Words From a Young Man
Book of Job Chapters 32 through 37
Today we look at this man Elihu.
I believe one of the greatest lessons we learn from this passage of Scripture is we need to give our young people an opportunity to speak.
Three of Job's so-called friends had come to comfort him at the loss of everything he owned.
We know that Job did not blink at the loss of his riches, but the death of his ten children had broken him.
Personally, I do not believe these three men ever considered the difference in the loss of family and loss of riches.
I have felt all along that these men were more business friends rather than godly friends.
Job's so-called godly friends which had abandoned Job entirely.
Job was an elder spiritually just as he was by age.
Paul wrote to Timothy:
1Ti 5:1 Rebuke not an elder, but intreat him as a father; and the younger men as brethren;
1Ti 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.
1Ti 5:18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The laborer is worthy of his reward.
1Ti 5:19 Against an elder receive not an accusation, but before two or three witnesses.
1Ti 5:20 Them that sin rebuke before all, that others also may fear.
We should understand because God never changes, He would have been the same even in the time of Job.
These are some of the lessons we need to learn from the Book of Job.
We must understand why these three men had gone quiet.
They had decided that Job had convinced himself that he was so self-righteous that he had placed himself above God.
I do not believe Job ever did this because the Bible said Job never sinned.
Job 1:22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
God would not have said this if it was not true!
The Holy Spirit placed this in the very first chapter of the Book of Job so we would know this throughout this Book of Job.
So what we see is the opinions of the lost when dealing with a godly man.
Not many of the lost will ever have favorable opinions of Christians!
I disagree with most all commentaries on the Book of Job and will try to stick to what the Holy Ghost says.
Which means, I disagree with most of our lesson even though some good points are made.
The one thing we see of this young man is the respect for his elders.
We all should have respect for our elders, especially those godly Saints of God who have stuck with Jesus all their days after being saved!
*****Job 32:1 So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
Job 32:2 Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
Again, these three men had grown quiet because in their own eyes and their own arguments, Job had made himself self-righteous above the righteousness of God.
This was their opinion!
This was not true of Job!
These three men had decided themselves that all our problems in this life are caused by our sin.
Job was a godly man and God Himself had said that Job was a godly man!
Since we have the whole picture of these things because the Holy Spirit preserved these things for us, we know more than these three so-called friends, but they still had no excuse to reject the truth of Job himself.
Job had not made himself to be self-righteous! The man offered sacrifices daily for himself and all his family and we can say he did the same for his employees and his friends.
Job was walking the talk the Lord ask us to walk, according to his relationship with the Lord.
Was Job perfect. In the eyes of God Job was perfect because God said so, only because he repented of his sin daily.
Job still had the sin nature that came by Adam and Job knew this very well!
Those three men got quiet because they could not convince Job that it was his sin that had caused his problems, even some hidden grievous sin which was not true.
Job was in great despair because these things had happened, and he had not understood why?
One of the greatest questions we all ask is "why"!
Elihu was a Buzite. The Book of Genesis says Buz was a relative of Abraham by his brother Nahor.
We know that even in the time of Isaac that these were a pagan people.
Elihu got mad at Job because he to felt Job was claiming to be self-righteous.
Righteous meaning upright toward the commands of God and all the things written of Job says this was true of him.
There were no "Laws of Moses".
There was no mention of faith.
There was only the fact that Job sacrificed clean animals for his sin and the sin of others. This act showed his faith!
What is faith?
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
This was the faith of Job!
Elihu was mad at those other three men because they had not found a solution to Job trials.
We must keep in mind, Job was suffering grief because he had lost all his children in one day and it just about broke him, but he was clinging to his faith as he told his wife.
The Lord gives, but the Lord also takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord.
*****Job 32:3 Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Job had refused to accept what they were saying as the truth, because Job knew the truth.
When we do not accept what the world sees of us, then the world will get mad at us and condemn us just as these men had done to Job.
This one point did not set well with Elihu, but he was just as wrong in his beliefs.
Job was not a bad man and did not need to be condemned by his friends.
True friends do not condemn us!
True friends help us though our bad times!
Things happen that we have no control over and if we trust Him, the Lord will comfort us through these things.
We should really never ask God why?
We must accept that God knows best for us all! Romans 8:28
*****Job 32:4 Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.
Job 32:5 When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled.
We can see that Elihu had witnessed all the conversations of these men and he had not butted in, because of his youth.
We can see that even respect for the elders had been taught in the land of Uz.
Some say Elihu was trying to be a moderator between Job and these three men, but what we will see is a new plan to attack Job.
In fact Elihu claims to be a prophet of God.
