Job 33 THERE IS MESSENGER In the passion of youth against the entrenched opinions of older men who rely on their own opinions of themselves, Elihu had angrily dispatched the partiality and simplistic conclusions of Job's three friends in his final comments in chapter 32. In chapter 33 he speaks candidly but carefully to Job. In his desire to truly help Job, he emphasized his apparent sincerity and sought to come alongside as one who is honest. His convictions are solidly established and he claimed to be speaking from his heart what he believed the Spirit of God had given him to say.
Elihu also understood the value of identifying himself with the listeners as an equal. Effective speakers make it a point of not speaking from a lofty position of superiority, but know people will at least listen if they consider him to "be one of us. He understands us." What we have in common with people is a major point of effective communication. To be able to find common ground, and speak from that place of personal identification with listeners, is what makes good teachers and communicators.
One can almost see young Elihu bending forward in front of Job sitting on the pile of ashes and dust, and looking earnestly into his eyes and saying, "I am the same as you, although I have not yet gone through the same things you have. I am not here to be heavy-handed against you, or to unduly condemn you. More than that, I have listened to what you have said." Then he gave an almost identical summary of Job's main argument. Job had said he was an innocent man, and he did not think God was just in the way he was being treated. He thought it was unfair as to what was happening to him by "putting his feet in the stocks, and watching his every move with hostile intent.
Job had not claimed sinless perfection, but he was claiming he was not guilty of sin that merited the suffering through which he was going. Elihu had listened carefully and recognized that there is a very close connection between being conscious of one's own integrity and smug self-righteousness. He knew what Job really meant: "I am innocent and righteous. God is being unfair and unjust to me in letting me suffer like this." It is to this opinion Job had of himself that Elihu said, "You are not right." All of us need to remember the absolute sovereignty of God. He may allow or do what we cannot understand. We may resent and resist what He does, but He is not accountable to us - we are to Him.
It is natural for us to want to know why things happen to us. That gives us a certain sense of security, but is does not require living by faith. It is faith in God that should give us a sense of security. We may not know now or ever know why bad things happen to us, but we do know "in whom I have believed, and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I have committed unto Him against that day." It is in this way and with this knowledge that we can live contented live in sickness, grief and pain.
The truth of the matter is that God is in no way obligated to let us know why He does what He does. So what point is there in complaining about that which he allows. Perhaps that very thing is for our greatest good. Surely, we should not have the audacity of challenging Him to tell us all we want to know about everything. Who are we? We are like dogs howling at the moon to turn off its light. Or like ants arguing with a king. That is what people do in their attempt to bring God down to our level to be not much more than a wise human being. To trust in the goodness of God when we don't understand why bad things are happening, is a test of our faith in God. Our trust is to be in Him alone, not in what or why things are allowed to happen. If God allows Satan to tempt us, He must have a good reason, and He makes a way to escape. If pain is something with which we have to live, that doesn't change God's interest in us. If there are those who criticize, complain and challenge our sincerity for what seems only to humiliate us, our confidence still remains in the goodness of our God.
There are a number of ways God speaks to us to give understanding. Those ways may also keep us from going astray or getting proud of ourselves and our accomplishments. Pride is a constant source of danger to us in that it exalts us to where we start to believe our own estimation of ourselves. Then the next steps down because of pride is we may think we don't need God in everything, just the big things. By the sovereign grace of God, He allows us to hear Him in unexpected ways and preserves us from a lost eternity.
Dreams and visions may not be precise messages to us the way they were to some people in the past, but they can make us consider what we try to ignore or avoid. God did give plain messages to those in the past that had a great effect. Joseph, Nebuchadnezzar and others had dreams that were direct messages to them from God. As a result; individuals, families and even nations were affected.
Today we have the written word of God in the Bible that gives us precise instructions as well as general principles of life by which we live. Its history teaches us lessons from the past so we don't have to repeat the mistakes of others. Its prophecies let us see into the future. Its poetic books touch our emotions. The life and testimony of our Lord Jesus, reveals our need of salvation, as well as the guidance needed to live Christian lives to the glory of God. The letters to the churches and personal letters give us understanding as to the purposes and role of life for which we are each responsible.
God was then willing to communicate his will through dreams which seemed to be quite clear and precise when interpreted by those He chose. A second way was by allowing strong pain that overwhelmed eve the desire for food. Such pain may be necessary to make a person stop and consider that in which they have been involved, and makes them look up as they lie on the broad of their back. Even further, when one has strong pain and sickness, they begin to look at death looming ahead, and to life beyond the grave. In the scriptures we read of quite a number of people who were brought down by pain and sickness before they were humbled before God. Apparently, there were even assembly believers in Corinth who were brought down in sickness and death because of carelessness in regard to the Lord's Supper.
There is another way God works for a suffering person. That is to provide a mediator who is able to work to bring a straying person to God. A skilled mediator understands what is needed to bring estranged people together. He knows what ransom price is needed and is able to make an accurate assessment of the barriers that need to be removed between two opposing parties.
It is unclear as to whether Elihu considered himself the needed mediator or the mediator was an angelic being, but he did have the understanding that God would deliver a genuinely repentant person. The deliverer would pay the ransom price needed by grace, and restoration would then take place because of imputed righteousness. All of this is a clear presentation of the redemption that has been provided for us. God purposes to bring this about through dreams, pain and deliverance that is undeserved. Elihu exhorts Job just to be quiet and listen, because he just wants to help him and bring him to a clearer understanding of God's justice. God does love us, but justice and judgment will be carried out if His love and grace is spurned.