Job prayer for his three Friends

 Job 42:7 -  9

 

April 23, 2020

 

 

“After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.  Now, therefore, take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.”  So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the Lord had told them, and the Lord accepted Job's prayer.”

 

Often, God uses others to confront us about sin. I will never forget the action of a young man. I was staying at his home when my life was in total rebellion, wanting what I thought I wanted and not concerned that I was disgracing the name of my Redeemer, Jesus Christ.  One day I said something I’m not sure what, and my friend Ronnie, who at that time did not profess to be a follower of Christ, said something I knew was God speaking through him.  Ronnie’s reply was so powerful, “Bob, I thought you professed to be a Christian, that is not the way Christians talk or act.”  

 

Job’s three friends, while trying to defend God, made wrong judgments and accusations about the reason for Job’s condition.  It became clear that they did not understand God’s love for His creation and made God out to be an insensitive enforcer of justice.

 

 I totally missed that Job's three friends had left Job, and by the time they returned, Job’s health was restored.  Now that may have happened the moment Job confessed or weeks later, the Scripture does not give us that insight.  For them to have a right relationship with the Father, they had to do as God required of them.

 

I remember one of the best Lay Renewals Jan and I went to was in Amarillo, Texas, led by my friend and mentor Jack Archer.  We had witnessed God moving amazingly, and we had taken two or three young girls with us.  I stopped for gas, and the person running the station said something to me that I reacted to in the wrong way.  The young girls heard my reply, it was harsh but not wrong, till the Lord spoke into my mind to turn around and go back the 20 or so miles and ask the man to forgive me.  I had a great argument, we had a long way to go, it was going the wrong way, but it seems God was saying, Do you want to have my hand on you? If so, go back and ask the man to forgive you.  I went back, the man was not into forgiveness but instead said ok, but I do not even recall who you are or why I’m forgiving you.  That was not his words, but it was close to that.  As I drove off to Houston, I understood it was not about the gas attendant, but my willingness to be obedient.  Job’s friends were obedient, and God used Job’s prayer to make them in right standing with Him.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

Job's reply to God

  

 

 

 

Job 42:1 – 6

 

April 22, 2020

 

 

 

Then Job answered the Lord and said:

“I know that you can do all things and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.  ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’  Therefore, I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.   ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’  I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore, I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

 

As followers of Christ, I understand we will not stand at the White Throne Judgment, only those who have rejected Jesus Christ as God’s only Son, who died on the Cross for your sins and mine.  We who have bowed a knee will be judged, I’m not at all sure how it is going to work, but I can only imagine a very large screen that is playing back every word that was idle and foolish, every act that did not bring glory to our Lord, since the time we bowed our knee to Christ.  It will not change our relationship with the Father, but it will be a less blessed gift we can bring to our Savior.  You may want to examine Romans 3:10 and Romans 2:16.  Romans 3:10 states clearly that no one is righteous, not one, so if your righteousness is based on your works, and not on Christ, who is your righteousness, you have a big problem.  Romans 2:16 makes it clear that not one thing will be hidden from God, and the Holy Spirit or the Son, I’m thinking the playback is not for God but for us.  I am so thankful it is not based on my performance but on a time in a hotel in Victoria, Texas, where I bowed my knee to the Lord Jesus and ask Him to forgive my life of unbelief, and looking to self, and not the Cross where He overcame by His blood; sin and the grave, and rose in three days and sits at the right hand of the Father.  The good news is He is coming back to rule on the earth for a Thousand Years, and His saints will be with Jesus for eternity.

 

I’ve never been ashamed to confess Jesus as my Lord, but I often have not done so because I know it will not be received. I now understand that’s not my call. I did find this quote from George MacDonald of interest: “We are often unable to tell people what they need to know because they want to know something else.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Gift to be able to Work

 

The Gift to be able to Work

 

Before the fall of man, one can only imagine the joy and fulfillment of work.  We often see the labor and the struggles of work and forget the joy of being able to have the blessing of work, which gives us a sense of fulfillment, purpose, and provision to bless and be a provider.

