Elihu Reminds Job Who God Is

I’m not sure if it feels like it or not, but we are coming toward the end of our study in the book of Job. Job and his three friends have been debating and arguing for months now, and they are done trying to convince one another. Now it’s time for a fifth man to enter the conversation, and his name is Elihu.

It’s not a universal opinion, but I take a positive position on Elihu. He’s not trying to attack. He’s not trying to play favorites. He’s trying to reorient the conversation. He says that in chapter 32 and in the first 7 verses of chapter 33. I see Elihu as the man who is preparing Job, and us, to hear from God Himself. He is the ring announcer getting us ready for the main event.

Job has been sparring with his friends, and there was some action there, but that is not the heart of the book. The heart of the book is when God finally speaks. But before God enters the ring, Elihu gives Him a proper introduction.

Up to now, everybody has been looking for answers, and they’ve been focused on Job. But Elihu comes to redirect the conversation to its proper place. Despite the title we have in our Bibles, Job is not the focus of the story; God is.

Throughout the debate, Job and his friends have, either directly or indirectly, begun to accuse God. They want God to answer to them. That type of approach means they have a wrong or inadequate view of God. And so, Elihu comes to correct them.

Elihu’s correction may seem strong to us, especially aimed at a man who has suffered so much. But I think his heart is for God’s glory and Job’s ultimate good. And remember, this is not the first thing Job has heard. Elihu has seen this debate go on, possibly for months, and everybody is stuck. So, he is coming to help them get somewhere they haven’t been able to get on their own.

As we hear Elihu’s corrections, we learn some important lessons for ourselves as go through, or help others in, a time of intense suffering. What is Elihu basically saying? Here are his corrections, which for us, may be more like important reminders.

Correction number 1 is this: God is not vindictive. God is not vindictive.

Let’s start by looking at Job chapter 33, verse 9, where Elihu summarizes what Job has been saying. Job 33:9-11—You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.’

Job is righteous relatively; we understand that. He doesn’t have some hidden sin that brought this pain upon him. But since he is righteous, he is implying that God must be out to get him. God must delight in inflicting pain.

Some people have that kind of sadistic view of God, as if he enjoys inflicting pain. They see God like the main from the Western Exterminator Company. Have you ever seen that logo? It’s a cartoon man standing in front of a rat shaking his finger at him and holding a big hammer behind his back.

That’s how some people see God, like He’s just waiting around to hit you whenever he feels like it, any time you even mildly annoy Him.

Is that the God of the Bible? Absolutely not! We know He will punish sin, even eternally for those who reject Him. But His disposition is one that saves. He calls out to sinners. In Ezekiel 33:11, He says to disobedient Israel, “As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?”

Second Peter 3 tells us that God is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.

God is not subject to emotional whims. He is not vindictive, eager to bring pain and judgment. But that’s what Job’s response was hinting at. Job was making it sound like God had turned His back on him, like He had walked away from Job.

Look at Elihu’s correction starting verses 12 and 13. Elihu says—Behold [Job], in this you are not right. I will answer you, for God is greater than man. Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man's words’?

How dare you accuse God of being detached and uncaring! That is not the heart of God toward His people. In fact, God wants to speak to His people. In biblical times, God spoke through angels and dreams and prophets. Now, God speaks to us through His word. But the point is the same—God wants to speak to us.

Pain and difficulty is not a sign that God has abandoned us; the pain is God getting our attention. Verses 16-22 say that God wants to open our ears and lead us away from sin. Pain can be corrective, it can be preventative, and it can be instructive. God uses it.

C.S. Lewis once wrote “pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. [Pain] is his megaphone to a deaf world.”

God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Jesus says, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

So, please, don’t let pain lead you to think that God is vindictive or distant. God isn’t turning His back on us; God is trying to get our attention. He is working for our good, to draw us closer to Himself. He wants us to know His mercy. That’s what verses 23-30 are saying. God is good, and He will be good in the end to all His people.

As Elihu finishes up this first point, look at how confident and directly he speaks to Job in verses 29-33—Behold, God does all these things, twice, three times, with a man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be lighted with the light of life. Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak. If you have any words, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you. If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

This is true wisdom in times of suffering—not to despair as if God has abandoned you, but to confidently declare, “God is here. He is with me. He is for me. I don’t understand all of this, but I know that God is good.”

