Job 32:11 says, Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, whilst ye searched out what to say.  Elihu continues to speak of his patience in listening to the debate between Job and his friends.  He not only heard what they were saying, but he listened attentively to what they said.  Too often, when people are in a dispute about an issue they never really consider what the other person has to say.  If our purpose is to prove another person wrong, then we will tend to dismiss what they are saying without really considering it.  Elihu said that he had considered what was said.  Verse twelve says, Yea, I attended unto you, and, behold, there was none of you that convinced Job, or that answered his words:  Elihu said that even though Job's friends had a lot to say that nothing they had said had answered Job's questions.  Just because we may be able to argue with someone about matters of faith does not mean that we can offer a better understanding unless we are relying on the Holy Spirit to guide us in understanding.  As followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit will always direct our understanding of God if we only listen.  Verse thirteen says, Lest ye should say, We have found out wisdom: God thrusteth him down, not man.  I believe that Elihu was saying that by their words and now their silence that they still believed that God was punishing, or had cast down, Job.  Job's condition had not changed in spite of His claim of innocence, so his friends seemed to assume that they were right.  Since they felt that Job was not going to listen to them, there was no need to continue arguing with Him.  We cannot assume that if a person is suffering and that if they pray, or call out to God, and nothing seems to happen that they must not be in a right relationship with God.  Once more, our material status does not indicate our spiritual status. Verse fourteen says, Now he hath not directed his words against me: neither will I answer him with your speeches.  Elihu said that Job had not been speaking to him specifically, and that even though he was going to answer Job, it wasn't going to be with their words, or by their reasoning.  Verse fifteen states, They were amazed, they answered no more: they left off speaking.  Elihu left everyone speechless.  It may have been because he was bold enough to rebuff them, but I believe that they recognized the truth of what he was saying.  When we hear someone who is really speaking the truth of God, we need to just be quiet and listen.   In verse sixteen Elihu says, When I had waited, (for they spake not, but stood still, and answered no more;) Elihu did not enter the argument, but waited until Job and his friends were silent.  Verse seventeen states, I said, I will answer also my part, I also will shew mine opinion.  Elihu said that once they were silent, he felt free to offer his opinion .  We may need to wait for the right moment to speak, even when speaking the truth.  People are more likely to listen when they have said what they wanted to say, especially if they feel they are right.  Verse eighteen says, For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constraineth me.  I believe in this verse and the next four, Elihu was saying that he felt compelled by the Spirit of God to speak.  He felt full of insight into the question at hand. Verse nineteen says, Behold, my belly is as wine which hath no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles.  Then, verse twenty, I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer.  Like Elihu, if we feel that the Holy Spirit is leading us to speak, we should be refreshed by speaking.  Verse twenty-one declares, Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person, neither let me give flattering titles unto man.  Then in verse twenty-two Elihu concludes, For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away. I believe that Elihu was saying that he was not going to be silenced by anyone's status, but was going to follow the leadership of God.  If we begin to believe that someone's status should be more important than what God tells us is the truth, then God may indeed take us away as for as our witness goes.

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.

Job 31:33 says, If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom:  Job again denies the sins that his friends had accused him of.  Job said that unlike Adam he had not attempted to hide his sins from God.  We know that Adam first tried to hide from God, and when that did not work, he tried to blame Eve, and then God Himself, for his sins.  I believe that Job was not saying that he had never sinned, or transgressed against God, but that when he did, he accepted responsibility for his sin.  We cannot hope to have our sins forgiven if we don't confess them to God, and sometimes even to those around us.  I do not believe that it is enough to say that our sins are already forgiven through our faith in Christ so we do not have to be concerned with them.  We need to always be ready to confess our sins, even after salvation.  Unconfessed sin will always stand between a right relationship with God and us.  We, like Job, need to never attempt to hide our sins from God nor blame them on others.  In verse thirty- four Job asks, Did I fear a great multitude, or did the contempt of families terrify me, that I kept silence, and went not out of the door? Job really asked this as a rhetorical question.   His friends had accused him of acting in fear, but Job asked when this had happened.  Job said that he was not afraid of the multitudes and did not allow them to silence his witness for God.  Even if the whole world seems to turn against God, and therefore us as His followers, we cannot allow fear to silence us.  In verse thirty-five Job pleads, Oh that one would hear me! behold, my desire is, that the Almighty would answer me, and that mine adversary had written a book.  Job's greatest concern had always been that he had been abandoned by God.  He sincerely desired an answer from God, and he felt he wasn't getting it.  Just because God had yet to answer Job in the way Job felt He should did not mean that God did not hear His prayers.  We today may also feel that God is not listening when our prayers are not immediately answered in the way we want them to be. We can be assured that as followers of Christ, God not only hears but the Holy Spirit makes intercession for us, often before we even know what to pray.  We must never let our condition in the world to cause us to doubt God.  In verse thirty-six Job declares, Surely I would take it upon my shoulder, and bind it as a crown to me.  Job said that if God answered him, that he would bind himself up in that answer and that it would be like a crown in his life.  Job was not speaking of the things of this world being a crown of success in his life, but of his relationship with God being restored.  In verse thirty-seven Job continues, I would declare unto him the number of my steps; as a prince would I go near unto him.  Job said that if God would answer him, that he would follow God with every step he took, which he felt he had always tried to do.  Verse thirty one continues, If my land cry against me, or that the furrows likewise thereof complain;  Job felt that if he had done the things he was accused of that the land itself would have cried against him.  Verse thirty nine states,  If I have eaten the fruits thereof without money, or have caused the owners thereof to lose their life:  I believe that Job was asking anyone who could prove that he had cheated them and not just make the claim to speak out.  Then, in verse forty Job declares, Let thistles grow instead of wheat, and cockle instead of barley. The words of Job are ended.  I believe that Job was saying that if he had done the things his friends had accused him of that he deserved to suffer.  What we must remember is that our relationship to God can never be based on material things, which Job's friends were claiming.  Job had stated his case, and now he had no more to say in his defense.  We also must ultimately quit attempting to prove our worthiness before God and simply rest assured in our faith.