 

"Nothing is so intolerable to man as being fully at rest, without a passion, without business, without entertainment, without care." Blaise Pascal

 

Blaise said it so well that my role is no longer the provider but the helper; a day without accomplishment is dreadful.  We were designed in our D.& A. to find fulfillment in work.  The Master designer's plan for his children is to work as to the Lord, when a person washes dishes, bakes a cake, designs a building, or runs a business to employ others, if the heart is set on doing the will of God, they have done an act of kindness, and God see it as good.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

 

“I have seen the enemy, and it's me.”

 

Job 41

 

April 21, 2020

 

 

If God had needed you and me to understand what a Leviathan is, would He not have told us?  Isn't the point that this created animal was not something Job or anyone else could control or manage?  Let’s move to verses 10 – 11, “No one is fierce enough to rouse it.  Who then is able to stand against me?  Who has a claim against me that I must pay?  Everything under heaven belongs to me.”

 

As stated in chapter 41, the Leviathan is one mean critter, and yet it was a created being, made by God for a purpose.  What I’m not sure about, but then I’m not sure about fire ants and many other things.  The point is God has total control over all creation, so who is a man to stand against God? Is it not like chasing after the wind?  

 

God was telling Job If you cannot confront and control a small part of my creation, how are you going to make a claim against me?  How foolish is it when you and I do not seek Him? Has He not told us that He will give wisdom to all who ask it of Him?

 

I’m not sure who to give credit for this statement, but how true it is and has been in my life: “I have seen the enemy, and it's me.”  When I try living life in my own ability and not looking to the Lord for guidance, I find myself being self-centered and wanting my way, not God’s way.  Thank the LORD, He is slow to anger, and has a great love for His children, even a mess like me.

 

I am not sure about anyone but me, however, this I’m sure of: God loves you and desires a relationship with you.  He owns everything and has no need of anything, so why not allow Him to pour His love into your life?  Never forget He not only loves you, but He is Holy, and He is Just, and because of that He sent Jesus to save us from our sinful selves.  Being Holy, God cannot allow evil or sin into His presence, and yes Jesus made a bridge to God by dying on a cross for you and me, for all people, for before sin came into man, God said we were good, and He walked and talked with both Adam and Eve.  That is the relationship He desires with you.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

Job has what he ask for

 Job 40

 

April 20, 2020

 

Job is having his corner office visit with God, when a salesman asks for a visit with the CEO, the boss, the person who makes the final decision.  Job has been critical of God and often asks for a one-on-one with God so he could set things right.   The corner office call has never been an easy call for some salespeople, in fact, they never make it because this persons time is important, they are not easy to arrange a visit with, and one must be ready with numbers and facts about how your product will expand his business and make money or save money.

 

Job does not get the corner office, so God shows up in a whirlwind, and it seems Job is caught off guard, and God does not sound like He is all that pleased with Job.  God is speaking in Job 38:2, “He said: Who is this who obscures My counsel with ignorant words?”  I’m sure you recall God’s words in verses 3 – 7, “ Brace yourself like a man;  I will question you, and you shall answer me.   “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?  Tell me, if you understand.   Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!   Who stretched a measuring line across it?  On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels^[a] shouted for joy?”

 God asked Job so many questions about His Creation in chapters 38 – 39, and now in Job 40, he has the moment he thought he wanted, but at this moment, Job wished he had never spoken a word.  So, picking up the account in Job 40 1 5, The Lord said to Job:

“Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?  Let him who accuses God answer him!”  Then Job answered the Lord^, “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?  I put my hand over my mouth.   I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.”

 

That is a salesperson who gets the corner office visit but is not prepared with the answer, leaving the office in total defeat, with no sale and the chance of a return visit very slim.  Thank goodness that is not how God is, for He has been very patient with Job and His friends. I find it interesting that God does not say anything about Elihu, but God is not about to leave this unfinished.  Listen to verses 7 – 14, “Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.  “Would you discredit my justice?  Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his?
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
 Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low,  look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand.   Bury them all in the dust together;  shroud their faces in the grave.  Then I myself will admit to you  that your own right hand can save you.”

