Righteous Even When Silent -- 1/29/12

Sunday, January 29, 2012

RIGHTEOUS, EVEN WHEN SILENT

Job 35

            Two weeks ago Tom emphasized that God is holy.  That is why we are commanded to tremble in His presence.  Though He has come near us in Christ, He is still the high and lofty One who is enthroned in heaven.  We will never outgrow the fear of God.  If we understand who He is, we can never come into His presence lightly. 

            The week before that we were reminded that God is sovereign.  That simply means that the Lord God Almighty is over all.  He is accountable only to Himself.  He does whatever He pleases.  All power and authority in the universe are His, because He created the universe and sustains it until this day.  That would be a scary thought, if God were an unprincipled tyrant, if He were some monster bent on our destruction.  But praise His name that He is also righteous.  The Sovereign God is the righteous Lord.  That is what we saw in the 34^th chapter of Job.  God always does what is right, whether we understand it or not.  He does what is right for His glory and He does what is right for our good.  There are no exceptions.

            This morning we come to Job 35.  Here we will see Elihu emphasizing the truth that God is righteous, even when He is silent.  Man cannot force God’s response.  Even when it might seem that God is indifferent, He is righteous. Even when He does not respond as we would like, He is still righteous. 

            As we get into chapter 35, we will see that this young man Elihu is speaking to both Job and his friends.  If he didn’t note that fact specifically, we would focus only upon Job.  As these truths applied not only to Job but also to his friends, so they apply to us.  We are going to see three sinful attitudes that can affect us today.  While at least two of them apply specifically to Job, they can also apply to any of us.

            Let’s read Job 35…

Moreover Elihu answered and said: 2 "Do you think this is right? Do you say, 'My righteousness is more than God's'? 3 For you say, 'What advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I had sinned?' 4 "I will answer you, And your companions with you. 5 Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds-- They are higher than you. 6 If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand? 8 Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man. 9 "Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty. 10 But no one says, 'Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, 11 Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?' 12 There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men. 13 Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it. 14 Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him. 15 And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly, 16 Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge."

            As we view this chapter, we are going to look at three sinful attitudes.  None of these will force God to respond to us, but each can be very destructive in our lives.  I am going to frame them in terms of personal assertions.  Of course, we would never say these things.  We would not likely even think them directly, but even if they aren’t pictures of our lives, they are tendencies that we must resist in the power of God’s grace.

             

I.  I Am the Center of the Universe   (1-8)

            No, you wouldn’t say that, nor would I.  Job would not have said it either.  But let’s look for this attitude in the opening verses of this chapter.  In verses 2-3, Elihu is asking this basic question:  “Do you think it is right before God to ask, ‘How am I any better off now than if I had sinned?’”  By asking such a question, Job is implying that his idea of what is right is more accurate than God’s. 

            You may find it difficult to ignore one difference in translations.  In verse 3, the New King James (as well as the King James and the NAS), the question begins, “What advantage will it be to You?”  In the ESV, NIV, and others, it is, “What advantage have I?”  All the translations agree in the next part:  “What profit shall I have?” (NKJV), or “How am I better off?” (ESV).  Best I can tell, the text in the first part should be “you,” rather than “I.”  So Job may be asking how he profits God or himself by refraining from sin.  However, some of the old commentators (Barnes, and seemingly Gill) see Job speaking to himself, which makes the “you” refer to himself rather than to God.  At any rate, the overall sense of the questions relate to Job’s contention that he himself is not profited by refraining from sin.  By the way, the King James has “if I be cleansed from my sin.”  The words “if I be cleansed” are in italics, indicating that they are not in the text, but are added to help us understand.  In this case, they don’t seem necessary. 

            Job is simply asking, “What good does it do me to refrain from sin?”  We must see this question in the context of all Job has said up to this point.  Though we have no record of Job using those exact words, we have statements like that of Job 9:21-22, “I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life.  It is all one thing:  Therefore I say, “He destroys the blameless and the wicked.”  Job says that it is of no advantage to live a blameless life, because God destroys the blameless and wicked alike.  So we see that Elihu’s charge is quite accurate. 

            I must remind you again that the words “more than if I had sinned” do not imply that Job claims he had never committed a sin.  Nowhere does Job claim to be without sin.  Rather, he has been defending himself against the charges of his friends that he is guilty of great wickedness, and that is the reason for all his troubles.  According to Elihu, Job is suggesting that he might as well have done all the things of which he has been accused.  Why?  Because God has not favored him for refraining from such sins.  Job has basically said:  “I’m innocent, yet God lets me suffer.  I might as well have lived like a sinner since God doesn’t reward good behavior” (Ray Stedman, Let God Be God, p. 185).

            Though we might immediately form our own responses to Job’s claims, let’s allow Elihu to answer.  Let’s read again verses 4-8…

I will answer you, And your companions with you. 5 Look to the heavens and see; And behold the clouds-- They are higher than you. 6 If you sin, what do you accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to Him? 7 If you are righteous, what do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand? 8 Your wickedness affects a man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man.

