Job 34-37 Elihu Gives It A Shot

Elihu, the younger man who thought himself wiser than Job and his three friends, set out his case and appeared to think he had more knowledge of God than all of the other four put together.  “With all his verbosity and lack of humility, Elihu did say some good things that Job needed to hear.  Elihu’s use of rhetorical questions prepared Job for the series of questions Jehovah would ask him next.  Unlike the three friends, Elihu assessed Job’s problem accurately.  Job’s actions man have been right – he was not the sinner his three friends described him to be – but his attitude was wrong.  He was not the saint Job saw himself to be.  Job was slowly moving toward a defiant, self-righteous attitude … It was this know-it-all attitude that God exposed and destroyed when He appeared to Job and questioned him,” my commentary said.

Elihu answered Job’s question of whether God was just.  Summarizing his words, my commentary  said, “If God is truly God, then He is perfect; and if He is perfect, then He cannot do wrong.  An unjust God would be as unthinkable as a square circle or a round triangle.”

“Elihu made a big mistake in singling out and emphasizing only one divine attribute, the justice of God; for God is also loving and gracious … In His wisdom, God devised a plan of redemption that satisfies both His justice and His love.  Because of the cross, God can redeem sinners and still magnify His righteousness and uphold His holy law.”

Father, only You could come up with such a plan, where You paid the price for our sin when Jesus died on the cross for our sins.  You maintained Your justice and Your righteousness through Your mercy and Your love.  Such love!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford