Author: 杨 全荣

Overview

In Chapter 33, Elihu spoke to Job. In this chapter, Elihu spoke to Job’s friends. The main purpose of Elihu’s speech in chapter 34 is to vindicates God’s justice before Job and his friends(v1). Job defensed himself as one without transgression (v6), and thus accused God of being unjust for punishing him. Elihu set out to defense for God in this chapter.

The following are Elihu’s main points to show that God is righteous:

1. God pays a man according to his work (v11)
2. God alone has authority over this world (v13)
3. God judge men regardless of their positions (v19)
4. God see and know about everything about men (v21-23), thus God does not need to inquire men like human judges do (v24)

To defense God’s justice, Elihu criticized Job with the following sins:

1. drinks up derision like water (v7). In another word, laugh at others frequently
2. walks with wicked men (v8)
3. speaks without knowledge and wisdom(v35)
4. answers like wicked men (v36)
5. rebellion (v37)
6. multiplies his words against God (v37).

Life’s Lesson

There are times we need to be like Elihu to defense for God. Are you equipped with His words to defense for God? When the enemy attacks us, our weapon is the sword of the Spirit, which is the words of God.

If we do not know the Lord, we cannot defense for Him. To know Him is to spend time with Him, in His words, in prayers.

Overview

Elihu is speaking to Job (v1). He comforted Job that his words are from the uprightness of his heart,  his lips speak knowledge sincerely (v3),  he desired to justify Job (v32), and to teach Job wisdom (v33).

Elihu referenced to the breath of the Almighty gives him life (v4) and he was formed out of clay (v6) suggests that the story of God’s creation in Gen 1 may have been know to people at that time.

In verse 8 to 11, Elihu quoted Job’s complaints (v13) to God. Job compliant to God why He did not give an account of all His doings (v13)?

Elihu then said God did speak, but no one notices it (v14). God speaks in dream, vision of the night, when men were as sleep (v15).

Then in v18 to v33, Elihu mentioned five times that God has a purpose in Job’s suffering, that is to deliver his soul from going down to the pit (v18, v22, v24, v28, v30).

Elihu said there is an angel as mediator, and reminds men God is gracious to men, God has a plan to deliver men from going down to the pit, and the plan involves a ransom. (v23-24).

What Elihu knew was a shadow of the things to come, 1 Tim 2:5-6 tells us the truth of God’s redemption plan: [For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.]

Life’s Lesson

No matter what kind of pit we could get ourselves in life, God’s has already paid the ransom to deliver us from these pits. All we need to do to receive the redemption is to trust His words by faith in Christ.

Overview

Job had the last word in his debate with his friends, so it seem that Job had won the debate. Elihu, a younger man has been listening to Job and his three friends’ debates. He didn’t interrupt until they are finished because he thought older men should have more wisdom (v7), which he found out it was not the case after listening to all their speeches (v9).

Then Elihu spoke something remarkable: [But it is a spirit in man. And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.] (v8). The breath of Almighty is the Holy Spirit, only Him can give us understanding of spiritual matters.

Elihu was in anger when he spoke, because Job justified himself before God (v2), and because Job’s three friends found no answer, but had condemned Job (v3).

Elihu said that he has a lot to say, because the Holy Spirit urges him to do so (v18).

He said he would not show partiality to anyone, and would not flatter any men, because that would displease God, and he would be taken away by God. (V21)

Life’s Lesson

The age of a believer does not always reflect how much he knows Christ. It is how much our spirit is yielding to the Holy Spirit in the years we follow Christ that dictate how much we know our Lord. May we all have the desire to grow in our knowledge and relationship with Him as we advance in age.

Overview

This is the final defense for Job. He recounted all areas in his life, and stand on his position that he has lived a righteous life as much as a man could live.

He said he was

1. faithful to his wife (v1-12);
2. treated his servants with respect (v13-15),
3. helped the poor, widowed and orphans (v16-23)
4. didn’t put his trust in gold (v24)
5. treated his enemies, men under his care, and aliens all with dignity (v29-32).
6. didn’t cover his sins (v33)

Job was willing to accept additional curses from God is any one of his claims was not true.

His purpose is so that God will hear his appeal. He has written this down and signed the document. Now he wanted God’s signature on the document to prove his friends indictment on him was wrong (v35). This is his only hope for the future.

[Oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature; Let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary has written] (v35)

Life’s Lesson

A man’s dignity is more important than his life. Job was able to wait for the Lord and praise his name when he lost his treasures, when he lost his children, when he lost the support from his wife, and even when he lost his health. But Job couldn’t keep silent when his dignity was intruded by his friends. At the end of this debate, all Job wanted was vindication from God, and proved his friends were wrong about him. He wanted his name to be cleaned.

How much do you watch for your own dignity? Are you willing to keep silent and wait for the Lord when people misunderstood you?