            Elihu certainly doesn’t give the answer we would expect.  We might think that Job should be shown that there is great advantage in living a righteous life rather than a sinful life, but that is not what Elihu says.  Rather, he points out that whether Job lives a righteous life or a wicked life is not of great consequence to God.  At first, that may sound very harsh, but think about it for a minute.  When Elihu speaks of the clouds being higher than Job, it is just a poetic way of saying that the Lord God is high above him.  “Job, do you think that God is sitting on pins and needles, waiting to see what kind of life you will live?”  It’s not that the Lord doesn’t care.  Rather, the emphasis is on the fact that God does not need righteousness from Job or any other human being.  If the entire human race descended into absolute wickedness, God’s sun would still rise tomorrow morning.

            I must tell you that Ray Stedman’s little commentary on Job, entitled Let God Be God, is especially helpful in Job 35.  He gives little paraphrases of the text, and I find them to be right on target.  He paraphrases the present section like this…

Job, you seem to think you’re doing God an enormous favor by living a good and upright life.  But God isn’t affected by your good deeds.  You have nothing to offer God.  He is as high above you as the clouds are above the earth.  Whether you do good deeds or evil deeds, the only ones who are affected are other human beings, not God Himself.  So don’t think that when you suffer, God is acting out of spite toward you.  He will never treat you unjustly.  That is not His nature.  (p. 186)

            Elihu is reminding Job, his friends, and all of us that no man is the center of the universe.  Job has been asking how it profits him to live a righteous life.  He can’t seem to see beyond his own little life.  Everyone of us is tempted to be the same way, especially when things are not going well.  Some of you this very morning are wondering if God has forgotten about you.  Doesn’t He realize that you have sought Him, that you have tried to live the way He wants you to live.  You are wondering if there is any value in it.  We all need to hear those first words that Elihu spoke:  “Look to the heavens.”  The trouble is that we tend to look to me!  That is the essence of all sin -- looking to self.  “All we like sheep have turned astray; we have turned everyone to his own way…” (Is. 53:6).  O that we might look to the heavens and consider Him who created us and who sent His Son to redeem us.

            This temptation to consider yourself the center of the universe comes to all human beings.  Remember Joseph.  His own brothers sold him into slavery, but there in Egypt the Lord was with him.  Joseph behaved himself wisely in the house of Potiphar, and soon his master put him in charge of his entire household.  Without doubt, Joseph was living a righteous life that was pleasing to God.  But then his master’s wife made some terrible and false accusations against Joseph.  Suddenly this young man finds himself in prison.   The temptation was to think, “Even after being sold into slavery, I did not take my eyes off you, Lord.  I continued to serve you.  And look where it got me.  Surely there is no value in living a righteous life.”  That’s not what Joseph did.  He continued to look to God, and the Lord was with him.  Joseph served in the house of Potiphar and was locked up in prison for a total of 13 years, but he never ceased to look to the Lord instead of burying himself in his own little world.  God was the center of his universe.

            Now rush forward hundreds of years to Jesus our Lord.  Unlike Job and you and I, Jesus lived a life that was indeed perfect and sinless.  He was absolutely righteous.  Where did such a life get Him?  People mocked Him and schemed against Him constantly.  Finally, He ended up on the cross and had to cry out to His Father, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  But even in that cry, Jesus was not focusing on Himself.  He was not the center of His own universe.  He was faithful to His Father.  We know that because He would soon cry out, “It is finished.”  Jesus finished the work that the Father sent Him to do.  His Father did not say, “Okay, Son, you have lived such a righteous life that I will now let you bypass the cross.”  No, it pleased the Lord, the Father, to crush His Son there at the cross.  For the joy that was set before Him, Jesus endured that cross, so that you and I might never have to do so. 

            So what is the advantage of living a righteous life over a life of wickedness?  We might give a long list, but at the head of the list is the freedom to look to God and not to self.  At the beginning of this book, God Himself declared Job to be blameless, but things have changed.  As Job has pondered his suffering, he has begun to focus upon himself.  Think about it.  What greater blessing than to face the worst of circumstances and still be able to look to the heavens and know that God is with you!  When you can realize that you are not the center of the universe, you are free to look on the One who loves you and will sustain you through everything.   There is great freedom and blessing in that.

II.  I Need Relief, and I Need It Now   (9-11)

            Let’s read again verses 9-11…

Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the mighty. 10 But no one says, “Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, 11 Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?”

            This section does not seem to be aimed so specifically at Job.  Notice the indefinite pronoun “they.”  “They cry out…”  “They cry out for help…”  And why do they cry out for help?  Because of oppressions; because of the arm of the mighty ones.  The Amplified Bible expands verse 9, “… they cry out because of the violence of the mighty.”  While the word “violence” is not in the text, that probably captures the idea.  The term “oppression” speaks especially of those who mistreat others, especially those who are under them.  While the picture here focuses on mistreatment by oppressive people, the crying out of man is certainly not restricted to those kinds of problems.  

            Why don’t you take a little survey.  Determine to listen to hear what people talk about.  See how much of the conversation you hear consists of crying out because of oppressions, afflictions, problems both large and small.  I remember a lady who passed away some time ago.  I visited her on many occasions.  If I did not somehow change her direction, I could expect her to cry out about every ailment in her body.  Other people complain about the way people treat them.  Still others keep up a constant noise about how bad things are in the world.  Let’s face it -- there are plenty of things to cry out about. 

