PT-1 "God is Speaking Through Me" (Job 32:1-7)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 11/27/2011 9:17:18 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                   Focus:  PT-1 “God is Speaking Through Me”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                  Reference:  Job 32

 

            Message of the verses:  We have turned a corner in this study on Job, for Job has quit speaking to his three friends along with his three friends stopped speaking too.  They were waiting for God to come down and zap Job or do something to him, because they believed that Job’s sin was the cause of all his trouble, but what are they thinking now.  Maybe they are wondering that if God did nothing that it was possible for Job to be right, and that would make them wrong.  If they were wrong then the same thing could happen to them, so I am sure that they had a lot on their minds when this young upstart began to speak to Job and to his three friends.

           

            I read in a commentary a long time ago that Elihu was actually more accurate about the Lord than Job’s three friends, and I think that is true, but as in all of us he was a sinner and also like in all of us he did not know all the things about God that there are to be known, and we may get the impression that he thinks he knows all about God.

           

            Dr. Wiersbe entitles this eleventh chapter of “Be Patient” “Elihu Has the Answers,” and he reminds us that this man actually has three chapters in the Bible that are from his lips.  In the beginning of this chapter Wiersbe writes that in these six chapters Elihu explained the character of God and also would apply this truth to Job’s situation.  “One way to outline his speech is as follows:

1.      God is speaking through me (Job 32; note verse 8).

2.     God is gracious (Job 33; note verse 24).

3.     God is just (Job 34—35 note 34:10-12).

4.     God is great (Job 36—37; note 36:5, 26).”

 

            Elihu is not trying to prove that Job is a sinner who deserves all that has come upon him,

but that Job’s view of God was wrong.  We can tell that Elihu had listened to what the others have said because he will mention some of the things that they said. Dr. Wiersbe writes “Elihu introduced a new truth into the debate: that God sends suffering, not necessarily to punish us for our sins, but to keep us from sinning (33:18, 24) and to make us better persons (36:1-15).  Paul would have agreed with the first point (2Cor. 12:7-10) and the writer of Hebrews with the second (Heb. 12:1-11).

 

11/27/2011 5:10:12 PM

 

            We will now look at four reasons as to why Elihu should be able to speak to Job and his three friends:  “He was indignant (Job 32:1-3-5):  “1 Job’s three friends now fell silent. They were talked out, stymied because Job wouldn’t budge an inch—wouldn’t admit to an ounce of guilt. 2 Then Elihu lost his temper. (Elihu was the son of Barakel the Buzite from the clan of Ram.) He blazed out in anger against Job for pitting his righteousness against God’s. 3 He was also angry with the three friends because they had neither come up with an answer nor proved Job wrong. 4 Elihu had waited with Job while they spoke because they were all older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three other men had exhausted their arguments, he exploded with pent-up anger.’”  (I have included verse four in this section even though Dr. Wiersbe has not included it in his outline).  (Message)

 

            “1 Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2  But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God. 3 And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job. 4 Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. 5 And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned.’”  (NASB)

 

            In this short section we see four times that Elihu was angry.  Dr. Wiersbe quotes Aristotle to make a point about this section and also to learn something from his quote:  “It is easy to fly into a passion—anybody can do that, but to be angry with the right person to the right extent and at the right time and with the right object and in the right way—that is not easy, and it is not everyone who can do it.”  I suppose that the only One who ever did this was the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is true that Elihu did not follow what Aristotle wrote.

 

            He was inspired (Job 32:8-10)  (Including verses 6-7)        “6 So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, "I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think. 7 "I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom. 8 “But it is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. 9 “The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice. 10 “So I say, ’Listen to me, I too will tell what I think.’  (NASB)

           

            There are old fools and young fools, and it seems like Elihu thinks that Job and his friends are all old fools, and that he is not a young fool, but we will see. Proverbs 16:31:  “Gray hair is a mark of distinction, the award for a God-loyal life.”  (Message)

           

            Elihu is saying that he had insight of the Spirit of God.  He is saying like Paul said in 2Cor. 2:11, “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God.”  Elihu is saying to Job and his friends to keep listening to him because he was being led by the Holy Spirit.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  We will have to continue to look at this chapter at a later date, hopefully tomorrow, but tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me.

            Today has been a good Lord’s Day as we were privileged to be feed from the Word of God two times today and are thankful for that.

            I suppose that we have seen some good things and some not so good things from Job’s friends as they spoke to Job, and that will be the case with Elihu too.  As I stated before we are not perfect and no one knows all about God, (Deut. 29:29) but we can learn from His Word things about God, important things about Him that will enable us to continue to follow Him in a way that will bring honor and glory to God.  We have to be open to the Word of God and the Spirit who teaches us from the Word of God so in that area Elihu is right.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:

 

1.     Trust the Lord to give me a good night’s sleep and a good day tomorrow as it is a special day for me.

2.     Trust the Lord to continue to teach me contentment.

 

11/27/2011 9:43:50 PM