Job 31: 24 says, If I have made gold my hope, or have said to the fine gold, Thou art my confidence;  As Job continues to answer the charges made against him, he now really says that he didn't put his faith in gold.  Even if we have riches beyond measure, we can never put our faith in them.  Like everything else but our relationship to God, they will pass away.  Verse twenty-five states, If I rejoiced because my wealth was great, and because mine hand had gotten much;  I believe that Job was stating that he did not find a reason for rejoicing because of his wealth.  He still saw it as a blessing from God.  If we are followers of Christ and become rich in material things, we can never allow them to be our source of rejoicing.  We need to remember that everything belongs to God, and He expects us to use what He blesses us with for His glory.  Verse twenty-six adds, If I beheld the sun when it shined, or the moon walking in brightness;  I believe that Job was stating that he never worshipped false gods like the sun and moon, as many did in his day.  Verse twenty seven adds, And my heart hath been secretly enticed, or my mouth hath kissed my hand:  Job said that he never even thought of worshipping the false gods nor paying homage to them.  We should be just as careful today that we do not even allow thoughts of worshipping false gods to enter our minds.  If we are not careful, we can begin to believe that the sun, moon, or stars somehow determine our fate.  Verse twenty eight states, This also were an iniquity to be punished by the judge: for I should have denied the God that is above.  I believe that Job was saying that if he was guilty of idolatry that he should be punished, even in the courts of the day.  Job said the reason for this was if he were worshipping idols, no matter what they might be, he was guilty of denying the one true God.  If we allow anything to come between God and us, we are guilty of the same thing.  Verse twenty-nine states, If I rejoiced at the destruction of him that hated me, or lifted up myself when evil found him:  Job said that he did not rejoice in the destruction of his enemies, nor did he use their destruction to make him feel morally superior.  As followers of Christ today, we need to have that same attitude.  In verse thirty Job continues  Neither have I suffered my mouth to sin by wishing a curse to his soul.  Job said that not only did he not rejoice in the destruction of his enemies, but he didn't even allow his words to curse them, or wish for their destruction.  We today need to pray for the salvation of our enemies instead of praying for or even threatening their destruction.  Verse thirty one states, If the men of my tabernacle said not, Oh that we had of his flesh! we cannot be satisfied.  Job said that even though those who were around him wanted his, or their, enemies destroyed, he did not agree with them.  We, as followers of Christ, are not called to destroy people, but to lead them to forgiveness through Christ.  Verse thirty two says, The stranger did not lodge in the street: but I opened my doors to the traveller.  Job said he treated the stranger with hospitality, not allowing them to sleep in the street.  Today, we somehow find it acceptable to have families living on the street, often feeling that somehow they deserve it.  This is not what God's word teaches us though.

