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Elihu's Message: God's Righteousness Amid Affliction 0:10 Good morning. Welcome to Stand on the Word. Thanks for joining me as we continue our journey through the word of god. Now today, our passage is Job chapters 36 through 37, verse 14 of chapter0:21 37. Listen to this, oh, Job. Stand still and consider the wondrous works of god. Today, I'm gonna focus, on chapters 36 and 37, which contain0:33 the the final, message of Elihu to Job. And then in chapter 38, god steps into this debate between Job and these men, and as we're going to0:45 see, he has the final word. Now remember, as we look at Elihu, he was the younger man who had waited until the others had spoken, and then he offers this counsel to Job.0:57 Now 1 aspect, I find interesting is that Job responded to each of the messages from his 3 friends who accused Job of being a sinner, and they cited the punishing hand of1:09 God as evidence of that. But Job here is silent to Elihu's message. Why? Well, this is 1 of the reasons as I had mentioned, previously that,1:21 the the scholars, some of the modern scholars, said that Elihu's comments were added later, not a part of the the original sequence of events. Others explain1:33 the transition straight from Elihu to the Lord as, as providing the dramatic close, and so it would have taken away from it to have Job's comments.1:44 Maybe, you know, maybe so. Maybe god had had enough, and he just stepped in and put an end to the debate. You know, we don't know for certain. We can only take with what we have here, and we can, you know, so I think,1:55 you know, you don't you cannot be dogmatic about those things that which are not written. Now I think it could have been, and this is again and this is just my view. It could have been Elihu's approach.2:08 Elihu's first message was to Job's 3 friends back before when we when he first spoke. He he was spoke. He was burning with anger toward them for accusing Job of being wrong, but failing to2:19 prove it. Now Elihu may have been coming from a different place wanting to truly help Job, presenting himself as an impartial, corrector defending the justice and the2:31 wisdom of God. Now granted, it it's it's a little complex, I think, in or this individual, Elihu, is a little complex. As we previously discussed, he comes across as as kind2:43 of overconfident and arrogant. Even if that is true, and I think it probably is, but we can learn from what we read here of what he has to say. Remember, Jesus in Luke2:55 chapter 7 verse 35, he said, but wisdom is justified by all her children. So even if Elihu is, not of the,3:07 perfect demeanor and and not having the greatest discernment in the way he presents this information, he does present truth, more so than Job's 3 friends who who were older, who had3:19 spoken previously. So Elihu, I think, is moving Job toward the question of what? What is God trying to reveal or show through this to Job? Now3:31 it's it it is plausible that Elihu puts Job less on the defensive and leads him to a more contemplative place preparing his heart to encounter god. That's purely speculative3:43 on my part, but I I think it could be because I think it's important how we approach someone. You know? And, I believe we're to speak from a redemptive heart, meaning we speak truth for the3:54 purpose of wanting people to come to the freedom that is known in that truth. And I think that's what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4 that we're to speak the truth in love. You know, we're not here to win a debate. We4:05 are here to speak truth so that people might come to the freedom that the truth brings. Verse 1, chapter 36. Elihu also proceeded and said, bear with me a little, and I will4:17 show you that there are yet words to speak on God's behalf. Now don't miss this. Now, again, I think Elihu sounds a bit presumptuous, but it appears he is saying4:29 that he is not rolling out his opinion or his commentary on this matter. He was speaking from the revelation of God and his truth. What Elihu has been saying in the words that4:41 he shared with Job, unlike Job's older friends, is that the afflictions are refining forces of God, And their, continuance is4:53 not as his older friend asserted because of wickedness or evil, but rather to bring Job to a place of total yieldedness in humility before God. Verse 3.5:05 I will fetch my knowledge from afar. I will ascribe righteousness to my maker. For truly, my words are not false. 1 who is perfect in knowledge is with you. Behold, god is mighty, but despises no 1. He is mighty5:17 in strength and understanding. Remember, he is speaking. He said before, I feel compelled to speak. I believe he is speaking at the prompting of the Holy Spirit pointing to the definer of truth, God. These words come5:29 from afar. Verse 6, he does not preserve the life of the wicked, but gives justice to the oppressed. He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous, but they are on the thrones with kings. For he has5:40 seated them forever, and they are exalted. And if they are bound in fetters, held in the course of affliction, then he tells them their works and their transgressions that that they have acted defiantly.5:53 He also opens their ears to instruction and commands that they turn from iniquity. If they obey and serve him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years and pleasures. But if they6:04 do not obey, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge. But the hypocrites in heart store a wrath. They do not cry out for help when he binds them. They die in youth, and their life6:16 ends among the perverted persons. By the way, the term perverted here is 1 we see elsewhere regard regarding sexual perversion outside the the the defined aspects of human sexuality that god6:28 provides. Verse 15, he delivers the poor in their affliction and opens their ears in oppression. Elihu points here to the character of god and god always acting according to6:40 his character. We can count on god because he is consistent with his character. Verse 16, indeed, he