Do you remember what Jesus’ disciples said when they were caught in a storm and Jesus was sleeping? They wake Jesus up, and they say, “Teacher, don’t you care that we are about to die?” That’s a pretty accusatory way to ask for help, isn’t it? “Don’t you care at all, Jesus?!” It’s borderline blasphemy, because Jesus cares for His people.

Let’s move on now to a second correction and reminder that Elihu gives us. Number one, God is not vindictive. God is not distant. Number two, God is not unjust. God is not unjust.

Look at Job 34, verse 5, where we get another summary of Job’s statements—For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and God has taken away my right; [6] in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

Even if Job doesn’t say it outright, this is what he’s implying. This is where his argument would end up: “I am righteous, and yet God is punishing me, so something must be wrong with God. His scales of justice need to be recalibrated. If God isn’t honoring my righteousness, then what the point of walking in integrity?”

Verse 9 says it explicitly. This was Job’s conclusion—For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.’

Elihu puts a stop to any of that kind of thinking. He stands up for the righteousness of God. And to be clear, righteousness is not an external standard that God lives up. God Himself is the standard of righteousness.

The main point of the rest of the chapter, starting in verse 10, is to say that God is perfectly righteous. He will reward those who draw near to Him in humility, and He will punish everyone who rejects Him. No one can say that God is not righteous. He is the sovereign Judge. If He wanted to kill all of us at once, like verses 14 and 15 say, He would be right to do it.

It doesn’t matter how powerful or rich anybody is; everyone will answer to God. God isn’t playing favorites. He sees everything. No one can hide. No one can escape Him. We may not see God’s justice perfectly right now, but we will see it in eternity. It will come one day.

Since God is the final and perfect Judge, Job has no right to demand answers from God. But that’s what he’s been asking for. He wants God to answer for what has happened.

That’s a major temptation in difficult times. We know from the Psalms that it’s not a sin to ask God, “Why?” or “How long?” but that needs to come from a humble heart recognizing God’s sovereignty and perfect justice, not as an arrogant demand.

If you are here this morning, and you are not a Christian, or maybe you’re not sure if you’re really a Christian, this is something you especially need to understand—nobody comes to God on their own terms. You don’t get to set the terms; God does.

What are the terms of salvation? That you surrender completely to Him through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus said that to follow Him was to be willing to die daily. That is talking about a complete surrender.

You don’t get saved by promising to do better. You don’t get saved by giving God a list of all your righteous deeds. You come to God with nothing. You are spiritually bankrupt. You come begging for forgiveness and mercy on the basis of what God has done in Jesus Christ. That’s all you have.

If you come to God the way Job has now postured himself—if you come trying to assert your own righteousness, you will be rejected. If you come to God simply hoping He will correct every injustice against you, or expecting Him to respond to your demands for answers, you will be rejected. There is nothing good in you. There is nothing in you worthy of salvation. None of us measure up to the perfect righteousness and justice of God.

But if you call out to God, He will show Himself merciful. He will wipe away your sins by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He will give you a new heart, and by the power of Jesus’ resurrection, you will begin to fight sin in your life.

If you want to talk more about that, I’m available after the service, and so are many of our members. We’d love to talk with you more. And then, in obedience to Christ, we’d love to walk you through our process here for baptism and membership, where we publicly identify you as part of God’s family.

For those of us who have already surrendered our lives to Jesus as King, we should recognize that while baptism is the initial public expression of our union with Christ and His people, one of the daily expressions is trusting in His goodness, even when challenging and painful times come. We need to continually tell ourselves and others that God is righteous. He is perfectly good. He is not unjust. He is sovereign and perfectly wise. There will be mystery when we see what He does, but we always need to affirm His perfect goodness and righteousness.

God will punish all sin, either eternally in hell or mercifully in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He is just, and He is the One who justifies. And one day, God will reward His people forever in grace and mercy.

Along the lines of our humility before God, we get another reminder from Elihu, which is a correction to Job and his friends. Number 3, God is not needy. God is not needy.

Job got to a place where he thought God owed him something because of his righteousness. Job’s friends were saying the opposite—that God was acting against Job for his sin. Both of them were wrong.

God, in His perfect holiness, is not affected, helped, or hurt by our righteousness or our sin. He may respond to it immediately at times, but our lives are not changing the character or the dignity or majesty of God.

