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| Book: The Challenges of Job (Job, chapters 32-42) SERIES 3 of 3 in Job : PART 1 of 5 : CHAPTERS 32 & 33
Title: INTRODUCTION |
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| Series 3 Contents: Part 1:
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The Content
So, we are on the downhill run in this book. We have finished with the speeches of Job and his three friends. Now we come to two sets of monologues. Some commentators suggest they are made up of a number of speeches by both. First comes Elihu, a young man, who challenges Job over what he has been saying, and speaks up for the Lord, making a number of very valuable assertions of truth. We would do well to hold on to the principles he states. After seven chapters of Elihu speaking, we will move on to see what the Lord has to say. If we didn't know better we might expect the Lord to answer Job point by point in respect of all the things he has been saying, but the Lord knows better. The Lord knows that sometimes when we are suffering we say things with neither stand up to scrutiny nor which we actually mean. There is little point in going through the speeches refuting the points one by one – Elihu has already picked up on the main points – and so the Lord simply asks a lot of questions designed to help Job get a right perspective on himself and the Lord. Eventually the point is made and we find ourselves with a surprise ending!
The Structure of the Book
The Structure of these Studies This set of 26 studies covers chapters 32 to 42 as follows:
Part 1 – Ch. 32-33: Introducing Elihu In this first Part we are introduced to this young man who now steps forward and answers Job. His introduction is quite long as he seeks to explain in humility why he speaks and the basis on which he speaks. This prepares the way for what he then goes on to say.
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| Book: The Challenges of Job (Job, chapters 32-42) SERIES 3 of 3 in Job : PART 1 of 5 : CHAPTERS 32 & 33
Study No.1 Passage: Job 32:1-9 Title: Elihu – youth speaks |
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A. Find Out1. What stops and why? v.1 2. Who became angry and for what reason? v.2 3. With whom was he also angry and why? v.3 4. Why had he waited before speaking? v.4,6,7 5. Who, did he say, brings understanding? v.8 6. So what does that imply? v.9
B. Think:1. Who does Elihu appear
to come to defend?
2. And who therefore
does he feel a need to attack?
3. What good characteristic
does he exhibit?
C. Comment:We now move into a completely new section. For the next six chapters Elihu is going to speak. He is a young man (v.6). His family and background are described although nothing is known about them. He comes into the picture, it seems, simply because the discussion / debate / argument between Job and his three friends has come to a grinding halt! Job has maintained his righteousness and the three friends cannot budge him from that position (v.1). Therefore they have nothing further to say and Job has nothing more to add so now, and only now, Elihu speaks. Elihu is an angry young man. He is first of all angry with Job (v.2) because he considers that Job has been justifying himself and therefore condemning God. But he is also angry with the three friends because (note the twofold reason) they had not had the wisdom to be able to refute Job's argument AND they had condemned him (v.3). Is it possible that both God and Job are right? Well no, Job has only seen part of the picture and has jumped to some wrong conclusions as we've seen previously and so now he's going to get some strong answers!
Elihu has held back (v.4) because he respected their age and wisdom (v.4,7) but that had failed to produce answers. Now he steps up pointing out that he has the same Spirit and therefore might have answers (v.8,9). Well, let's see what comes.
D. Application:
1. God never makes mistakes;
God never gets it wrong.
2. Study and pray for
answers to life's questions.
