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Elihu Continues
You Men Think
1Elihu said:
2You men think you are wise,
but just listen to me!
3Think about my words,
as you would taste food.
4Then we can decide the case
and give a just verdict.
5Job claims he is innocent
and God is guilty
of mistreating him.
6Job also argues that God
considers him a liar
and that he is suffering severely
in spite of his innocence.
7But to tell the truth,
Job is shameless!
8He spends his time with sinners,
9because he has said,
“It doesn't pay to please God.”
If Any of You Are Smart
10If any of you are smart,
you will listen and learn
that God All-Powerful
does what is right.
11 God always treats everyone
the way they deserve,
12and he is never unfair.
13From the very beginning,
God has been in control
of all the world.
14If God took back the breath
that he breathed into us,
15we humans would die
and return to the soil.
16So be smart and listen!
17The mighty God is the one
who brings about justice,
and you are condemning him.
18Indeed, God is the one
who condemns unfair rulers.
19And God created us all;
he has no favorites,
whether rich or poor.
20Even powerful rulers die
in the darkness of night
when they least expect it,
just like the rest of us.
God Watches
21God watches everything we do.
22No evil person can hide
in the deepest darkness.
23And so, God doesn't need
to set a time for judgment.
24Without asking for advice,
God removes mighty leaders
and puts others in their place.
25He knows what they are like,
and he wipes them out
in the middle of the night.
26And while others look on,
he punishes them
because they were evil
27and refused to obey him.
28The persons they mistreated
had prayed for help,
until God answered
their prayers.
29When God does nothing,
can any person or nation
find fault with him?
30But still, he punishes rulers
who abuse their people.
31Job, you should tell God
that you are guilty
and promise to do better.
32Then ask him to point out
what you did wrong,
so you won't do it again.
33Do you make the rules,
or does God?
You have to decide—
I can't do it for you;
now make up your mind.
34Job, anyone with good sense
can easily see
35that you are speaking nonsense
and lack good judgment.
36So I pray for you to suffer
as much as possible
for talking like a sinner.
37You have rebelled against God,
time after time,
and have even insulted us.
Reflect
When we analyze a situation, our judgments are often partly right and partly wrong. In this passage Elihu gets at least one thing exactly right – God is just and loves justice. But that truth is what creates the tension in the Book of Job, since Job believes God has denied him justice (vs 5-6). Elihu insists that God cannot do evil or anything that is unjust (vs 10-12). Even more significantly, Elihu argues that God is the one who brings about justice (v 17), yet Job is accusing this God of doing wrong.
We need to humbly admit that there are times when we judge people incorrectly. Sometimes people we think are guilty are really innocent and vice versa. Elihu did not know about Satan testing Job and the arrangement that had been made in heaven. Little did he know that Job was being targeted precisely because he was righteous (compare Job 1:8)!
Even though we can be wrong in our judgments about the guilt or innocence of individuals, we must recognize with Elihu that God is always innocent of wrongdoing. His justice is flawless. His character is just. All of God’s judgments are exactly as they should be.
God is the just judge. He is omniscient so no fact or circumstance is overlooked. He is omnipresent so he is always an eye-witness to everything that is done. He is perfectly wise so his verdicts cannot be improved. Although our finite nature ensures we will never be perfect judges, we know that God is. There is tension, mystery, and difficulty in this reality and we can sometimes wonder how God’s justice lines up with what we see around us. But a non-negotiable of the faith is that God always acts justly.
Respond
Lord of all, you are the judge of the universe, and we know that your justice is perfect. You know that we struggle to see your justice in this world. Help us understand your ways. And when your ways are beyond us, help us to trust. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Steve West
Steve West is the Lead Pastor at Crestwicke Baptist Church in Guelph, Ontario, as well as an adjunct professor at Heritage College and Seminary (Cambridge) and Toronto Baptist Seminary.