would have brought out brought you out of dire distress into a broad6:52 place where there is no restraint, and what is set on your table would be full of richness. But you are filled with the judgment. Do the wicked. Judgment and justice take hold of you because there is wrath.7:04 Beware, lest he take you away with 1 blow, for a large ransom would not help you avoid it. Now contrary to Job's 3 friends, Elihu is not saying that you are experiencing7:16 from god what you're experiencing from god is not judgment, but rather correction. Now Elihu is closer than the other 3 and that god is using7:28 this affliction to refine Job. But as we've seen, this affliction is not from god. Okay? We know that, but it is used by him. In Elihu's description, god binds with7:40 afflictions so he can speak to people about their sin. He gets their attention, in other words. Those who open their ears and they listen will be delivered, Elihu says. Those who do not listen will7:52 be judged even in the circumstances of their death. Now later in the chapter, Elihu recognizes the reality that the ways of god are beyond man's knowledge and8:03 ability. Again, he speaks truth. Look at verse 22. Behold, god is exalted by his power. Who teaches him? Who has assigned him his way? Or who has said you have done wrong?8:16 Remember to magnify his work of which men have sung. Everyone has seen it. Man looks on it from afar. Behold, god is great and we do not know him8:27 nor can the number of his years be discovered. You know, god's beyond our comprehension, our total comprehension and understanding. Augustine of of Hippo who lived in the late fourth8:40 and fifth centuries, Augustine, he he was, 1 of the most influential theologians of the early church shaping Western Christianity through his profound reflection8:52 on grace, sin, and the incomprehensibility of god. He famously said, quote, if you can comprehend, it is not god. God9:03 has given us true but partial understanding of who he is. Now he's done that through creation. He's done that through Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us, and through his written9:15 word. But we cannot know god in his ways in totality. I mean, a finite creature cannot grasp the infinite.9:27 It's kinda like standing on a on the seashore and and scooping up a, a cup of ocean water. What you hold in your hand is genuine ocean water, but it is not the ocean. When9:39 we understand that god is greater than our comprehension, we stop trying to put him in our box and and rather ask why instead of asking, you know, why did you do this9:51 or why did you allow this, god? We ask the lord, lord, what are you revealing to me? Lord, what what what do you want me to know? Lord, what are you preparing me for?10:03 Again, we shift from that question of why, which is demanding that god fit our understanding to what. In chapter 37, heStanding in Awe: God's Wondrous Works in Creation 10:15 continues with the, majestic nature of God seen in part by his governing of the weather, which I'm sure raises the temperature of the global warming crowd. Verse 1210:27 chapter 37, and they swirl about being turned by his guidance that they may do whatever he commands them on the face of the whole earth. He causes it to come whether for correction or10:39 for his land or for mercy. The the Lord uses the weather. We've seen that. We'll see that throughout the Old Testament where that often is used for judgment. Alright. He continues into chapter 37 as it10:51 or drop or look at verse 14. Let's continue here. Listen to this, oh Job. Stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. So Elihu speaks of the general revelation11:02 of God, which is 1 of the ways that man can understand God because of the majestic nature of creation. Now next time, we're gonna see that god uses creation himself as he speaks to Job in chapter 38 39.11:14 This is why man is without excuse. Right? God we can see god around us. Now we can't we can't excuse. Right? God we can see god around us. Now we can't can't know him, but we can see his11:26 power and his authority. Creation speaks to the existence and the power of the creator, 1 that we should bow before and serve as Paul writes in11:38 Romans. You know, what will silence the heart of of those who desire to know and walk with God is the word and the work of God. If someone truly wants to know God, the11:50 word of God answers the questions. It is it's not our rhetorical skills or our wisdom or the philosophies of of man as we saw with Job's 3 friends.12:02 It's not even our opinion that matters. It is the word of god. God was silenced not by a lie whose age, his experience, or his prominence in society, or the title12:13 that he bore. Job, I believe, was silenced by the wisdom of Elihu revealed by God in creation and birthed out of a desire to12:25 see Job in a right relationship with God. I think there's a lot to learn from this exchange between Elihu and Job. And next time, we're gonna see God step12:37 in. Father, we thank you for your word. And, Lord, we don't understand it all, but we continue to pray for the Holy Spirit to be our teacher, to lead us into the understanding of your word and12:49 how to apply the truths of your word to our lives that we might bring honor and glory to you and that we might encourage other believers around us and that we would reveal13:01 truth to the lost that they may come to know you and enjoy the freedom that is found only in Jesus Christ. For we pray this in his name. Amen. Alright. Thanks for joining me this13:13 morning, and until next time. Keep standing on the word.13:18 Today's study comes from the stand on the word bible reading plan available for free at f r c dot o r g slash bible. By following along in just a few minutes a day, you13:30 can read through the entire bible in just 2 years. Learn more and request the free reading guide at frc dot org slash bible.In this video 0:00 Elihu's Message: God's Righteousness Amid Affliction10:15 Standing in Awe: God's Wondrous Works in Creation93.9K followers
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