            So if people cry out for help, why doesn’t God do something, as in the case of Job?  Let’s be honest; Job is not the only one who wonders why God does not act on his behalf.  How many here this morning have felt that way in the past week or month or year?  Maybe you are in that very place this morning.  Doesn’t God have the power to get you a better job, cut the disasters, or do something to improve your finances?  Doesn’t God know how to disarm those who are making life miserable for you?  Didn’t the Lord say he would not give you more than you could bear?  Doesn’t He know that you are at the breaking point?  If someone cries out for help, why doesn’t God respond?

            Elihu answers in verse 10, “But no one 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 heaven.”  But wait a minute.  Aren’t there thousands upon thousands who are crying out to God?  Notice that Elihu doesn’t say they are crying, “Where is God?”  You say, “That’s exactly what he says.”  No, he doesn’t stop there.  He gives some qualifiers for who God is.  Notice those qualifiers…

                        … my maker

                        … who gives songs in the night

                        … who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth

                        … who makes us wiser than the birds of heaven

            Elihu is basically saying that people cry out to God, but their focus is not upon the character of God, but upon their own problems.  Don’t forget that God is the one who made us.  Understand when you come to God that He knows you better than you know yourself.  You are praying that God will change your spouse, but your maker knows that regardless of what your spouse does, you are in need of great change.  Don’t forget that you owe Him everything.  He made you, and every good and perfect gift is from above and comes down from the Father of lights (James 1:17). 

            Not only is He your maker, but He is the one who gives songs in the night.  Elihu doesn’t describe God here as one who dispels the darkness and brings the light, though God certainly does that.  Rather, he says that God is the one who gives songs in the night.  That’s what He did with Paul and Silas, when they were in jail.  At midnight they were praying and singing praises to God (Acts 16:25).  You want to be delivered from your circumstances, but God wants to give you a song in the midst of your circumstances.  This is part of being filled with the Spirit -- singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord (see Eph. 5:18-21).

            Your maker is also the one who teaches us more than the beasts of the field and makes us wiser than the birds of heaven.  Understand that the things you are going through are for your education.  God does not bring affliction into our lives without purpose.  If you were a mere animal or bird, you might cry out for deliverance, without considering anything else.  But that is not the case; you are a unique creation of God.  The Lord wants to reveal to you His character and show you His ways.

            Listen again to the way Ray Stedman summarizes this section…

Why is God silent?  People cry out to Him for help, but God knows that they are crying for relief, not necessarily the help they need.  They want to be taken out of the pain of their circumstances, especially the painful consequences of their selfishness and sin.  The moment the pain is removed, they will go right back to the selfishness and sin that caused their pain in the first place.  So they cry out to God.  And God’s answer is silence.   (p. 186)

            This does not mean there are no exceptions.  Elihu is not saying that it is this way for everyone on the earth or that it has to be this way.  Nevertheless, this is an accurate description of man in general.  The good news is that anyone can be the exception.  Instead of just crying out for immediate relief, we can cultivate the attitude advocated by James in Jms. 1:2-8…

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. 4 But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. 5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; 8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.

            Verse 5 does not begin a new section.  This cry for wisdom is in the context of testing.  God’s goal is to develop character in us, as we cry out for wisdom in the midst of affliction.  All through the Bible, we see this simple plan of God again and again.

            Come again to Jesus our Lord.  Was He tempted to cry out for relief from His circumstances?  Absolutely.  Jesus Himself tells us that very thing.  A few days before His crucifixion Jesus cried out, “And what shall I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour?’”  (John 12:27)  Jesus was tempted to call on His Father to save Him from the cross.  We know Jesus was fully aware that His Father had the power to do so, because later when they came out to arrest Him and Peter began to swing his sword, Jesus said, “Put it away.  Don’t you know that I could call thousands of angels to rescue me, but then how would the scriptures be fulfilled.”  Jesus didn’t pray, “Save me from this hour.”  So what did he pray?  “Father, glorify thy name.”  And He knew full well that meant going to the cross and bearing our sins.  I remind you that the same Jesus lives in everyone of us who belong to Him.

III.  I Am Right; I Know I Am   (12-16)

            Now let’s read the last section, verses 12-16…

There they cry out, but He does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men. 13 Surely God will not listen to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it. 14 Although you say you do not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for Him. 15 And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly, 16 Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.

            You might choose to include verses 12-13 with the previous section, rather than with 14-16.  Either way, I want you to notice the word “pride.”  The word is used here, but the theme runs throughout this chapter.  “He does not answer, because of the pride of men.”  That should not surprise us.  The principle runs throughout the scripture, but it is stated very concisely in James 4:4, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (also in I Pet. 5:5). 