 

I’ve forgotten at times how blessed I am, and who my Father is, and the great, no, it is more than great, it is amazing how my Creator could love a mess like me, and if you knew me, you would be in agreement on that statement.  It is going to be very interesting to see how Job replied to God.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

What size Box do you have For God?

Job 39

 

April 18, 2020

 

 

Often, way too often, we who go by the title of Christian, as you know, I do not use that title.  I am a follower of Christ, and the title Christian has so many connotations that it is hard to understand.  Many a person believes that they are a Christian because their parents said they were, or because they live in the USA, or because they were baptized as a baby, but not any of those will redeem a person or make them righteous before a Holy God.  You must understand the price that Jesus paid on the cross, and bow a knee to Him, asking for His forgiveness of your sins and believing God has raised Him from the dead.

 

Now, back to what many of us do: We have a box of what God will or won’t do. Job also had such a box, and His friends had even smaller boxes for God to operate in this world. God begins to ask more questions of Job about His creation.

 

“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?  Do you observe the calving of the does? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young?
Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open; they go out and do not return to them.  

 

“Who has let the wild donkey go free?  Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, to whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place?  He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver.
 He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.

 

 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?  Will he spend the night at your manger?
Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you?  Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor?
Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?  

 

“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love?   For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground,
forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them.   She deals cruelly with her young as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear because God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding. When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider.  

 

“Do you give the horse his might?   Do you clothe his neck with a mane?  Do you make him leap like the locust?  His majestic snorting is terrifying.  He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons.  He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword.  Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin.  With fierceness and rage, he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.  When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’  He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south?  Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?
On the rock, he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold.  From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away.  His young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

 

God ask Job questions

                                                                            Job 38

 

April 17, 2020

 

 

 

Job has questioned God’s fairness with him, so God speaks, and Job now has the opportunity to listen to the one with all knowledge and speak if he can answer God's questions.

 

“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:  “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  Dress for action like a man;  I will question you, and you make it known to me. 

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding.  Who determined its measurements—surely you know!  Or who stretched the line upon it?  On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone^, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?  “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it?  It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment.   From the wicked, their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken.

 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?
Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?  Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?   Declare, if you know all this.

 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home?¹ You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war?  What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?  “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?  “Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew?  From whose womb did the ice come forth,  and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?  The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

 

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or lose the cords of Orion?  Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children?  Do you know the ordinances of the heavens  Can you establish their rule on the earth?

 

“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightning, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’?  Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?  Who can number the clouds by wisdom?  Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together?  “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket?   Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help and wander about for lack of food?”

 

Job has said he wanted to confront God and ask anyone but the Creator to answer such questions.  No one but Job could tell us what it is like to have God say Job, you answer these and then we will talk more.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Elihu believe he had perfect knowledge

 

April 16, 2020

 

Job 37:14 – 24

 

“Hear this, O Job; stop and consider the wondrous works of God.  Do you know how God lays his command upon them and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?  Do you know the balancing’s of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge, you whose garments are hot when the earth is still because of the south wind?   Can you, like him, spread out the skies, hard as a cast metal mirror?  Teach us what we shall say to him; we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.  Shall it be told him that I would speak?   Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?   “And now no one looks on the light when it is bright in the skies when the wind has passed and cleared them.  Out of the north comes golden splendor; God is clothed with awesome majesty.  The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.  Therefore, men fear him; he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.”

 

I shared with Jan this morning that I was almost through with writing on Elihu, that the self-appointed spokesman was so full of himself.  She wondered aloud if could it be you see a lot of yourself in that young man, and I said you may have hit the nail on the head.  But that’s not a true statement, I've been guilted of talking too much, but I’ve never had the stupidity to believe I was a person of perfect knowledge, as Elihu has stated he was.

 

But with all the wrong things I’ve addressed that Elihu, has said we must not look past the points he makes that are on the spot, like verses 19-20.  Job has stated he what to see God face to face and address his case, believing he would be justified.  We will see that does not go so well in the chapters left for us to read.