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| Book: The Challenges of Job (Job, chapters 32-42) SERIES 3 of 3 in Job : PART 1 of 5 : CHAPTERS 32 & 33
Study No.2 Passage: Job 32:10-22 Title: Elihu – I've got to speak |
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A. Find Out 1. What does Elihu ask them to do? v.10,17 2. What has he done? v.11,12a 3. Of what does he charge them? v.12b,13,15,16 4. What approach will he not take? v.14 5. What is he feeling? v.18-20 6. On what basis will he speak and why? v.21,22
B. Think:1. What has Elihu done? 2. How has that frustrated him? 3. Why does he feel he's just got to speak now? C. Comment:Elihu expresses his frustration in these verses. He now wants to join in (v.10). He has waited and he has listened (v.11); in fact he listened very carefully but none of the three friends was able to show Job wrong (v.12), none of them was able to give an adequate reply to all he said. They cannot claim to speak for God (v.13). They haven't shown they speak for Him (implied). No, says Elihu, I'm going to approach this differently (v.14) because I am not feeling defensive because Job hasn't spoken against me, and I'm certainly not going to use your powerless arguments. Almost as an aside he speaks to himself – they've run out of words (v.15) so must I just sit around waiting in the silence? (v.16). No! I'm going to speak up now (v.17). Actually I've got so much I want to say bubbling up within me (v.18,19) I'm just going to have to speak it out (v.20). I'm not going to speak as they have (implied) for I'm going to speak impartially (v.21), not taking sides or feeling defensive, I'm not going to try to flatter anyone because if I did I would be veering from the truth and the Lord would soon stop me (v.22). In this early part of Elihu's speech we see something of the reasoning for him speaking, for him joining in. It is essentially twofold: first the others have failed and second, he's bursting with answers!
D. Application:1. Are we able to be discerning about the truth? Does it concern us? 2. Are we able to be objective and impartial and non-partisan?
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| Book: The Challenges of Job (Job, chapters 32-42) SERIES 3 of 3 in Job : PART 1 of 5 : CHAPTERS 32 & 33
Study No.3 Passage: Job 33:1-7 Title: Elihu – words from an upright heart |
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A. Find Out1. To whom does Elihu appeal to do what? v.1,5 2. How is he going to speak? v.2,3 3. Who is the source of his life? v.4 4. How does he put himself as Job's equal? v.6 5. So what shouldn't Job do? v.7
B. Think:1. What is Elihu about to do? 2. How is he about to do it? 3. What does he seem to try to convey here? C. Comment:Elihu turns away from the three friends who he has been addressing and now turns to Job (v.1). It may all appear somewhat straight forward but we would do well to note the stages Elihu goes through in the rather long preamble before he really gets down to making his answers. In these verses Elihu addresses Job and seeks to put him at ease. He is really just preparing to speak here (v.2) and he wants Job to know that he is careful in what he is about to say (possibly in contrast to the three friends) and that he seeks to speak with an upright heart (v.3), i.e. straight forwardly and without guile. He is not going to try to deceive and he is going to try to speak with sincerity, i.e. from what he truly believes. Possibly again this is in contrast to the friends who seem to have come on a theological crusade. He comes with an awareness (at the very least) of the Lord (v.4), believing that he is energised by the Lord. So, he says, please hear what I say and feel free to answer me if you can (v.5). I am not coming to you with any advantage. I am just like you and I am aware that I stand before the Lord (v.6), part of his creation and, by implication, answerable to Him. So when I speak you have not reason to be fearful (v.7) for I do not come heavy handed to put you down. In all these ways Job seeks to approach Job in a spirit of gentleness and humility. A good start!
D. Application:1. When we ‘argue' are we aware we stand before the Lord? 2. Do we use the tools of truth and righteousness?
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| Book: The Challenges of Job (Job, chapters 32-42) SERIES 3 of 3 in Job : PART 1 of 5 : CHAPTERS 32 & 33
Study No.4 Passage: Job 33:8-18 Title: Elihu – we may not hear God |
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A. Find Out: 1. What has Elihu done? v.8 2. What two things has he heard Job saying? v.9-11 3. What does he feel about that? v.12 4. What complaint does he pick up and what answer comes? v.13,14 5. In what ways may God speak? v.15,16 6. What is God seeking to do? v.17,18
B. Think:1. What was Job's initial problem? (v.8-11) 2. What was his second problem? (v.13) 3. What is Elihu's answer to that? C. Comment:Elihu has listened to Job and heard him complain that he is righteous but nevertheless seems to have been attacked by God who has caused his present suffering (v.9-11). Job is right in that God has caused this but wrong in that God does not consider him an enemy - quite the opposite in fact! From this basic complaint Job had gone on to complain that God had not answered him when he cried out to Him (v.13). It is this latter cry that Elihu addresses. He points out that God does speak but often we don't realise that what is happening or what we are hearing is His answer (v.14) In fact, he goes on, He speaks in a variety of ways. For instance, he continues, it may be in a dream or vision at night (v.15) or He may speak directly (v.16). Whenever God does speak (even if we don't realise it) He is seeking to save us, to keep us from wrong doing, to keep us from pride (v.17) and to keep us from hell and destruction by violence (v.18). In other words, God is always speaking to help us. Now in all this Elihu is quite right. God does speak but often our unbelief hinders us hearing it as God's word. God is always speaking for our good but the effect of sin in our earlier lives has hurt us and we struggle to believe in His good intentions towards us.