            The key statement in this section is in verse 14 -- “You say you do not see Him.”  If you have read other translations, you will see a difference here.  The difference is primarily in how many words are attributed to Job in verse 14.  The NKJV makes the rest of verse 14 part of Elihu’s reply:  “Yet justice is before Him (God), and you must wait for Him.”  The ESV includes it as part of what Job says:  “when you say that you do not see him, that the case is before him, and you are waiting for him.”  Though it is not clear which way it is intended, there seems to be good reason for taking it all as part of what Job was saying.  Let me read to you from the ESV all of verses 12-14..

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?”

            Now the focus is on Job again.  Job has stated repeatedly that he wants a trial in God’s presence.  Though at first he says he would not be able to defend himself, later he feels certain that if he could just get an audience before God, he would be declared innocent.  Elihu wants Job to know that he should not expect a reply.  He has less chance than the proud man who utters an empty cry. 

            Why is he so hard on Job?  Is it not because Job is so confident that he is right?  Even when dealing with the Almighty, Job sets himself in the right.  Ray Stedman summarizes Elihu’s argument like this…

Here, Elihu refers to Job’s words about wanting to have a trial before God, how he would be his own defense attorney and prove he is in the right.  Elihu says, in effect, “How can you say that to God?  Do you think God is really waiting for you to prove Him wrong?” 

            Listen to me.  Don’t think for a minute that this has no application to us.  How many times have we treated God like we knew more than He did?  We do it be plowing ahead without consulting Him about our decisions.  We do it when we refuse to listen to the quiet voice of the Spirit within us.  Do we not demonstrate this attitude when we neglect the Word of God, which is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path?  Just think of it.  Many of us claim to be the slaves of Him who has all knowledge and wisdom.  Where does a slave look for guidance?  Without fail, he looks to his master.  We see this attitude in Ps. 123:1-2, “Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens. 2.  Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God, until that he have mercy upon us." 

            So what can we say about Jesus at this point?  He isn’t like us.  We are not always right, but He was always right.  Nevertheless, Jesus still submitted Himself to His Father.  Part of Jesus always doing right was the fact that He obeyed His Father.  Remember what He said when He came to John for baptism and John said he should be the one baptized by Jesus.  But Jesus answered and said to him, "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15).  Why was it right for Jesus to be baptized by John?  It was right because that is what the Father wanted.  Jesus stated His life’s goal in John 4:34, “My meat is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.”  That’s why He went to the cross, because it was the will of His Father.  What an example of righteousness.

            Finally we come to verses 15-16, “And now, because He has not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly, 16 Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.”  Please allow me to let Ray Stedman sum up one more time…

This wise young man, Elihu, puts it as gently as he can to Job.  He is “speaking the truth in love,” as Paul says in Ephesians 4:15.  Elihu says, “Job, the problem is that you want to prove God is wrong and you are right.  How can God respond to that?  He doesn’t punish you for it.  He’s patient with you.  But even though he is patient with you, the fact remains:  You are speaking out of ignorance, not knowledge of the true nature of God.

            We will hear this phrase “words without knowledge” again.  Watch for it.

Conclusion

            One of Job’s great complaints is that God wouldn’t answer Him.  In chapter 33 Elihu reminded Job that God often speaks, but man isn’t listening.  But now Elihu tells Job that even when God doesn’t answer (at least as we think He ought to), He is still righteous.  There are good reasons why God doesn’t answer.  Sometimes we act as if we were the center of the universe.  His silence reminds us that it is not true.  There are times when we are so consumed by our problems and that all we want is immediate relief.  He waits for us to acknowledge Him as our maker, as the One who gives songs in the night, as the One who has much to teach us through our present experience.  There are even times when we get to thinking we are always right.  Though we would never say it, we give the appearance that we know more than God Himself.  He does not have to answer us to prove that He alone is righteous.

            As I have gone through this chapter, I have been reminded more than once of what James tells us about unanswered prayer.  James says, “You do not have, because you do not ask” (Jms 4:2).  But he doesn’t stop there.  What if we do ask?  James continues:  “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures” (4:3).  In other words, we often fail to receive what we ask for, because we ask with selfish motives.  That’s what we see here in Job 35 -- selfish motives.

            May God give us grace to remember who He is, to come into His presence with both trembling and rejoicing.  This great privilege is set forth beautifully in Heb. 4:14-16… 

Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

            That word “boldly” does not speak of cockiness or self-confidence.  We must read it in the context.  Because Jesus, our sinless high priest, has died, rose, and passed into the heavens, we can come freely into his presence.  In other words, there is nothing to prevent us.  The veil has been torn and we have access into His presence.  But we don’t stomp into His presence with an agenda.  Rather, we come humbly on our knees, ever thanking Him that He gave His Son to provide this free access.

The Sovereign God Is Righteous -- 1/1/12

Sunday, January 1, 2012

GOD IS RIGHTEOUS

Job 34

            A couple of years ago some of us took a little course which emphasized that all believers are called to give godly counsel to others.  Our greatest resource is the Word of God, for it is through the patience and comfort of the scriptures that we have hope (Rom. 15:4).  But if we are going to give counsel to others, we must know where to start.  And what is that starting place?  Very simply, we must start with an accurate view of the Lord Himself.  We live in a religious culture where the starting point is often the problem of the individual.  As a result, we can so sympathize with the person in trouble that we compromise the truth about God.  The only counsel of eternal value must preserve an accurate view of God.

            Now I want to ask you a question about God.  Is God righteous?  It is very likely that every one of us will quickly say, “Yes, of course.”  But let’s probe a little deeper.  Do you believe that God always does the right thing regarding you?  Can you say that everything He has brought into your life has been absolutely right?  Or does your attitude reveal that sometimes you feel that He is a bit unfair to you?  What about other people?  Do you believe that God treats every person in the universe justly and fairly?  In order to answer that, do you have to hear every case?  Is God always perfectly right in all that He does?  It’s easy to say “Yes” in the absence of trials, afflictions, and difficulties, but do we say the same thing when we are being squeezed by the pressures of this world?  What about when we see great tragedies around us?

            The truth is that we don’t have to look at our own experience or at the experience of others to know that God is righteous.  He is always righteous, because that is His very nature.  That is who He is.  Warren Wiersbe put it like this:  “An unjust God would be an unthinkable as a square circle or a round triangle.  If it’s square, then it can’t be a circle.  If it’s round, then it is no longer a triangle.  In the same way, if God does something wrong, then He is no longer God.  It’s that simple.  While human beings may sometimes do something out of character, the Lord God is not capable of doing such a thing.  He acts righteously because He is the righteous God.

            I have just given away the basic content of the 34^th chapter of Job.  This morning we come back to the words of Elihu in chapters 32-37.  Job 34 is the second speech of Elihu.   In his first, Elihu emphasized that God is gracious by speaking to people in various ways.  In his second, he will emphasize that God is just and righteous.

            Note first of all the words of verse 1, “Elihu further answered and said:”  By comparing those words to what we find in 32:6, 35:1, and 36:1, we see that this is the device used to show that Elihu is beginning a new speech.  This helps us to understand that chapter 34 is a unit in itself.

            I want to outline this chapter very simply.  Notice in verse 2, “Hear my words…”  Then in verse 10, “Therefore, listen to me…”  Then verse 16, “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to the sound of my words.”  It seems that each one of these admonitions to listen begins a new section in the chapter.  So we will address the chapter with that simple outline.

I.  Job’s Contention:  God Is Not Just          (1-9)                God On Trial

            Let’s read Job 34:1-9…

Elihu further answered and said: 2 "Hear my words, you wise men; Give ear to me, you who have knowledge. 3 For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. 4 Let us choose justice for ourselves; Let us know among ourselves what is good. 5 "For Job has said, 'I am righteous, But God has taken away my justice; 6 Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.' 7 What man is like Job, Who drinks scorn like water, 8 Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men? 9 For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing That he should delight in God.'

            Elihu first addresses Job’s three friends.  He refers to them as wise me, men who have knowledge.  There is most likely some sarcasm in his words.  As we have seen, they are not wise, but they think they are wise.  The idea is something like this:  “Okay, you men who claim to have wisdom and knowledge, together let’s take a look at Job’s claims.” 

            In verse 3 Elihu uses an expression that Job himself used back in 12:11.  As a man tastes food carefully to see if it is good or bad, so they must carefully sift Job’s words, weighing them carefully.  Several translations are helpful in their rendering of verse 4, “Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good” (ESV).  As they discern what Job is saying, they must determine for themselves what is right an true.  Why do they have to be so careful?  Because Job has said, “I am righteous, but God has taken away my justice.”  Job has made a very serious claim; he has said basically that God has done him wrong.  While his three friends have soundly condemned Job for this very reason, Elihu is going to proceed cautiously but firmly to point out Job’s error.  So at the very start he invites Job’s friends (and everyone else who will read this) to carefully consider the case that Job is making.

            We might ask a question at this point, “Did Job really say that?”  Whether he used those exact words, that is the basic case he has presented.  His question is this:  “Since I have not committed the sins of which I have been accused, then why all this suffering.  God, why have you not given me the blessing I deserve?”  Remember that Job didn’t start out this way.  When he lost everything, including his ten children, he bowed and worshipped the Lord, saying, “The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (1:20-21).  But over the months, blasted by both terrible physical suffering and the continued attacks of his three friends, Job has come to the point of accusing God of being unjust.  He concludes that God has counted him a liar.  He sees his afflictions as being incurable, even though he is not guilty of any great sin.

            In verses 7-9, Elihu gives an initial response to Job’s case.  Let’s read again verses 7-8, “What man is like Job, who drinks scorn like water, who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men?”  There are pretty serious words.  How can Job be called a scorner, a scoffer?  And how can it be said that he keeps company with wicked men?  Is Elihu implying he was wrong to even listen to his friends.  No, that isn’t it.  Rather, Elihu is saying that by accusing God of being unjust, he is joining the ranks of the wicked.  It is serious thing to make such a charge against God, and that is why Elihu is so hard on Job.