 

Yet one should be very careful making judgments of what God can and cannot do, in that 99% of the time we would error unless it is stated in the Scriptures.   Elihu, last words to Job are “fear God” and that God does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.  One thing is consistent, Elihu is angry with Job’s claim he is righteous before God and man, for he believes Job is self-righteous.  

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Will my Spirit go to heaven or my Soul?

 

 

 

 

Will my Spirit go to heaven or my Soul?

 

What kind of spirit did you show up on Earth with?

 

·   The Scriptures teach that man's spirit is the breath of God in Genesis 2:7, “Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being” 

 

·   After man's fall, his spirit was dead, but he was very much alive.  So, man has a problem, he is living without God the Scriptures refer to that as flesh.

 

·   Ephesians 2:1-5, gives us a clear picture of what man looks like with a dead and live spirit.  “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.   But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,  even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace, you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus “  

 

·  Your spirit is already seated with Christ in the heavenly places in Christ.  Other Scripture that confirm this.

 

·   Galatian 2:20, 
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I am now living in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Note: It is the Holy Spirit that now gives you the ability to want a relationship with Christ.

 

·    Romans 8:10, ^“But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness.”  Note: the Holy Spirit

 

·    Colossians 3:3, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.” Note: You have been enveloped in both God and Jesus.

·    Your spirit is already in heaven with Christ 

 

Scriptures teach that on death the soul goes to be with God, but the Body awaits the resurrections of the dead.

 

·    2 Corinthians 5:6-8, ^“So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord,  for we walk by faith, not by sight.  Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord.”

 

·    1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, “For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.”

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

If you encounter a person like Elihu; Run.

 

Job 36:1 – 4

 

April 15, 2020

 

 

“And Elihu continued and said: “Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.  I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.   For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.”  

 

After reading this, I read it once more, and then I read it to my wife and ask her if someone tells you they are perfect in knowledge, what would you do?  Jan said, run and run fast.  The young man was putting himself in perfect knowledge and only one person has that ability; God only.

 

Job 36:5 – 7

 

“Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding.  He does not keep the wicked alive but gives the afflicted their right.   He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but with kings on the throne  he sets them forever, and they are exalted.”

 

As I’ve stated often, I’m not educated, I got out of college, but I have no degree.  I still struggle with the meaning of words, such as despise and hate.  Do they mean the same or it seems that hate might be the stronger of the two words?  So, for me and not my learned reader, let’s explore the two words, first despises: detest, “hate, loathe, abhor, execrate, regard with contempt, feel contempt for, shrink from, be repelled by.”   Is there any reason to explore hate, I think not, but does God hate or despise anything, Elihu tells us He does not.  Proverbs 6:16-19 gives a much different story, and many other places in the Scriptures do also.

“These six things the Lord hates, yes, seven are an abomination to Him: A proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren”.

 

As we are told by Paul the Bereans searched the Scriptures to make sure that what Paul was teaching was from God, you will find that account in iActs 17:10 – 11.  It’s my take that Elihu had some very good teaching at some point and became so wise in his own eyes that he stepped over the line and that is a very dangerous man.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Young men would be wise to Listen more than that talk

 

Job 35: 1 – 16

 

April 13, 2020

 

“And Elihu answered and said:  “Do you think this to be just?   Do you say, ‘It is my right before God,’ that you ask, ‘What advantage have I?   How am I better off than if I had sinned?’  I will answer you and your friends with you.  Look at the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds, which are higher than you.  If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him?   And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him?   If you are righteous, what do you give to him?   Or what does he receive from your hand?  Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man.”

 

Elihu is asking a rhetorical question and is implying a negative answer, he is stating that Job established his righteousness apart from God.  We have not seen that in any of Job’s speeches.  He also wrongly states that Job believes keeping God's laws does not gain man anything.  He goes on to state that mankind's actions do not have any effect on God.  In verse eight he does state a truth, that man's action has to influence others for good and evil.

