Job 37

Job 37:22

ELIHU CONCLUDESChapter 37 concludes what Elihu has to say. I am going to lift out only three verses from this final chapter: Again, he is inferring that God is so far removed from man that we just cannot communicate with Him. He is way up yonder, and we are way down here. However, we have already seen that it is not the greatness and majesty of God that has separated man from Him; it is man’s sin. This chapter clearly shows us that Elihu cannot be a prophet or a mediator for Job. That is one of the reasons that I have never specialized in counseling. If you want to know the truth, I don’t know enough to be a counselor. I feel that a man who is going to pose as a counselor is sitting in the place of God. The friends of Job tried to be his counselors. They were trying to take the place of God in this man’s life. Their problem was that their own knowledge was not adequate. We need to recognize counseling for what it is. It arises out of the experience and wisdom of another human being. The great breakdown in counseling is that no one is all-knowing, no one is omniscient. No counselor can know all the facts or have all the wisdom that is necessary. As you know by now, I have cancer and it is necessary for me to have a good doctor. I wanted the very best, and I have a wonderful doctor. The thing I like about him is that he is not all-knowing or all-powerful. He isn’t afraid to tell me, “I don’t know.” I like that. It makes him a human being. He does not put himself into the place of God. He is a fine Christian and is attempting to serve the Lord, so he doesn’t try to usurp God’s place. Elihu really almost tried to move into God’s place. He wanted to be a mediator for Job. But he breaks off here with the fact that he really doesn’t know God as he should. He doesn’t know how to approach God, and he is far removed from Him. That is why it is necessary for God to break through. You will notice in verse Job_37:22 that he gives a little weather report. He says, “Fair weather cometh out of the north.” Why do you suppose he said that? I think that during most of the discourse of Elihu a storm was forming over the horizon. It grew darker, and the storm began to advance. The wind was probably howling, and a few drops of rain were beginning to fall. It became a formidable storm, and the people were running for shelter. I think that after he finished his discourse, Elihu also took off and ran for shelter. Job was left, alone.