Job 31:13 says, If I did despise the cause of my manservant or of my maidservant, when they contended with me;  Job continues to speak of some of the things that he could have been hypocritical about.  He was now referring to his treatment of his servants.  It is easy to look down on people whom we feel are somehow beneath us.  Job was not saying he had acted this way, but that had he done so, then he should be held accountable.  In verse fourteen Job asks, What then shall I do when God riseth up? and when he visiteth, what shall I answer him?  Job said that had he been guilty of mistreating his servants, what could he say to God if God punished him.  As sinners, we can say nothing to God to justify ourselves before Him.  In verse four Job asks, Did not he that made me in the womb make him? and did not one fashion us in the womb?  I believe that Job was stating by this question that all people are created equal in God's sight.  Job had no justification if he looked down on those who were less fortunate than him, even his own servants.  We need to acknowledge that we are no more worthy of God's love than the poorest person in the world, and we should never treat anyone as unworthy in our dealings with them.  Verse sixteen says, If I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail;  Job was again sayin that he had helped the poor, in spite of being called a hypocrite.  In verse seventeen Job continues, stating, Or have eaten my morsel myself alone, and the fatherless hath not eaten thereof;  Job said if he had done these things he deserved God's punishment, but he knew that he hadn't.  If we do look at others, we need to be careful not to judge them by preconceived ideas, especially when it comes to their relationship to God.  Still, their actions should be an indication of their following of God.  If someone does everything is for self-satisfaction with no concern for others, then we would be wise to question their dedication to following God.  Verse eighteen says, (For from my youth he was brought up with me, as with a father, and I have guided her from my mother’s womb;)  Job said not only was he treating others fairly after he was older and had grown rich, but that he had done it all his life.  Verse nineteen states, If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or any poor without covering;  Then continuing in verse twenty, If his loins have not blessed me, and if he were not warmed with the fleece of my sheep;  Eliphaz in particular had accused Job of doing these things, and Job was basically saying where is the proof.  We certainly cannot afford to make false accusations against others, especially fellow believers.  Verse twenty one says, If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, when I saw my help in the gate:  Job is simply continuing to ask for examples of where he had mistreated others.  Then, in verse twenty two he declares, Then let mine arm fall from my shoulder blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone.  Job said that if he had done these things, then he deserved punishment.  In verse twenty three he continues, For destruction from God was a terror to me, and by reason of his highness I could not endure.  Job said that he did not do these things just out of fear of God's punishment.  Though we should follow God because of His love for us, if we are being hypocritical in our relationship to Him, we should fear His coming judgment.

Job 31:1 says, I made a covenant with mine eyes; why then should I think upon a maid?  I believe that Job was saying that he had made certain that he would never even look on his maid in an improper way.  We hear so much today about people acting improperly toward others in a sexual manner, but it all begins with looking at that person with an attitude of selfishness.  Job said he would not allow this to happen in his life, and we must also.  Verse two asks, For what portion of God is there from above? and what inheritance of the Almighty from on high?  Job said that he kept himself pure from lust, not just in the eyes of the world, but in the eyes of God as well.  We may fool the world, but we will never fool God.  Verse three asks, Is not destruction to the wicked? and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity?  I believe that Job was asking why he was being punished, when that should be the fate of the wicked.  If we truly place our lives in God's hands, then we need never question what happens in life, but simply need to continue to live by our faith in God.  In verse four, Job asks, Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?  Job was once more asking if God did not know that Job was walking in righteousness. We can be certain that God does indeed watch our steps, whether we are walking in the truth of righteousness or the lies of deceit.  We will never fool God.  In verse five Job says, If I have walked with vanity, or if my foot hath hasted to deceit;  I believe Job was stating that if he had possibly done these things that he was unaware of it.  It is different to do something wrong without realizing it than to knowingly do something wrong and deny it.  Still in verse six Job says, Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.  Job asked that he be judged fairly by God.  We can be certain that God will always be fair in His judgment of people.  We can also be certain that God knows all our sins and our good deeds, but good deeds can never balance the scale against sin.  Only through faith in Christ can we be judged not as unguilty but as forgiven.  Verse seven says, If my step hath turned out of the way, and mine heart walked after mine eyes, and if any blot hath cleaved to mine hands;  Job still did not believe that he was guilty of these things, but knew that this was what his friends were saying that he did.  We need to be willing to take responsibility for our actions, even if we don't believe that we have done anything wrong.  Job was looking to God for a fair judgment and not listening to his friends judgment.  Verse eight says, Then let me sow, and let another eat; yea, let my offspring be rooted out.  Job acknowledged that sin should be punished.  We must first acknowledge that sin does need to be punished, not just in the lives of others, but in our lives as well.  We also need to acknowledge that God is the One to punish that sin.  In the next three verses Job was speaking about adultery in particular.  Verse nine states, If mine heart have been deceived by a woman, or if I have laid wait at my neighbour’s door;  Job was basically declaring his innocence, not only in action but in thought as well.  He had never even been tempted to cheat on his wife.  In  verse ten Job says, Then let my wife grind unto another, and let others bow down upon her.  Job said that had he been guilty of adultery, then his wife would be free to leave him for another.  I don't believe that he was saying that she would be free to commit adultery or placed in a position to be used by others.  Verse eleven declares, For this is an heinous crime; yea, it is an iniquity to be punished by the judges.  Job saw adultery as a very serious crime that should be judged.  Though he was correct in his assessment, he was wrong to say one sin should be judged more harshly than others.  All sins lead to separation from God, and all are forgiven equally by putting our faith in Christ as our Savior and Lord.  Verse twelve states, For it is a fire that consumeth to destruction, and would root out all mine increase.  Job was stating the severity of adultery, but we need to apply this to all sins.  In worldly terms, some sins may be more worthy of punishment than others, but to God they are all punishable by death in the final judgment, but are equally all forgiven through Christ.  No matter the severity of the sin, God wants people to repent and be restored to Himself through Christ.

