Have you ever noticed that even when someone believes something that is wrong, there are still parts of it that are actually true? I agree with most of what Elihu is saying. Except for this….
The youngest of the four friends, and the only one that God doesn’t rebuke at the end of the book. That last fact alone should tell us something about what Elihu says. Surely there must be some credibility in it!
This passage is filled with great insights into God’s character, and how He works His will among men. However I’m not sure that Elihu’s statements are exactly correct. We should probably tread carefully when deciding what to believe and what to ignore or rebuke…we don’t want to make the same mistake that Job’s friends made. Or the mistake the Job makes…for that matter.
Elihu says in 33:13 that Job has falsely said that “God doesn’t respond to people’s complaints”, but in a sense that’s true. You can complain to God about something in prayer for a long time and not receive an answer. For instance, the Hebrews were captives in Egypt, working as slaves after the time of Joseph. They cried out to God for deliverance, but it was 430 (total) before they ever left the country with Moses. Many people lived and died without receiving a response from God. In fact, Elihu admits this very fact in 34:28-29!!
On the other hand, God did respond…so Elihu is correct in his belief that “God always responds”. You may not live to see it, but God responds. I think what Job was saying is “I would like to know why I am suffering NOW, and God hasn’t responded”.
Then in 33:19-27 Elihu says that sometimes God punishes people with pain and sickness. When they repent, he restores them…so pain and sickness are simply a motivator to prompt us to repent. But that doesn’t hold true across the generations. What about the godly people who have been tortured or starved to death? Was their pain somehow tied to sin and guilt? Of course not. Not all sickness and pain is a sign of guilt. Now, we have to see both sides here as well. Does God actually inflict pain in order to bring about repentance? Yes, he does. But because He does it sometimes doesn’t mean that He does it every time. Elihu implies that Job is sick and hurting, therefore he must be guilty. That’s not true. Here’s the really ironic thing: Job is guilty…because he repents at the end of the story. But he wasn’t guilty of what the friends were accusing him of. Ha!
One other example: In 34:30 Elihu says that God “prevents the godless from ruling”. Well, I beg to differ… Have you heard of Adolf Hitler? And speaking of Hitler, think about unanswered cries for justice while suffering.
I am sure that God prevents some ungodly people from coming to power, and I don’t think that god will allow an ungodly person to rule over His people when they are being obedient and holy before Him. However, if as a nation we stray away from God, we choose to live outside of His protection, and His promises. At that point, there is no guarantee that we will receive godly leaders. In fact, history shows that God allows (even appoints) wicked people to rule over His people in order to bring His people back to repentance. History also shows that if this wicked leader doesn’t acknowledge God, he will be punished as well once he has served his purpose. The wicked get away with nothing.
faithfully,
PR