Job 32
McGeeCHAPTERS 3237THEME: The discourse of ElihuThere is a crowd standing around listening to these men talk. When Job is finished with his discourse, it is one of the members of this audience, Elihu, who picks up the discourse and carries on from then until God breaks into the discussion. During this time a storm gathers on the horizon. By the time we get to the end of Elihu’s discourse, the storm breaks upon the group, and they all run for cover. Only Job is left there in the storm. It is then that God will deal with Job personally. Now the three friends of Job are through. They fade into the distance. Frankly, I heave a sigh of relief. I am thankful they are through talking, and I hope they’ve gone home. To all intents and purposes, Job has won the debate. But he hasn’t won. Here stands a young man with something to say. He hasn’t opened his mouth so far, which is unusual for a young man, but this is a very intelligent young man.
Job 32:1
That, of course, is accurateJob was righteous in his own eyes. The three friends had not been able to give an answer to Job. They failed to meet his need in all their reasonings and in all their arguments. Eliphaz was the one who had referred to experience. Zophar was the legalist. Bildad put his arguments on the basis of human authority. None of them had been able to come up with a solution for Job. They had said many things that were truethey came up with a number of great truthsbut they did not answer Job’s problem. At the end of it all, Job remained righteous in his own eyes. There was a value in this controversy. It is important for us to see that when two parties are divided over any issue, they can never reach an understanding unless there is a brokenness and a submissiveness and a willingness to be subdued and not to contend for self on the part of one or both of the parties involved. We find a lot of high-mindedness today, inside and outside the church, which is the cause of a great many of the problems that we have today. Job was a high-minded man. He has been touchy and tenacious and easily provoked, but his friends have been equally so. They have not been able to come to any kind of an understanding. I think we ought to say on behalf of the friends of Job that they found no answer because there was no answer. Only God can answer a self-righteous individual. We will find that finally God did break in with an answer for Job. To anything else the unbroken heart can find a ready reply, but not to God, of course. Job’s friends had no answer. Now Elihu is going to break into the conversation. He doesn’t have an answer for Job, but he comes closer than the others had come. And I do think that he prepares the way for God finally to break in upon this scene. Then God will give Job some information from “Headquarters” that all of us need. Notice that Elihu is a Buzite (descended from Buz, Gen_22:21), evidently a tribe of Arabs.
Job 32:2
Elihu speaks because he is angry, and he is angry on two counts. Job had spent his time justifying himself rather than God. This meant that he was actually saying, “God is wrong. God has made a big mistake with me.” This aroused the anger of Elihu.
Job 32:3
This was the second reason for his anger. The friends had not been able to put their finger on Job’s real problem, and yet they were condemning Job.
Job 32:4
Things apparently were different in that day from what they are today. A modern young man would already have broken into the conversation. We find in our society that little Willie has center stage. I have noticed this with my grandson. I tell you, he is on center stage, up front all the time. We listen to him, and I’m not sure that that is wise.
Job 32:5
Elihu had waited. He thought these older men would come up with something very wise. I can remember when I was a young preacher that I was frightened to death of the gray heads in the congregation because I thought they knew a great dealprobably much more than I did. However, I soon learned that length of days did not always indicate knowledge or depth of wisdom.
Job 32:6
Notice this interesting comment:
Job 32:8
Elihu doesn’t have the same position with the Holy Spirit that believers have today. Apparently the Holy Spirit did not indwell believers in the Old Testament, but He did come upon certain men for the performance of certain functions. For example, Bezaleel was filled with the spirit of God (Exo_31:2-3) who gave him the skill and wisdom to make the articles of furniture for the tabernacle. The spirit of God came upon many men in the Old Testament. David prayed, “… Take not thy holy spirit from me” (Psa_51:11), which would indicate that the Holy Spirit could depart from an Old Testament believer. There is no teaching in the Old Testament that men were indwelt by the spirit of God.
Elihu recognizes that only the inspiration of the Almighty can give understanding to man. This means that there is only one sure authority, and that is the Word of God.
Job 32:9
The “inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding"he recognizes that only God could provide an answer in Job’s case. Elihu is preparing the way for God to answer. Although he himself does not really have the answer, he recognizes that these other men did not have the answer either.
Job 32:10
This, of course, is absolutely true.
Job 32:13
It disturbed Elihu because he felt that these men should have been able to answer Job. It disturbed him because Job stands vindicated, and in this position he feels very cocky and self-confident. The literal meaning of the word contrite is “bruised.” Now it is true that Job has been battered and bruised. He has been in the ring with Satan, and he has had three rounds with his friends. This man Job is coming out bruised, there is no question about that. But contrition comes from within a man. It is grief and penitence for sin. David understood that “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psa_51:17). Job had been bruised, but he still was not contrite. However, God is not through with him yet. Only God has the answer for self-righteousness, pride, and arrogance. Sometimes people come to me with this story: “I have a son who has gone to college, and he knows everything now. How can I answer a boy like that?” The answer is that only God can deal with a son who thinks he knows it all. The minute that you and I become self-righteous we can be sure of one thing: we will be brought into the ring with God, and He is going to bruise us. He must treat us in that way because it seems to require bruising to bring us to a realization of our sin and to a spirit of humility. It was that spirit of humility which was demonstrated in the life of John Wesley. There is a somewhat humorous anecdote about his humility. It is said that Wesley was crossing a narrow bridge when he met an enemy right in the middle of it. It was impossible to pass, and his enemy drew himself up to his full height, and said, “I never give way to an ass!” Wesley looked at him for a minute, and then he answered, “Well, I always do,” and he just backed off the little bridge and let the man go by. I guess that would be the best answer one could give in a case like that. Not many men would have been willing to back off, but Wesley was. When I think of a really contrite spirit, I think of the confession of Horatius Bonar. He said, “I went to God to confess my coldness, my indifference, and my pride. After I had finished, I went back again to God and I repented of my repentance.” My friend, that is true contrition to repent of your repentance! You see, it is very easy for us to be proud even of our repentance. Elihu expected Job’s friends to continue the debate.
Job 32:16
Here we have the suggestion that it was Elihu who was the author of the book of Job. Notice that he is using “I” when he gives this explanation, and it sounds as if he were writing the book.
Job 32:18
He is saying here that he is constrained from saying more. He really would like to say more, but he will not say it. Apparently the spirit of God held him back. Unfortunately, many of us are high-minded. We are touchy and tenacious. We are easily provoked. We are ready to get into this business of vindicating ourselves, and we don’t want anyone to rebuke us at all. There is not that softness of tone or delicacy of touch. We pour no oil on the troubled waters. We do not have that broken heart and weeping eye. We parade our own experience like Eliphaz. We indulge in a legal spirit like Zophar. We introduce human authority like Bildad. We do not demonstrate the spirit and the mind of Christ. Remember that Pro_15:1 tells us that “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger.” Most of us forget thator perhaps I am just talking about myself.