Job 30:15 says, Terrors are turned upon me: they pursue my soul as the wind: and my welfare passeth away as a cloud.  Job now turns from how those around him treated him to how he himself felt.  Job said that whichever way he turned, he felt that terror awaited him.  His welfare had blown away like the wind.  We should pray that we never feel so helpless, but if we do, we should always remember that God is with us in our suffering.  Verse sixteen says,  And now my soul is poured out upon me; the days of affliction have taken hold upon me.  I believe that Job was saying that he was sure that he was going to die.  His days of suffering had finally taken away his hope of restoration.  We need to always simply put our faith in God and never give up hope.  Though I know Job had not given up his hope of being restored to God beyond the grave, he had given up hope for restoration in this life.  Even if we are suffering greatly, we need to remember that if we are faithful to God that we should leave our lives in His hands.  Verse seventeen says, My bones are pierced in me in the night season: and my sinews take no rest.  Job said he was now skin and bone and could find no rest.  There is not doubt that Job was suffering greatly physically, but I still believe that his spiritual anguish is what caused his greatest suffering.   Verse eighteen states, By the great force of my disease is my garment changed: it bindeth me about as the collar of my coat.  I believe that Job was saying that even his clothes hurt him.  Even if he had been dressed in fine clothes, they would have still added to his suffering.  Just as Job could not have found permanent relief in the things of this world, neither can we.  In verse nineteen Job declares, He hath cast me into the mire, and I am become like dust and ashes.   We need to remember that Job believed that God was the direct cause of his suffering, even though he felt that he had done nothing to deserve it.  If we are going to faithfully follow God and give Him credit for our prosperity, we cannot accuse Him of abandoning us if we find ourselves in the deepest suffering.  We need to stand firmly in our faith that God will always be with us, if we are truly His by faith.  Verse twenty says, I cry unto thee, and thou dost not hear me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.  If we are followers of Christ, we may at times feel that God does not hear us when we cry out to Him, but we can be certain that he always does.  We cannot afford to become impatient in our faith, but must stand firm no matter what is happening in our lives.  Verse twenty one states, Thou art become cruel to me: with thy stronghand thou opposest thyself against me.  Job felt that God was treating him cruelly, but God does not treat people that way.  Even those that suffer God's punishment do not do so because of God's cruelty, because our punishment is because of our refusal to accept His forgiveness and follow His will.  Verse twenty two says, Thou liftest me up to the wind; thou causest me to ride upon it, and dissolvest my substance.  I believe that this was just Job's way of saying he felt that God had simply blown his life away.  Verse twenty three declares, For I know that thou wilt bring me to death, and to the house appointed for all living.  Job believed that God would soon cause him to die and end his suffering.  We need to note that Job did not say that he himself was going to cause his own death, but even in his great suffering, he still placed his life in God's hands.  Verse twenty four says, Howbeit he will not stretch out his hand to the grave, though they cry in his destruction.  Job said that beyond the grave God would no longer punish him.  As followers of Christ, this is the promise of God.  As for those who refuse to accept Christ as their Savior, this is not the case.  Verse twenty five asks, Did not I weep for him that was in trouble? was not my soul grieved for the poor?  I believe that Job was saying that his actions proved that he was not hypocritical in life.  Verse twenty six states, When I looked for good, then evil came unto me: and when I waited for light, there came darkness.  Job then speaks once more of his current state.  He felt abandoned in the darkness of evil and unable to see the light of God.  We may at times feel the same way, but we need to hold to God's promise that He will never desert us if we are His. In the next five verses, Job continues to restate his suffering in his current condition.  Verse twenty seven says, My bowels boiled, and rested not: the days of affliction prevented me.  Then verse twenty eight, I went mourning without the sun: I stood up, and I cried in the congregation. Continuing in verse twenty nine, I am a brother to dragons, and a companion to owls.  Then in verse thirty, My skin is black upon me, and my bones are burned with heat.  Then Job concluded in verse thirty one, My harp also is turned to mourning, and my organ into the voice of them that weep.  Job felt abandoned not only by those around him, but also by God as he wasted away awaiting death.  We need to claim beyond all doubt that no matter how much we may be suffering, no matter how many friends desert us, that God is with us forever if we are His through faith in the salvation that Christ gives to the world.