It ‘s impossible for God to do anything evil; no way can the Mighty One do wrong. Job 34:11
Read Job 32-34
We meet a younger man named Elihu. Elihu was the son of Barakel the Buzite from the clan of Ram. With credentials like that I’m surprised we’ve not heard from him sooner. Reading from the Message Bible, this man appears to be full of passion. Most likely sitting on his hands or biting his tongue to keep his mouth shut until now. He lost his temper, he blazed out in anger against Job for pitting his righteousness against’s Gods. His meeting with Job is strained. Just as my meeting was one day when I was meeting with my nurses…..
Have you ever worked with a person who is passionate? They are so passionate that perhaps what’s said he or she says things that should be said in a different way in a meeting. Elihu continues to speak his mind in chapter 32 and basically calls the three friends old but recognizes with age comes wisdom. In verses 8-9, “I am young in years and you are old; that is why I was fearful not daring to tell you what I know. I thought, ‘Age should speak advanced years should teach wisdom. But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty that gives him understanding. It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.” So, he declares in chapter 32: 21, “he is going to speak the truth, the truth, and nothing but the truth.”
Elihu chapter 33 directs the speech to Job, in verse 3 “my words come from an upright heart; my lips sincerely speak what I know. The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” Elihu asks Job to answer him. He challenges him and he is correct when he says, “I am just like you before God (NIV) or Look, you and I both belong to God. I, too, was formed from clay.” Job 33:5 Beloved, you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made according to Psalm 139:14. Elihu reminds Job that God speaks to men through dreams, visions, pain, and angels in verses 14-24. Elihu is quite proud of himself when he tells Job how God works that God pulls our souls back from destructions and now he tells Job to keep listening, he is going to teach him the basics of wisdom.
Job endures Elihu’s second speech in chapter 34, he has a three-point speech. He opens with that it is impossible for God to do evil. God is immutable. The problem with Elihu is that Job in all of this had not sinned either. Beloved, it is not a sin to bring your doubts to God or your questions to God. Job is soon to hear from God we know the end of the story. Elihu asks this question to the three friends whom he now calls the veterans in chapter 34 verse 10, “It’s impossible for God to do anything evil; no way can the Mighty One do wrong.” Msg. According to the NIV version, “So listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do evil. From the Almighty to do wrong.” You see God is working behind the scenes. God tells us like it is, He has his eyes on us and Elihu reassure Job that man does not get away with anything. The cry of the afflicted gets God’s attention. Elihu ends his second speech with Job telling him if God is silent what’s that to Job. What difference does it make because God is there and God is ruling. So Job just confess. Elihu in today’s language would say Job is crazy. I love the Message Bible, “Job is an ignoramus. He talks utter nonsense.”
Elihu ends the speech by telling Job, “You’ve compounded your original sin by rebelling against God’s discipline, defiantly shaking your fist at God, piling up indictments against the Almighty One.” Job 34: 36-37
Beloved, in a meeting I said my hands were tied in relationship to how we handled vacation distributions. Guess what I learned to think out of the box and my hands were not tied. Do you think Elihu will learn to think out of the box?
Elihu is the fourth friend. T/F
Elihu calls the 3 men frauds. T/F
In the Old Testament, God speaks to men 4 different ways?
Beloved, where is Elihu’s theology wrong?
Father God, let me so know your word and promises so I would recognize and stand up against the Elihu’s of the world.