Look at Job 35, verses 5-7. Elihu continues—Look at the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds, which are higher than you. If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand?

Some people have a view of God like He’s just waiting on the sideline. Like he’s the shy boy at the dance waiting for a girl to ask him to dance. Like God needs us so that He can act in some way. Some people even evangelize like that, like poor God is sad waiting for someone to love Him back.

That kind of idea is an attack on the sovereignty of God. He doesn’t need me, ad He doesn’t need you. God doesn’t need any of us. That’s actually a pagan idea. The Greeks believed that the gods relied on the people’s faith and love and service.

But listen to what Paul said to the Greeks in Athens. This is from Acts 17—[24] The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, [25] nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. [26] And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, [27] that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.

That sounds a lot like what Elihu is saying to Job and his friends. God doesn’t need you. You need to go to Him. But Elihu says, we need to go in humility.

Walt Kaiser, in summarizing the message of Job 35 says that people go to God in their pain, but a lot of times, it seems like there’s no answer. But if the pain was to end, we might go right back to a life that ignores God. He says, “It is no wonder then, that God’s answer often is one of silence [as verse 12 says]. Instead of our being concerned for God’s righteousness and glory, we are more concerned to get over the penalty for our sins and the selfishness that produced the pile of pain… It is not our concern for God’s reputation or glory that motivates our cry for God’s intervention: it is rather our selfish desire to have relief from the pain!”

That’s exactly the posture Job was taking. He was elevating himself over God. God owed him answers. He had done so much for God, how could God not respond now? He was lowering the majesty of God to the level of another man.

And so, like verse 16 tells us, “Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiples words without knowledge.”

We need to be careful that in expressing our pain we don’t bring God down to our level. He has not abandoned us, and He does not need our service. He owes us nothing.

And this leads me to Elihu’s fourth and final correction. God is not vindictive. God is not unjust. God is not needy. And lastly, God is not weak. God is not weak.

This is a response that a lot of people have to suffering—“God is good. He wants to help you. He loves you. But He couldn’t stop this from happening. It was out of His hands.”

Again, that’s an attack on the sovereignty of God. That’s not what the Bible teaches, and that’s not what Elihu believed. Look at verse 5. Job 36:5—Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding.

Psalm 115:3 says it like this—Our God is in the heavens; he does all that he pleases. Ephesians 1:11 says God works all things according to the counsel of his will.

God is doing things that you and I aren’t going to be able to fully understand this side of eternity, but never, and not for a moment, is any of this outside of God’s power. And never is God doing anything wrong or unrighteous.

And so, Job and his friends—rather than complain, and rather than throw a pity party, and rather than find someone to blame—need to praise God. They need to praise God.

I’m sure all of you can think of things you wish were different—things in your own life, things in your own family, financial issues, health issues, relational issues, political issues, and the list goes on. But way more important than finding someone to blame, or finding the right medicine, is turning to the one, true God in worship and humility.

I’m not trying to undo or erase human accountability and responsibility, but even in all that, worship should be the start and end of our response. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.

Look at Job 36:22. This is where Elihu wants our attention. Verse 22—Behold, God is exalted in his power; who is a teacher like him? [23] Who has prescribed for him his way, or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’? [24] “Remember to extol his work, of which men have sung. [25] All mankind has looked on it; man beholds it from afar. [26] Behold, God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.

And in pointing to wonderful power of God, Elihu points Job to the clouds and the rain and the lightning and the thunder and the snow, which is a mystery. God is in charge of all of that, and it is beyond Job’s understanding. Elihu is saying, “Job, if you don’t understand how things work in the natural world, why would you expect to know how things work in the spiritual world? Humble yourself before the Lord. Trust in Him. Don’t accuse Him.

Look at chapter 37, verse 5—God thunders wondrously with his voice; he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

Skip down to verse 13—Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen. [14] Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God.

Job, Elihu says, recognize that there is so much you do not know. How are you going to stand before God in your ignorance? You can’t fully understand what God is doing.

And so, here are Elihu’s final words, verses 22 and 24, and we’ll close with this as well. Here’s the conclusion in Elihu’s correction. He says—Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with awesome majesty. The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate. Therefore men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.

True wisdom is to fear and trust in God.