            Now notice verse 9, “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing that he should delight in God.’”  Again, we want to ask, “Did Job ever say that?  Did Job say that there is no profit for the man who delights in God?”  Though we have no record of those exact words, they accurately reflect the attitude of Job.  We see some of this attitude way back in 9:21-22, “I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life.  It is all one thing; therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.”  Job is saying that it means nothing that he is blameless, because the Lord destroys the blameless and the wicked alike.  We see a similar disposition in 9:30-31, “If I wash myself with the snow water and cleanse my hands with soap, yet You will plunge me into the pit, and my own clothes will abhor me.”  Job suggests that it does no good to seek to be righteous before God.  Perhaps an even clearer demonstration of this attitude is in 20:25-26, “Have I not wept for him who was in trouble?  Has not my soul grieved for the poor?  But when I looked for good, evil came to me; and when I waited for light, then came darkness.”  Then Job reinforces this statement with his closing words in chapter 31.  The whole chapter is a rehearsal of how he had lived a blameless and righteous life.  “God, in spite of all I have done, you refuse to bless me.”

            I remind you of how the book of Job began.  It started with the conversation between God and Satan.  That conversation makes it clear that Satan’s goal was to bring Job to the point where he would curse God.  Job has not done that, but he has come dangerously close.  Ray Stedman suggests that in order to bring Job to that point, the devil must lead Job to distrust God and feel that God has mistreated him (see Let God Be God, p. 179, by Ray Stedman).  That is exactly where Job is at this point.  Perhaps the reason Elihu is so hard on Job is that he wants to wake Job up to where he is headed.  Whenever anyone begins to distrust God and entertain the notion that God has not treated him right, he is on the way to destruction.   Elihu’s stern rebuke is appropriate for the seriousness of Job’s sin.

II.  Elihu’s Theme:  The Sovereign God Is Perfectly Righteous  (10-15)      God Declared Righteous

            While Elihu has been speaking to Job’s three friends, he is well aware that Job is listening in.  As we begin to read in verse 10, we see that Elihu continues to address Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar directly, though Job can also hear.  Remember that Elihu has not only accused Job of being wrong in his view of God, but he has made the same accusation against these other three men (see 32:1-5).

            Let’s read 34:10-15…

Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to commit iniquity. 11For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.12 Surely God will never do wickedly, Nor will the Almighty pervert justice. 13 Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? 14 If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust. 

            In these brief verses we find the core of what Elihu says in this chapter.  In other words, if you want to quickly get the gist of chapter 34, then read these verses, especially 10-12.  “Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity.”  This is a beautiful example of Hebrew parallelism.  Elihu says the same thing with slightly different words, and by doing so he means to emphasize his point.  Don’t ever imagine that Almighty God is capable of doing anything wrong.  He will never pervert justice in any way.  You can count on Him to always be absolutely righteous.

            Is God righteous?  Do birds fly?  Does water run downhill?  Do dogs bark?  Of course, even these little emphatic literary devices can fail, because one time out of a million a bird might not fly; a dog might not bark.  But rest assured that God will always be righteous.  He can do no other.  Because He is righteous, He must do what is righteous.  Our God knows nothing else.  God has a record, does He not.  A billion times a billion times a billion He has done the right thing.  Forever and ever and ever and ever He has demonstrated His perfect righteousness without a single failure. 

            David says in Ps. 145:17, “The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works.”  Again in Ps. 129:4, “The Lord is righteous; he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked.”  Jesus addressed God with the words, “O righteous Father…” (Jn. 17:25).  Paul refers to Him as “the righteous Judge” (II Tim. 4:8).  We read in I John 3:7, “Little children, let no man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.”  And when we come to the closing chapters of Revelation, we find that He is still righteous.  Rev. 16:5,  "And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus." 

            Make no mistake about it, God is righteous in His treatment of the people He created.  34:11, “For He repays man according to his work, And makes man to find a reward according to his way.”  At this point, Job was strongly contesting this truth.  He was saying that God was not rewarding him properly for the way he had lived.  Elihu says in no uncertain terms that God is always right in the way he rewards man for his deeds.  As we have already seen earlier in this book, that does not mean that God immediately sets things right.  He may not do so in this life, but in the end God will be proven absolutely just, righteous, and fair.  When all is said and done, no one will be able to accuse God of making a mistake or perverting justice.

            It’s at this point that we must run to our advocate, Jesus Christ the righteous (I John 2:1).  If we look strictly at God’s justice in rewarding man for his behavior, we quickly become uncomfortable.   If we don’t, it is because we don’t understand God.   God demands perfection, and we don’t have it.  Praise His name that He sent His Son, who is absolutely righteous, to stand in our place at the cross.  Our fate does not depend upon our achieving perfect righteousness.  If it did, we would have no hope.  Rather, we can rest in Jesus, who is perfect righteousness.  We can repent of our unrighteousness and trust Him who is righteous.  That is our salvation.

            Notice quickly verses 13-15, “Who gave Him charge over the earth? Or who appointed Him over the whole world? 14 If He should set His heart on it, If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath, 15 All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.”  So who did put God in charge over the earth and appointed Him to rule the universe?  No one.  God is sovereign over all.  If God chose to withdraw the breath of life, every human being would die immediately.  I am well aware that most of the world does not truly believe it, but it does not change the fact that it is true.  God is sovereign.  I use that word deliberately.  It is not used by the King James, though other translations use it.  But the concept is throughout the Bible.  It simply means that God is Lord over all.  He does whatever He chooses.

