To render to each according to his ways, according to the fruit of his works. Mt 6:27 Which of you, by his worries, can add a cubit to the life of his life? Rev. 20:12 And I saw the dead, big and small, standing before the throne. Books were opened. And another book was opened, the one which is the book of life. And the dead were judged according to their works, according to what was written in these books.
From all the above, we note that the ode ends abruptly and Elihu states his own conclusion: “The Almighty! we cannot discover Him; It is excellent in power. And in abundant judgment and justice; He will not afflict. Men therefore fear him; He does not consider those who have a wise heart. Is Job wise in his own vanity? Does he think he can challenge divine government and show how the affairs of the world could have been better ordered? Does he think he himself is being treated unfairly because loss and illness have been assigned to him? God’s good thoughts will verify all these ignorant notions and bring a penitent back to the throne of Jehovah. This is a good and wise deduction; but Elihu did not justify God by showing in harmony with the noblest and finest ideas of justice that men have, God supremely just, and beyond the best and noblest mercy that men love, God transcendentally merciful. Indeed, his argument was this: the Almighty must be straight, and anyone who criticizes life is unholy. The whole question between Job and the friends remains unresolved. Elihu’s failure is significant. It is the failure of an attempt made, as we have seen, centuries after the writing of the book of Job, to bring it back to the line of current religious opinion. Our comprehensive examination reveals the narrow foundation on which Hebrew Orthodoxy was built and explains the developments of a later epoch. It can be said that Job left no disciples in Israel. His courageous personal hope and passionate desire for union with God seem to have been lost in the fervent national sectarianism of the post-exilic ages; And as they withered, the Pharisee and Sadducees of old began to exist. They are both here in germ. Coming from the same seed, they resemble each other in their ignorance of divine justice; and we are not surprised that Christ, coming to fulfill and more than fulfill the hope of mankind, appeared to both the Pharisee and the Sadducees of his day as an enemy of religion, the land, and God. Our prayers are with you all.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS PERSONAL LORD AND SAVIOR
I now invite anyone who wants to become a new creation by walking in truth to pray with me:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I acknowledge that I have sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as my personal Lord and Savior. I acknowledge that you died at the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and my faith, so that your light may shine in my life right now.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for accepting me into your divine family, so that I too can contemplate the wonders of your kingdom by walking according to your ways.
I will now choose a nearby waterpoint to be baptized by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you all worship, power and glory, now and for ever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow “Elihu’s Fifth Discourse: God is mighty and majestic in His works.” (Jb 37)
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.