D. Application:1. God speaks but does our unbelief hinder us hearing? 2. Has the pain of life dulled our ability to believe God's love for us?
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| Book: The Challenges of Job (Job, chapters 32-42) SERIES 3 of 3 in Job : PART 1 of 5 : CHAPTERS 32 & 33 Study No.5 Passage: Job 33:19-33 Title: Elihu – discipline & suffering |
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A. Find Out:
1. How may a man suffer? v.19-22 2. Yet how is he restored? v.23-25 3. What part did he play? v.26 4. What is he able to testify? v.27,28 5. How and why does God do these things? v.29,30 6. What does he then call Job to do? v.31-33
B. Think:1. How do you think this follows on from the previous verses? 2. What point is Elihu making here? C. Comment:Elihu has just said that God speaks (even though we don't hear him v.14b) to keep us from sin and to save us (v.16,17). Now he goes on to consider how the Lord uses suffering to discipline and turn men back from sin (29,30). He's spoken about how God speaks through dreams and visions or even directly (v.15,16) and now he shows how God ‘speaks' through a person suffering through physical pain (v.19). When such suffering comes that person doesn't even want to eat (v.20) and he starts losing weight until he is a bag of skin and bones (v.21) and he is confronted with death (v.22). But then he speaks in a remarkable way about the possibility of redemption. He speaks about guardian and guiding angels (v.23) coming to the man who calls to God, to show him what is right, and to spare him (v.24) because a ransom has been paid for him. Then can come restoration (v.25). Within this he surely has a prophetic sense of the presence of the Son of God, Jesus Christ who gave himself as a ransom for men (1 Tim 2:5,6, Heb 9:15, Rev 5:9) The man prays (v.26) and is restored and is able to testify to God's healing when he repented (v.28,29). The Lord does this to save men (v.29,30) so Job should think about these things (v.31-33). In all of this Elihu is right is describing ways that God moves and His reasons for so moving, yet again this is not what is happening to Job. This is a test not a discipline.
D. Application:1. God does discipline those He loves (Heb 12:6). 2. The Lord does use suffering to discipline and save people. |
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| Book: The Challenges of Job (Job, chapters 32-42) SERIES 3 of 3 in Job : PART 1 of 5 : CHAPTERS 32 & 33
Title: RECAP 1: "Introducing Elihu" Chapters 32,33 |
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SUMMARY :
In this first group of 5 studies we have seen Elihu explaining : • that the others have dried up so he speaks out of a mixture of anger & humility • he has listened and now feels like boiling over. He must speak! • Job doesn't have to fear or be defensive because he is but a man. • Job doesn't think God answers but often we fail to hear God's voice. • he shows how God uses suffering to save men.
COMMENT :In these first two chapters of Elihu's speaking, we find him explaining why he is now speaking. He has sat and listened silently until the others have come to an end and been unable to refute Job's words. Yet Job seems to have been blaming God and that needs an answer. He speaks with a combination of humility and strength. On one hand he respects their maturity but on the other they have failed to come up with answers. By way of answer he starts by picking up Job's assertion that God doesn't speak to him. Look, he replies, God speaks through various ways but the trouble is we often don't realise it is him speaking. His ‘speaking' may come through suffering but whatever He brings it is to save mankind from their sin.
LESSONS?1. God never makes mistakes; God never gets it wrong. 2. Are we able to be objective and impartial and non-partisan? 3. Do we use the tools of truth and righteousness? 4. Does our unbelief hinder us from hearing God?
PRAY :Ask the Lord to give you wisdom and understanding about things you have questions about. Don't argue but have a teachable spirit.
PART 2 : "Elihu Continues "In this next Part Elihu picks up on Job's complaint that he is suffering unjustly and he launches into an explanation of God's ways to show that God is never unjust or unfair. He also speaks about how God does not respond to the arrogant.
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