Job 32:1 says, So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.  One by one, Job's friends had stopped talking, and now none of the three had anything left to say.  I don't believe that the statement that Job was righteous in his own eyes means that he had a false self-righteous, but that he was convinced that his relationship with God was pure.  We cannot hope to silence others because we are righteous by our own abilities, but we can silence them by our righteousness because of God's redemption.  Job had also quit speaking, so silence had ensued.  Then, there is a new speaker.  Verse two says, 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.  Elihu enters the conversation, and it says that his wrath was kindled against Job.  He had listened to all that the four of them had said, and was upset with Job because he felt that Job was justifying himself instead of justifying God.  If everything in the world is falling apart around us, we do not need to attempt to justify ourselves.  We need instead to acknowledge that no matter what happens in this life, that if we are followers of Christ, that God is always with us.  This is not because of our worthiness, but because of the sacrifice of Christ for our sins.  Verse three states, Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.  Elihu was not siding with Job's friends, but was upset with them as well.  Elihu said that they had condemned Job without proof.  They had no answer from God for their claims, but continued to hold their belief that God was punishing Job.  We need to be careful that we never allow preconceived ideas to influence our judgment of a situation, but must always allow God to guide us to the truth.  Verse four states, Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.  Elihu did not interrupt Job or his friends because he respected them as his elders.  Whether a person is older than us or not, we should always be willing to listen to what they have to say without interrupting or arguing with them.  Verse five says, When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, then his wrath was kindled.  I believe that Elihu expected Job's three friends, whom he saw as wiser than himself due to their age, to be able to give an accurate response to Job.  When they all remained silent, Elihu was angry with them.  We may feel that older Christians should always have the answers to the tough questions of faith, but that is not always true.  Verse six states, And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.  Elihu is identified by the fact of who his father was, but other than that we know nothing about Him.  He is not identified as a friend of Job's who came to comfort him, but he had evidently been there the whole time the discussion was going on between Job and his friends.  Elihu said that because of his youth he had been afraid to speak.  We need to realize that even if we are younger than another person, that even as we respect their age, we should never be afraid to speak what we understand to be the truth of God.  In verse seven, Elihu says, I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.  Elihu was saying that the longer a person lived, especially those who claimed to follow God, the more they should gain wisdom about God.  We know this is not always true.  Elihu states this in verse eight, when he declares, But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.  I believe that Elihu was speaking of the Holy Spirit giving us inspiration and understanding, and not just the number of years we have lived doing so.  No matter our age, if we are to grow in our understanding of God, it must be through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Verse nine states, Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgment. Elihu said that a person's status nor age always brought wisdom.  In verse ten Elihu then states, Therefore I said, Hearken to me; I also will shew mine opinion.  He said that since those who were older than him offered no insight that he would now speak.  Elihu was not approaching the situation as one who just couldn't wait to show up those who should have been wiser than he was, but instead as one who had to share God's truth when they failed to.  We should always share God's truth out of an attitude of respect and not of arrogance.