 

Job 9 – 16

 

“Because of the multitude of oppressions, people cry out; they call for help because of the arm of the mighty.^[   But none says, ‘Where is God my Maker, who gives songs in the night, who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’  There they cry out, but he does not answer, because of the pride of evil men.  Surely God does not hear an empty cry, nor does the Almighty regard it.  How much less when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him!   And now, because his anger does not punish, and he does not take much note of transgression,  Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiplies words without knowledge.”

 

Elihu must be feeling very wise as he tells Job and his friends all that he knows, such as the oppressed often forget the person and work of God because they are too concerned with what is happening to them.  He reminds the four men that God has a purpose for suffering and blessing.

 

Once more, without saying so Elihu implies Job is a sinful man full of pride and that is why he is not hearing from God.  Elihu goes on in verse 14 to let Job know that his claim of being in right standing with God is his problem, it was Job’s pride and arrogance.  

 

The young man goes back to how he closes chapter 34, God is giving Job what he deserves, and yet Job is full of empty words.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

Elihu is going to straighten Job and his three friends out

 

 

 

Job 34: 1 – 9

 

April 11, 2020

 

 

“Hear my words, you wise men,  and give ear to me, you who know; for the ear tests, words as the palate tastes food.   Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.   For Job has said, ‘I am in the right, and God has taken away my right;  in spite of my right I am counted a liar; my wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’  What man is like Job, who drinks up scoffing like water, who travels in company with evildoers and walks with wicked men?   For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should take delight in God.”

 

The young, full of himself Elihu has realized not only does he have wisdom that can straighten Job out, but that his three friends also could use some help.  In fact, he now is sure that Job is evil because he rubs the shoulders of wicked men and I’m not sure who he is referring to as wicked men.  He also was upset that Job is not upset that people are ridiculing him and showing him disrespect.  Could it be that Elihu is the type of man who would cross the road when seeing the man who was beaten by thieves and left to die as the priest did in (Luke 10:25-37)?

 

In verses 10 –15, it seems Elihu is on the spot about God cannot do anything wicked, that God cannot do wrong.  He and all the others were on dangerous grounds in their accusation of Job, in that God has stated Job is a man of Integrity and that no one else on the earth is close to him in being in right standing with both God and man.  

 

We often ask can or will God allow bad things to happen to good people?  I believe the account of Job gives us insight into the answer to that question.

 

“Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding: far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.   For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him.
Of a truth, God will not do wickedly, and the Almighty will not pervert justice.   Who gave him charge over the earth, and who laid on him^[ the whole world?   If he should set his heart to it and gather to himself his spirit and his breath,  all flesh would perish together, and man would return to dust.”

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Elihu is both young and arrogant

 

 

 

Job 33: 1 – 7

 

April 10, 2020

 

 

 

 

“But now, hear my speech, O Job, and listen to all my words.   Behold, I open my mouth; the tongue in my mouth speaks.  My words declare the uprightness of my heart, and what my lips know they speak sincerely. The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.   If you can, answer me; set your words before me; take your stand.  Behold, I am toward God as you are; I too was pinched off from a piece of clay.  Behold, no fear of me need terrify you; my pressure will not be heavy upon you.”

 

My take on what the younger man Elihu is saying to Job, I am going to wiggle my lips and the words coming out will be from God, so listen up boy, and give a little more thought before you answer.

 

Job 33: 8 – 11

 

“Surely you have spoken in my ears, and I have heard the sound of your words.  You say, ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, and there is no iniquity in me. Behold, he finds occasions against me, he counts me as his enemy, he puts my feet in the stocks and watches all my paths.”

 

Now Elihu tells Job, to let me repeat your argument about God, and Elihu does a good recall of Job’s words.

 

 

Job 33: 12 – 30

 

Elihu gives us the ways he has heard God works in a person's life, but it does not seem it is his testimony, just facts he has seen or been told by a teacher.

 

Job 33 31 – 33

 

“Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; be silent, and I will speak.  If you have any words, answer me; speak, for I desire to justify you.  If not, listen to me; be silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

 

One wonders if Job has fallen asleep or turned his back on the young man, it sure sounds as if something has got him a little perplexed.  It also brings out the arrogance in the young man.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice