Job 32-37: Elihu prepares Iyyob to meet God

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There’s a tendency to discount what the friends of ’Iyyob (Job) have to say, because God corrects them at the end of the book. Yet, significant portions of counsel from one friend, Elihu, actually prepare ’Iyyob’s heart — for example, hope of a mediator with God and resurrection — for the epic encounter with God in the closing chapters of the book.

Job 32

The last person who speaks to ’Iyyob is Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram speaks to ’Iyyob. This is the only friend who spoke to ’Iyyob whom God did not rebuke. We are told that he patiently listened to ’Iyyob and the other friends speak to and rebuke each other. He is not one of ’Iyyob’s close friends. 

Elihu’s name — אֱלִיהוּא — means “He is my God.” His father’s name — בַּרַכְאֵל — means “God blesses.” His nickname is “the Buzite.” The verb meaning of the tribe’s name — בּוּז — is “one who is held insignificant.” 

Elihu is upset at everyone at this point. He’s upset at ’Iyyob for his self-righteous justification but he’s also upset at ’Iyyob’s friends because none of them could give ’Iyyob an answer. All they could do is condemn ’Iyyob. 

Elihu tells us that he held his peace because he presumed that those who spoke before him were his elders and that their age should give wisdom and he waited to hear that wisdom. We learn wisdom when God puts us through trials in life. ’Iyyob did not bring these trials on himself and often times the trials that come upon us aren’t of our doing, they are from God to teach and prove us. 

Elihu discovers during this time that God did not give these elders the wisdom he thought they should have. God gives wisdom, and God did not give those friends wisdom. 

“Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, while you pondered what to say. I even paid close attention to you; Indeed, there was no one who refuted ’Iyyob, Not one of you who answered his words.” (Job 32:11-12)

The three friends could not respond or rebuke this young man, so he continues:

“Let me now be partial to no one, nor flatter any man. For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.” (Job 32:21-22)

Job 33

Then Elihu addresses ’Iyyob directly in Job 33. He heard ’Iyyob’s words just has he heard the words of the three elder friends and Elihu didn’t like ’Iyyob’s responses. He paraphrases ’Iyyob in Job 33:8-11 as “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, and I have heard the sound of your words: ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me. ‘Behold, He invents pretexts against me; He counts me as His enemy. ‘He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.”

Elihu rebukes ’Iyyob’s line of reasoning:

“Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this, for God is greater than man. Why do you complain against Him that He does not give an account of all His doings? Indeed God speaks once, or twice, yet no one notices it.” (Job 33:12-14)

Elihu says that when God instructs a person, He seals the instruction so you can’t ignore it and he removes your pride and make you humble. 

Elihu goes on to make a comment that I don’t have a perfect answer for:

“Then his soul draws near to the pit, and his life to those who bring death. If there is an angel as mediator for him, one out of a thousand, to remind a man what is right for him, then let Him be gracious to him, and say, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom….'” (Job 33:23-24)

Did Elihu know who the paid the ransom? Did Elihu know who paid the ransom? I believe Elihu knew exactly what he was saying. Job is the oldest book in the Bible, and it speaks of a mediator between man and God. In the New Testament, this mediator is revealed to us as the Messiah Yeshua. 

Elihu spoke to ’Iyyob about the promise of a redeemer and resurrection: 

“Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, that he may see His face with joy, and He may restore His righteousness to man. He will sing to men and say, ‘I have sinned and perverted what is right, and it is not proper for me. He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, and my life shall see the light.'” (Job 33:26-28)

This text could easily fit into the New Testament scriptures. When God brings you out of the pit, you will be a light.