When you are being misunderstood, being “crucified” by others, meditate on how the Lord responded to people who mocked him: [“Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.”] (Luke 23:34)

Overview

After Job described his previous prosperous live, he now described his present live. He used parallelism to compare his present with his previous live.

1. He was well respected previously (29:8), presently he is being laughed at (v1), abhorred (v10) , and spitted at (v10).
2. He was enjoying blessings in life previously (29:6), presently days of affliction have taken hold of him (30:16)
3. He helped the needy previously (29:12-17), presently he cries for help and no one response to his plead (v24)
4. He had hope for the future previously (29:18-20), presently he had no hope (v26)
5. He brought encouragement to people with his words previously (29:21-25), presently he no longer has any words of encouragement, instead his music has turned from major to minor key (v31)

Life’s Lesson

If we are blessed with material prosperity today, we thank the Lord for His grace. However there is no guarantee God will continue to bless us in the future. So do not be too comfortable with what we have today. We need to learn to give thanks for the things the Lord has blessed us so far (1 The 5:16-18), be content with what we have today (Phi 4:11), and be prepared for any trials that may come into future. What is important is to live in the present of God. Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (Matt 6:33).

Overview

Job gave a closing statements of his debate in chapter 29 – 31. Chapter 29 focused on Job’s prosperity in the past, Chapter 30 focused on Job’s crisis in the present, and Chapter 31 focused on Job’s hope for God’s vindication in the future.

1. v2-6: How God has blessed him:
   1. God watched over him (v2)
   2. God’s lamp shone upon his head (v3)
   3. God’s light guided him in darkness (v3)
   4. God’s intimate friendship bless his house (v4)
   5. God’s was with him (v5)
2. v7-11: How he was well respected in the city
   1. respected by young men (v8)
   2. respected by old men (v8)
   3. respected by chief men (v9)
   4. respected by nobles (v10)
   5. respected by everyone (v11)
3. v12-17: How he was the help of the needy
4. v18-20: How he had great hope for the future
5. v21-25: How he spoke words of encouragement to men

Life’s Lesson

It is good to count God’s blessing in our life, however we should be careful not to focus to much on the glories past that we ignore the opportunities in the present, we may end up unprepared for the future. The past must be a rudder to guide us and not an anchor to hold us back.

Overview

This is a chapter about wisdom. Job discussed what is wisdom and where it can be found.

v1-11: Job described men intelligent and ability to perform many words. Men know about to mine silver and iron, refined gold and smelt copper (v1-2). Men are able to explore places no one has never been before (v4). Bird and beasts do not know what is hidden under the earth (v7-8), but men were able to turn over rocks (v9), tunnels through rock (v10), and searches the sources of rivers. Job’s point is men are able to discover new things, men are smarter then any animals, men can create tools, use technology, but none of these is wisdom.

v12-20: Then Job ask a rhetorical questions, “But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? (v12). “WHere then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? (v20)? Men think money is everything. Job said no amount of precious stone can purchase wisdom (v15-19).

v20-28: God alone understands the way to wisdom (v23). In NT, we are told that the Lord Jesus is wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24). In Him is hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:3). Job finally gave the answer to his own question: “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.” The is exactly God’s comment for Job in Chapter 1 and 2.

Overview

1. v1-6: Job was not convinced by his friends that he sinned against God. “…till I die, I will not deny my integrity.I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it”. Job continued to believe that he did not sin against God to deserve the punishment. Job was right because God declared before satan Job was blameless, upright, fear God and shunned evil.
2. v7-23: Job then described what would happen to wicked men. He did not directly point out his friends were wicked, but it was obvious that was his point. Job said: “May my enemies be like the wicked, my adversaries like the unjust!” (v7). At this point, his friends have turned into his enemies. Job thought his friends were wicked by because they wrongly accused Job for sins he did not commit.

Overview

• v1-4: Job rebuked Bildad for giving him no help.
• v5-6: Job used three different names for the place of the dead: the waters, sheol, and abaddon (Rev. 9:11)
• v7-13: Job described the power of God in creations
  • v7: Job described the earth is suspended over nothing. A remarkable description of the earth at a time most people think the earth is flat and standing on some foundation.

Bildad too described God’s power (25:2-3), and Job replied with many more descriptions of God’s power.

Overview

This is Bildad third and last speech. This is the shortest speech in Job, it seems he has came to a stalemate.

1. v1-3: Bildad talks about the power of God. God is in reign of this world. God has the forces of army in heavens that no one can numbered. God is light, can He can choose to shine on anyone. Bildad has pretty good understanding of God’s power.
2. v4-6: Bildad talks about there is no righteous man before God. Even the moon and starts are not perfect in God’s eyes, how much less are men, who are but maggots.

Previously Bildad accused Job of sinning, and thus God punished him with the tragedy that he deserved. Since he was not able to convince Job, now he is saying there is no righteous man before God. We can almost here Bildad telling Job: “stop saying that you have no sins, no one of us can claim to be a righteous man before God almighty.”