            Again, that could be a very scary thought.  What if some of the world’s dictators were sovereign?  What if they had the power do whatever they wanted?  The great majority of the earth’s population would be in big trouble.  But the Sovereign Lord is also righteous!  He has done and will always do what is just and right.

III.  The Righteous Sovereign in Action   (Impartiality)    (16-33)    God Demonstrating Impartiality

            Verse 16, “If you have understanding, hear this; listen to what I say.”  Though you may not detect it immediately, Elihu now addresses his words to Job.  We know this because the singular form of the verbs is used, rather than the plural that has been used up through verse 15.  Now the focus is upon Job himself. 

            Let’s read 34:16-33…

If you have understanding, hear this; Listen to the sound of my words: 17 Should one who hates justice govern? Will you condemn Him who is most just? 18 Is it fitting to say to a king, 'You are worthless,' And to nobles, 'You are wicked'? 19 Yet He is not partial to princes, Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor; For they are all the work of His hands. 20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night; The people are shaken and pass away; The mighty are taken away without a hand. 21 "For His eyes are on the ways of man, And He sees all his steps. 22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. 23 For He need not further consider a man, That he should go before God in judgment. 24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place. 25Therefore he knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed. 26 He strikes them as wicked men In the open sight of others, 27 Because they turned back from Him, And would not consider any of His ways, 28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; For He hears the cry of the afflicted. 29 When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?-- 30 That the hypocrite should not reign, Lest the people be ensnared. 31 "For has anyone said to God, ' I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; 32 Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more'? 33 Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know.

            In this section we see both the sovereignty and righteousness of God laid out side by side.  On the one hand, He rules over all.  On the other, He rules with absolute righteousness.  A big part of that righteousness consists in the fact that God is impartial.  Unlike man, He does not favor the rich over the poor. 

            Notice that Elihu begins his address to Job with a couple of questions:  “Should one who hates justice govern?  Will you condemn Him who is most just?”  He is saying, “Would it be right for God to govern, if He hated justice?  That would be unthinkable.  Job, surely you must acknowledge that the God who rules is just.  Job, you are in danger of condemning the One who is the most just of all, God Himself.” 

            In verse 18 the New King James follows the King James and makes it a new question, “Is it fitting to say to a king…?”  However, the context seems to favor those translations which link verse 18 to the one who is most just, from verse 17.  The ESV reads, “who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man…’  Job must be careful not to pass judgment on the One who is not only just, but who is also Sovereign, as seen in the way He speaks to kings and leaders.  Not only does the Lord speak to kings and leaders with absolute authority, but it is also worth noting that He does not favor those in high places nor those who are rich.  Why should He, for they are all creatures that He Himself has made?   The rich and powerful die just like all other people. 

              Verses 21-30 continue to emphasize the power of Almighty God in dealing with man.  He does not have to ask permission as to how he will dispose of a particular person.  Why should He, for His righteousness is high above anyone else who lives?  Could we ever think of the creatures being more righteous than the Creator?  That would be absolute foolishness.  Unlike man, whose vision is clouded, God’s “eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps” (21).  If a man chooses to do evil, there is no place where he can hide himself from the searching gaze of Almighty God.  He sees perfectly, and He judges righteously. 

            Notice especially verse 23, “For He need not further consider a man, that he should go before God in judgment.”  In other words, God doesn’t need to bring a man before Himself for a trial.  What good would that do?  God already knows the person perfectly, and He is the righteous judge.  What could the unrighteous creature possibly add to the justice of the most righteous judge?  Because this is true, “He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and sets others in their place.  Therefore He knows their works; He overthrows them in the night, and they are crushed.  He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others, because they turned back from Him and would not consider any of His ways, so that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him; for He hears the cry of the afflicted” (24-28).  What a demonstration of power, but we can rejoice in His power and sovereignty because it is coupled with perfect righteousness.  Who better to deal so absolutely with men than He who made them and knows them inside out?

            Look at verse 29, “When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?  And when He hides His face, who then can see Him, whether it is against a nation or a man alone?”  “Gives quietness” and “hides His face” seem to be another example of parallelism.  Surely the idea is this:  “When God is quiet, declining to give an answer to a man or to a nation, who can call Him on the carpet for it?”  This is where Elihu address Job most directly, because that is exactly what Job was doing.  Because He couldn’t force God to give him an answer, Job was accusing Him for His lack of response.  Elihu is pointing out how foolish it is for a mere creature to demand an answer from the righteous Sovereign of the universe.

            Now we come to verses 31-33, "For has anyone said to God, ' I have borne chastening; I will offend no more; 32 Teach me what I do not see; If I have done iniquity, I will do no more'? 33 Should He repay it according to your terms, Just because you disavow it? You must choose, and not I; Therefore speak what you know.”  Suppose that Job or anyone else comes to the point where he admits to God that he has been disciplined because of his sin and vows not to do it again.  Even then, is God obligated to that man?  Must God answer man on man’s terms?  Obviously, the answer is “No.” 

