Lenten Study Job Ch 33
The youngest among them is laying down wisdom on the older men. Elihu firmly believes he is repeating the words of God to these men. He is speaking boldly with power and authority even though he is the youngest and most junior of them all. It doesn’t matter to him because he knows he is passing on God’s message for Job to Job.
"There was a man in the land of Uz" by andrevanb is marked with CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.Caption
1 “However now, Job, please hear my speech, And listen to all my words.
2 “Behold now, I open my mouth, My tongue in my mouth speaks.
3 “My words are from the uprightness of my heart, And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.
Job 33:1-3 (NASB)
Elihu establishes his words as being his honest opinion with this opening statement. He explains he is as righteous as the rest of them, and therefore his opinion should carry weight, just like theirs.
4 “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.
Job 33:4 (NASB)
Elihu is a man of God, just like the other four. He states this to place himself at their level again. In this regard, he is their peer, not a junior member, even though he is the youngest of them all.
5 “Refute me if you can; Array yourselves before me, take your stand.
Job 33:5 (NASB)
This, most of all, puts Elihu on the same plane as the rest of them. He is openly accepting their criticism of what he is about to say. What he means is that he believes he is right and irrefutable in what he is going to present to them as truth.
6 “Behold, I belong to God like you; I too have been formed out of the clay.
7 “Behold, no fear of me should terrify you, Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.
8 “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words:
Job 33:6-8 (NASB)
Elihu confirms he has listened and considered all that Job has had to say. He hasn’t missed anything Job said, and he hasn’t misunderstood his points.
9 ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me.
10 Behold, He invents pretexts against me; He counts me as His enemy.
11 ‘He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.’
Job 33:9-11 (NASB)
Elihu recounts a summary of Job’s position in these three basic verses.
12 “Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this, For God is greater than man.
Job 33:12 (NASB)
In one sentence, Elihu condemns Job’s position for the right reasons. God is greater than Man. This means God’s opinions of right and wrong are greater than Man’s. Where that puts us is simple. If we read something in scripture and decide we believe the opposite, we are wrong because God is of more authority than we are. Either that or we have decided we have more authority than God where our lives are concerned. There can be no other position.
13 “Why do you complain against Him That He does not give an account of all His doings?
Job 33:13 (NASB)
Job has leveled this complaint that God should explain what Job has done to deserve his punishment. Elihu’s point is that Job has no standing to demand God explain anything He does. If God decides to do a thing, Man has no place to make demands on the creator.
14 “Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it.
Job 33:14 (NASB)
God passes his instructions to people all the time, and they ignore Him. Jonah is one of the most famous ones who not only ignored what God wanted him to do but ran from it, trying to escape God’s desires for his life. That didn’t end well for Jonah.
15 “In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds,
16 Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction,
17 That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep man from pride;
18 He keeps back his soul from the pit, And his life from passing over into Sheol.
Job 33:15-18 (NASB)
God can communicate His desires for us even when we are asleep. This is an illustration of God’s power and ability. It is not necessarily an illustration of the only path He uses to communicate to His children.
19 “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with unceasing complaint in his bones;
20 So that his life loathes bread, And his soul favorite food.
21 “His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones which were not seen stick out.
22 “Then his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those who bring death.
Job 33:19-22 (NASB)
The course of life is set such that we all pass away from it eventually. No one can beat death. This is under the rules created by God. It is His process, and it is in motion for God’s reasons.
23 “If there is an angel as mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a man what is right for him,
24 Then let him be gracious to him, and say, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom’;
25 Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
26 Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, That he may see His face with joy, And He may restore His righteousness to man.
Job 33:23-26 (NASB)
This is the function and form of the Holy Spirit from God to Man. It is how we understand where our gifts are to be used. It is how we internalize the light and allow it to shine on those around us. We are to open our hearts to the leadings of the Holy Spirit, follow God’s instructions, and walk the path He has for us to help more of His children understand this world, their gifts, and the use of those gifts for His purposes rather than our own.
27 “He will sing to men and say, ‘I have sinned and perverted what is right, And it is not proper for me.
28 ‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, And my life shall see the light.’
Job 33:27-28 (NASB)
This is the message of joy the Holy Spirit has for when we repent and turn from those things He points out to us that we should turn from. When we acknowledge our behavior as sin and repent, it is a joy to God, and he blesses us with His favor.
29 “Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men,
30 To bring back his soul from the pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.
31 “Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and let me speak.
Job 33:29-31 (NASB)
It sounds like Elihu is done, but he is not. He is offering Job some hope in that if Job can but listen to the Holy Spirit, Elihu believes Job can figure out where he went wrong and return to the right path. We know Job didn’t go wrong, but that doesn’t diminish the rightness of Elihu’s advice. If Job will listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His instructions, he absolutely will be walking God’s path. Job should have peace knowing he is doing what he is supposed to be doing if he will hear and follow the words of the Spirit.
32 “Then if you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you.
33 “If not, listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”
Job 33:32-33 (NASB)
This is a challenge to Job, meaning if Job disagrees with anything Elihu is saying or about to say, Job can argue his point. However, if Job agrees that what Elihu presents is right and good, he should be quiet and listen because Elihu believes he is giving Job what Job needs to move forward.