*****Job 33:1 Wherefore, Job, I pray thee, hear my speeches, and hearken to all my words.
Job 33:2 Behold, now I have opened my mouth, my tongue hath spoken in my mouth.
Job 33:3 My words shall be of the uprightness of my heart: and my lips shall utter knowledge clearly.
Job 33:4 The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.
Job 33:5 If thou canst answer me, set thy words in order before me, stand up.
Job 33:6 Behold, I am according to thy wish in God's stead: I also am formed out of the clay.
Job 33:7 Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.
Job 33:8 Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
This was a brash young man saying, "now you listen to me Job".
He said, "I understand all these things Job and I have the answers you seek".
The Holy Spirit will never lead us to cause harm to someone who is in such grief as Job had, so it was not the Holy Spirit who was using this young man!
It would have been the wicked spirit of Satan!
God called His prophets and God calls each man of God, but God did not call Elihu!
Elihu did know about Creation.
Most all the world accepted Creation according the Word of God for many centuries.
Evolution is a modern-day thought beginning about the time of Darwin.
Elihu said Job, I know you are not a hypocrite.
Elihu said I will ignore the words of your friends, let us just talk about the words you used.
Elihu said let us put aside all that has been said, but "you need to listen to me for my words come by God Himself", which was a lie!
Elihu immediately calls Job a liar.
*****Job 33:9 I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.
Job 33:10 Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,
Job 33:11 He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.
God Himself had said that Job as perfect as any human being could be.
Job 1:1 There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was perfect and upright, and one that feared God, and eschewed evil.
Many times while being blasphemed by those other men, Job had said he was a sinner but that he had not committed such a grievous sin to cause so much devastation in his life.
God had said this Himself.
Job had never blamed God for what was happening to Him!
Job is just like we all are when we ask that question "Why Lord".
Did God show a hostility toward Job without a cause?
The one thing we have no right to do is to question the actions of our God because He is a Holy and Just God!
Psa 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.
It is God who will justify only those who have faith and faith Job had!
Rom 3:30 Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Job just did not understand why all these things had happened to him.
Job even asked, why would such men as these be sent as comforters.
Job 16:11 God hath delivered me to the ungodly, and turned me over into the hands of the wicked.
God had not sent these men! We know it was Satan.
Job had never said he was clean in God's eyes.
Job 14:4 Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.
All in all Job was saying "Search me Lord"
Psa 139:23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
Job says, "the Lord knows my path because He directs my path"!
Then Elihu says, Job you are not just, and you cannot justify yourself.
It is true that we cannot justify ourselves. Only by the Lord Jesus are we justified.
Even in the day of Job it was "faith" that justified and Job had that "faith"!
*****Job 33:12 Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
The things God had allowed to happen to Job were not because of some judgment!
God has already stated that to us, but Job never knew these things!
Job knew much more about the ways of God than Elihu and those other three put together.
Elihu was right that God is much greater than man!
Was Job justified in the eyes of God?
Job 1:22 In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
The thing we must understand is, that we must give God full control of our life.
Rom 9:20 Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?
Rom 9:21 Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?
As long as we are in the hands of God our future is safe!
If we are asking God to take us through our life with no problems, then that will not happen.
There are going to be Hurricanes.
There are going to be lightning storms.
There are going to be things that affect us that affect everyone else.
We live in a cursed world where Satan roams about freely!
We see that Satan is sometimes allowed to influence these things to cause destruction.
We live in a world of terrorists and fanatics.
The world is trying to indoctrinate our children against us.
The world is trying to stop the Church.
These things happen whether we are the children of God or not!
God promised to be with us through all these things.
These things are not the days of wrath that the Lord promised we would not see!
Again Elihu was wrong.
*****Job 33:13 Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
Does God give an account of any of His matters?
God has given us 31,173 verses in the King James Bible to give an account for Himself!
God did not have to do this!
In fact God tells us why He does everything that He does!
What He does for us is for our own benefit! Again Romans 8:28
Then what God tells us to do is to find somewhere in the Scriptures where He was not right to do the things He did.
There are none even if we do not understand that God did!
Jehovah is a righteous God that does according to His own will and God does not make mistakes!
God used Job to teach us the truth of Satan, of sorrow, and of misery as a believer.
What happened to Job was for the benefit of the Church today!
It is just that simple! God knew Job would not fail Him as Satan had thought he would fail!
No, we must not strive against God, but it is OK to remind God of His promises if we do it in the right manner.
Just talk to Him. This is where we fail the most!
We want something all the time when we should just spend more time talking to Him.
I believe Job did sit down and just talk to Jehovah often.
God is speaking to us through His actions at all times.
The Scriptures give us Gods plan and we must know that we are a major part of God's plan.
The key to our relationship is "faith" and we must be willing to listen!
