Wednesday, December 20, 2017
Job 34:29 says, When he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble? and when he hideth his face, who then can behold him? whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only: I believe that Elihu was getting to the heart of the matter at this point. If God brings quietness, or peace, into the heart of a person, then nothing is able to take that away. I believe that this means that no matter what is happening to us in life, that if we are truly following God we will be at peace. As Paul would later say, no matter what happened, he was content in his life because of his relationship to Christ. Job should have been, and so should we. Elihu said that if God hid His face, whether from a nation or an individual, that they would not find Him. I don't believe that God ever hides Himself from His people, but we may not always understand how He is at work. Verse thirty says, That the hypocrite reign not, lest the people be ensnared. We could understand this to mean that Job was being punished because he was hypocritical, but I do not believe that is what Elihu was saying. I believe that he was speaking of the ultimate fate of the hypocrite. Verse thirty-one says, Surely it is meet to be said unto God, I have borne chastisement, I will not offend any more: Elihu told Job that people should be willing to accept chastisement from God. Though this is not what was happening to Job, I believe that Elihu was saying that Job should not claim that God was treating him unfairly. We should never question God's love for us, no matter what. In verse thirty-two Elihu continues, That which I see not teach thou me: if I have done iniquity, I will do no more. I believe that Elihu was telling Job that even if he did not see a reason for God's chastisement that he was to ask God to reveal it and then do it no more. I believe that Elihu was saying that we may be guilty of some sin that we really aren't aware of and that we should be willing to accept God's chastisement without attempting to claim that God is punishing us unfairly. Verse thirty-three says, Should it be according to thy mind? he will recompense it, whether thou refuse, or whether thou choose; and not I: therefore speak what thou knowest. Elihu said it was not up to Job or anyone else to decide the fairness of God. We are limited in our understanding, and God is not. We should never attempt to force our limited understanding on God, but instead should simply follow Him in faith. Verse thirty-four says, Let men of understanding tell me, and let a wise man hearken unto me. I believe that Elihu was asking that if what he was saying was wrong for those who understood God to tell him how. We should never be unwilling to allow another follower of Christ to show us if we are wrong in our understanding of God. Verse thirty-four says, Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom. Job had pronounced himself innocent, but by his complaints against God he had proven himself guilty. Verse thirty-six says, My desire is that Job may be tried unto the end because of his answers for wicked men. Elihu said he hoped that Job would be tried for his answer in which he attempted to justify himself before evil men. I believe that Elihu was speaking of Job's attempt to justify himself at the expense of proclaiming God guilty of being unfair. Verse thirty seven states, For he addeth rebellion unto his sin, he clappeth his hands among us, and multiplieth his words against God. Elihu said that Job was guilty of rebelling against God by his claim that God was guilty of treating him wrong. If we are suffering today, we need to never allow ourselves to be guilty of blaming God of treating us unfairly.
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