            Is God looking for a person who will say, “Lord, I know that I have done wrong.  But from now on, I am not going to do this sin or that sin.  Instead, I am going to go to church meetings regularly; I am going to read the Bible; I am going to pray”?  No, that is not what God is looking for.  That is the fallacy of “Christian commitment.”  Commitment smacks of control.  The person who makes commitments decides what it is to which he commits himself.  Our Lord is looking for surrender, for the man or woman who says “Yes” to the conditions laid down by the Lord Himself.  Ray Stedman puts it like this…

Our Lord is not in the business of reforming people.  He’s in the business of renewing people.  He doesn’t want to make us better; He wants to make us new.  God desires our repentance and relationship, not reform.  It’s not enough to say to God, “I’m guilty, but I will try not to do that again.”  What God demands of us is unconditional surrender, completely giving up the right to run our own lives.  That is what God seeks from us, and He will accept no other basis for a relationship with Him.  (p. 183)

            Elihu then gives Job a direct challenge to respond.  “Job, I can’t tell you what to decide; you have to do that.  Now tell me what you think.”  Apparently Job remained silent, because Elihu continued.  And that brings us to his conclusion for this speech.

IV.  Elihu’s Conclusion:  Strongest Accusation Yet  (34-37)

            Let’s read Elihu’s conclusion in verses 34-37…

Men of understanding say to me, Wise men who listen to me: 35 'Job speaks without knowledge, His words are without wisdom.' 36 Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost, Because his answers are like those of wicked men! 37 For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.

            It seems that Elihu is referring to the attitude of Job’s three friends, for they viewed Job as a man who spoke without knowledge.  Though they didn’t use those exact words, that was certainly their contention.  We see more than a hint of that in 15:2, “Should a wise man answer with empty knowledge, and fill himself with the east wind?”  The implication is clear:  “Job, you are not wise because you so-called knowledge is vain and you are nothing but a windbag.”  Not only does Elihu point to the attitude of Job’s three friends, but he also makes it clear that he agrees with them on this point.  Notice:  “Wise men who listen to me:”  Elihu says the same thing about Job:  He speaks without knowledge; his words are without wisdom.

            After reasoning through Job’s thinking and coming to this conclusion, what does Elihu think should be done?  “Oh that Job were tried to the utmost, because his answers are like those of wicked men!” (36).  Elihu began in chapter 32 with a certain calmness, but now he is more than a little blunt.  Job was being tested, but let him feel the full force of that testing.  Why?  Because he is talking like the wicked talk.  He is saying things about God which ought to be reserved for wicked men. 

            Perhaps the words of verse 37 are even more harsh:  “For he adds rebellion to his sin.”  Wow!  Let us understand that rebellion is not necessarily about going out and doing what the world calls evil things; rebellion has to do with our inward attitude toward God.  When Saul refused to wipe out all of the Amalekites and destroy all their stuff, he was guilty of rebellion because he didn’t trust God enough to do what he said.  Job is guilty of rebellion because he doesn’t trust God with what is happening to him, because he will not trust God without an explanation of his suffering.  Though Job was not guilty of the obvious outward sins of which his friends accused him, he did possess sin, but now he has added something worse than the sin he already had -- rebellion.

            I don’t know exactly what is intended to be communicated by the clapping of the hands.  Perhaps it is best seen as an expression of anger and indignation, as in Num. 24:10,  "And Balak's anger was kindled against Balaam, and he smote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, I called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times."  Some translations render it loosely as showing no respect (New Living) or giving insult (God’s Word Translation).

            Finally, Elihu says that Job multiplies his words against God.  As we have seen, Job did not spare his words.  After the dialogue between him and his friends, after he had responded to Bildad for the last time, Job then went on five more chapters for good measure.  We learn from the scripture that words can be a wonderful blessing.  Prov. 10:11, “The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life…”  10:20, “The tongue of the just is a choice silver.”  10:21, “The lips of the righteous feed many.”  Nevertheless, in that same chapter we find these words, “In the multitude of words there wanteth (lacketh) not sin” (10:19).  Also, listen to Prov. 17:27-28, "He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit. 28.  Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."  In this case, Job said far more than was appropriate.

Conclusion

            Our God is Sovereign.  He rules over all.  Nothing can sidetrack his plan.  If you want to call Him a dictator, that’s fine, for whatever He dictates will come to pass.  He knows the end from the beginning.  Why does He have such knowledge?  Because those things He knows from the beginning are the very things that He brings to pass.  He knows the future because He forms the future.  What do you think of a God described by the words of Ps. 115:3, “Our God is in the heavens; he has done whatever he has pleased”? 

            Good news!  Glorious news!  The Sovereign God is the righteous Lord.  Yes, He is the God who does whatever He pleases, but praise His blessed name that it pleased Him to crush His own Son (Is. 53:10), to send His Son to die in our place.  God has done what is right for His glory, and He has done what is right for our good.  Can you give glory to that Sovereign and righteous God?

            For many of us here this morning, the Sovereign God of the universe has become our Father!  The dictator is our Dad.  And “he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things” (Rom. 8:32)?  Will our Father ever do us wrong?  Is He not orchestrating every circumstance of our lives to make us like His own dear Son? 

            Praise God from whom all blessings flow!