*****Job 33:29 Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man,
Job 33:30 To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.
God has one purpose!
2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
\God is sovereign in that God does as He pleases but He always has His creation in mind!
So is God unrighteous?
God used Job just as He used Pharaoh and just as He uses Satan!
Rom 9:14 What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid.
Rom 9:15 For he saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.
Rom 9:16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy.
Rom 9:17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
Rom 9:18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.
Job never understood what happened for he did love God and tried his best to live a righteous life.
Again the things that happen to Job are written and preserved by the Holy Spirit to teach the modern-day Church!
So are we listening? Do we learn the great lessons in the Bible that are preserved for our learning? We had better!
*****Job 37:14 Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.
If we agree that Jehovah is our Creator, many do not agree, but if we agree, then if we look at all the wonders of God's creation then we can begin to understand how wonderful the secret things of God are.
There are not words to describe how wonderful Heaven will be!
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
These are the things we need to lay up in our heart!
These are some of the secret things we need to clearly understand!
The Bible gives us enough information to clearly understand that God's New Heaven will be a truly wonderful place to spend eternity and anything less than that is Hell, but we know the Hell is a Burning Lake of Fire and nothing but misery will be found in Hell.
Again What is "faith"?
Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Our hope is in the Lord and the Lord said:
Joh 14:1 "Let not your heart be troubled": ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Joh 14:2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Joh 14:3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
Joh 14:4 And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.
This is where our hope must lie!
This is the substance of things not seen!
We all need to stand still and be amazed at the wonders of God!
*****Job 37:15 Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?
It is God who makes the rain, small drops and large drops at His choosing.
Job 36:27 For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof:
It is God who forms the majestic clouds and the builder of the thunderstorm.
Job 36:28 Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.
Job 36:29 Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?
It is God who gave us the rainbow to remind us that He is in control of our atmosphere.
It is God who is in control of this world!
We have seen these things for so long that we ignore the power of God behind His creations.
Job knew all these things to be true!
*****Job 37:21 And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.
Just as the Sun is hidden by the clouds but we know it is still there.
Our own "faith" can see light when the whole world is in darkness as it is today.
Job was in the darkest days of his life, but he still knew the truth of God.
Job did not need the advice of Elihu!
Job had already said he knew he had a Redeemer.
Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Job 19:26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God:
Job 19:27 Whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another; though my reins be consumed within me.
Job believed in the resurrection of the body to forever be with the Lord. Job had not forgotten these things!
We as Christians know we will have days of darkness as we travel the pathway to Heaven.
To look for a clear path every day is foolish.
Most of the things that happen to the Christian are the same things that happen to those that hate God or do not know God.
God will test our faith from time to time, not for His knowledge, but for us to know ourselves if we are who we say we are.
Job was not being tested by God. God already knew what the outcome of Job would be!
God is teaching us some valuable lessons in this Book of the Bible.
As Christians we must never worry about the things that Satan can do to us. Even in our darkest days Satan has no power over us!
Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
It is in submitting to God where we fail the most!
This is all we need to know about our dealings with Satan, he will flee from that unmovable Christian.
We need to remember it is our Savior who sits upon the throne of this world at all times!
*****Job 37:22 Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.
God displays His power in our weather just as He displays His power in our salvation.
If we cannot look upon the Sun on a clear day, how do we believe we could ever look upon the "Glory" of God when He comes down to this earth.
If we are not His children, we will never be able to stand before Him!
Exo 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
Anyone who believes other than this, will burn at the "Glory" of God!
As far Elihu believed, God is so great that no one will ever be able to stand before Him.
Job knew better just as we know better today!
By the Lord Jesus Christ we will one day stand before our Heavenly Father!
*****Job 37:23 Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.
Job 37:24 Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.
Elihu believed himself to be some sort of prophet just as so many do today.
We can certainly find the Lord because He is never far from us!
Act 17:27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:
The Lord is not hiding from us, He is keenly aware of the things we go through.
He wants to go through our days of darkness with us and He will if we ask Him to.
When we do not ask, He will still watch over us!
1Pe 5:7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
We must understand the reality of Jehovah God!
Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: "Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man".
Ecc 12:14 For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
These are the things we must do.
Jesus said:
Joh 8:31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
As we study all these things of these three so-called friends and Elihu, we can see why they were of no help to Job because they went against everything Job stood for.
So we know in reality it was Satan who sent these men to try to break Job and they failed because of the "faith" of Job.
We now see why it is said that Job had a lot of patience.
When we face the Lord, we will not be able to offer up excuses because He has shown us men like Job who went through terrible darkness, but held onto their faith and never spoke one word against our Heavenly Father.
There were some things that Jehovah would speak to Job about and we will see these things in our next lesson.
Amen