Job 34

Then in Job 34, Elihu address the friends, the “wise men.” They claimed that had knowledge and Elihu rebukes them. ’Iyyob thought that God was on his case for no reason. Elihu paraphrases this:

“For ’Iyyob has said, ‘I am righteous, but God has taken away my right; Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.'” (Job 34:5-6)

’Iyyob is basically saying that God is an unfair God. Then he goes on to address the friends directly:

“Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong.” (Job 34:10)

We have the hindsight of scripture to help us learn not to act the way these men acted so we judge these men harshly for their comments, we judge them for not understanding what we understanding but that would not be a fair judgement. 

In the light of the lessons of ’Iyyob, how should we address one another? Yeshua tells us that when someone has wrong us, we are to address them first in private. 

’Iyyob never answered or rebuked this young man so we can be assured that ’Iyyob heard what the man was saying and took it to heart. The young man told ’Iyyob exactly what his iniquity was and he didn’t respond in self-defense like he had with this three friends. Kind David was a righteous man, not because he was perfect but because he accepted correction. At the end of this story, that is what made ’Iyyob righteous too. 

Elihu goes on to say that God does not have favorites or show partiality to either rich or poor because all of them are the work of His hands. The rich man is not rich because of his greed or the poor man poor because of his foolishness. Many people believe that if they had more money, they would be more happy, but money doesn’t change who we are on the inside. 

Elihu goes on to rebuke ’Iyyob directly:

“‘Iyyob speaks without knowledge, and his words are without wisdom. ’Iyyob ought to be tried to the limit, because he answers like wicked men.'” (Job 34:35-36)

Elihu is saying that those three friends of ’Iyyob’s were “wicked men” and he was speaking without wisdom in even bothering to rebuke those friends of his. Don’t answer back and try to justify yourself in the face of baseless charges.

Job 35

In Job 35, Elihu addresses all four men at once:

“Look at the heavens and see; and behold the clouds — they are higher than you. If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him? “If you are righteous, what do you give to Him, or what does He receive from your hand?” (Job 35:5-7)

What do our transgressions do to God? Man has to pay for his transgressions. What does our righteousness do for God. Nothing. 

The righteousness or unrighteous of men effects other men, but it doesn’t effect God:

“Your wickedness is for a man like yourself, and your righteousness is for a son of man.” (Job 35:8)

Elihu also says that in war, we assume that the vanquished nation is innocent and the conquering nation is guilty, but that is not the case:

“Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; they cry for help because of the arm of the mighty. But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’ There they cry out, but He does not answer because of the pride of evil men.” (Job 35:9-12)

An example of this is when God raised up Nebuchadnezzar up against the people of Yehudah (Judah). That southern kingdom had backslidden into injustice, sin and pride in their status as “children of God.” God rebuked their pride by sending a superior, pagan army against them to take down their pride. He didn’t hear the prayers of the people of Yehudah, because they were prideful and God was rebuking their pride through Nebuchadnezzar.

Elihu tells ’Iyyob that he has called God unfair, unrighteous, and unjust. ’Iyyob had said that there was no reward, no purpose, no point in worshipping God. Elihu warns ’Iyyob not to go down that path of iniquity.

Job 37

No one is God’s teacher. God is our teacher and He often uses nature as the implement of his instruction including the rain and lightning:
“Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud; He disperses the cloud of His lightning. It changes direction, turning around by His guidance, that it may do whatever He commands it on the face of the inhabited earth. Whether for correction, or for His world, or for loving-kindness, He causes it to happen.” (Job 37:11-12)

’Iyyob retorted many times, but he never answers back to Elihu at all — not once. This young man was preparing ’Iyyob to face the Creator Himself:

“The Almighty — we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness. Therefore men fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart.” (Job 37:23-24)

God showed His power at the Flood and we read in Revelations that Yeshua will return with mighty power, no softness at all. No man knows when this will happen, He said He will return as a thief in the night. We don’t understand God’s excellent power, His judgement, His justice. That’s why we should fear God and be on guard and walk the best way we can. God is not partial, there are no favorites with God. The righteous perish and know nothing and the wicked perish and know nothing. 

Speaker: Richard Agee. Summary: Tammy.