Quote for the Day
“…But not one of you has proved Job wrong…”
Today's Prayer
Many are back on the road this week after time at home. These first few trips and days can be the toughest for both those traveling and those at home. The return to a traveling schedule is never easy. Please pray for those on the road that they will focus on God’s insights for speech and silence. Pray for those at home that they will be comforted in the peace of God’s protection and His daily grace.
Job chapter 32
Job chapter 32 (NIV)1 So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God. 3 He was also angry with the three friends, because they had found no way to refute Job, and yet had condemned him.4 Now Elihu had waited before speaking to Job because they were older than he. 5 But when he saw that the three men had nothing more to say, his anger was aroused.6 So Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite said: “I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know.7 I thought, ‘Age should speak; advanced years should teach wisdom.’8 But it is the spirit in a man, the breath of the Almighty, that gives him understanding.9 It is not only the old who are wise, not only the aged who understand what is right.10 “Therefore I say: Listen to me; I too will tell you what I know.11 I waited while you spoke, I listened to your reasoning; while you were searching for words,12 I gave you my full attention. But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments.13 Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; let God refute him, not man.’14 But Job has not marshaled his words against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments.15 “They are dismayed and have no more to say; words have failed them.16 Must I wait, now that they are silent, now that they stand there with no reply?17 I too will have my say; I too will tell what I know.18 For I am full of words, and the spirit within me compels me;19 inside I am like bottled-up wine, like new wineskins ready to burst.20 I must speak and find relief; I must open my lips and reply.21 I will show partiality to no one, nor will I flatter any man;22 for if I were skilled in flattery, my Maker would soon take me away.
Message
Job has finally concluded his pleas to God as well as his arguments to his friends. They too have exhausted their “wisdom and compassion” to Job. Into the scene jumps a new friend, Elihu. At first it is difficult to see if Elihu has some true wisdom or more of the same type of advice and compassion given by Job’s other friends. God does not acknowledge or comment on Elihu at the end, only the other three, so we need to carefully examine the thoughts and motives of Elihu. The first clue comes in verse 2 when we are introduced to Elihu who “became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God,” and then later in verse 12 when he says, “But not one of you has proved Job wrong.” Elihu spends most of chapter 31 stating his anger and his “patience” with Job and his friends. He is like a bottled-up windstorm about to explode. Before he has said a word, his motives and his understanding of the situation are in question. He is angry because no one proved Job wrong. Did he not know God’s opinion of Job? Had he not heard that Job was a man considered upright and blameless before God? If not, was it because of his own youth, or because he judged Job by the current state of affairs? We too need to understand our reasons to speak. Are we anxious to pull out the stops to hurt or injure verbally? Do we really know the situation before we speak? Sometimes the best answer is no answer and the best response is silence. This week see what God has for you to say or NOT say.