Copr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.
INTRODUCTION: HAVE YOU EVER OVERHEARD AN EXTENDED ARGUMENT BETWEEN
TWO PEOPLE? AFTER A WHILE THEY SEEM TO REPEAT THE SAME THINGS THAT
THEY SAID BEFORE, RIGHT? AFTER THE THREE ROUNDS OF ARGUMENT
BETWEEN JOB AND HIS THREE FRIENDS I'LL BET YOU ARE READY FOR
SOMETHING NEW -- AND THAT IS WHAT THE BOOK OF JOB HAS FOR YOU.
ENTER A NEW CHARACTER NAMED ELIHU.
I. ENTER ELIHU.
A.OPEN YOUR BIBLES TO JOB 32. READ v. 1.
1. JUST BECAUSE JOB WAS RIGHTEOUS IN HIS OWN EYES, WHY DO
YOU THINK THAT HIS THREE FRIENDS STOPPED ARGUING WITH
HIM? (THEY PROBABLY FIGURED THAT IF JOB THOUGHT HE WAS
OKAY, IT WAS FUTILE TO TRY TO HELP HIM.)
2. LEAVING ASIDE THE FACT THAT WE KNOW THAT JOB WAS
OK, IS THIS ATTITUDE A PROBLEM IN COUNSELLING OTHERS?
3.IN FINDING THE TRUTH OURSELVES? (YOU BET. IF YOU THINK
YOU ARE JUST FINE AND HAVE NO NEED OF CHANGE, THIS WOULD
SEEM TO BE ONE OF THE MORE HOPELESS PROBLEMS. YOU FEEL NO
NEED OF CHANGE. AND YOU FEEL SUPERIOR TO OTHERS WHO ARE
TRYING TO HELP YOU.)
B. BUT WE HAVE SOMEONE ELSE WHO HAS BEEN LISTENING IN AND DOES
NOT SHARE THAT OPINION.
C. LETS READ 32:2-3. WHAT IS ELIHU'S PROBLEM? (THAT: 1)JOB
JUSTIFIED HIMSELF INSTEAD OF GOD; AND, 2) THE THREE FRIENDS
CONDEMNED JOB EVEN THOUGH THEY COULD NOT REFUTE WHAT HE SAID
TO THEM.)
D. READ 32:4-10. WHY HAD NOT ELIHU SPOKEN BEFORE? (BECAUSE HE
WAS YOUNG)
1. WHAT MAKES HIM THINK THAT HE SHOULD SPEAK NOW?
(BECAUSE HE HAS WISDOM BEYOUND HIS AGE.)
E. READ 32:18-20. APPARENTLY ELIHU IS NOT HOLDING BACK ANY
LONGER!
F. LETS TAKE A HARD LOOK AT ELIHU. WHAT KIND OF ATTITUDE DO WE
SEE IN HIS WORDS?
1.DOESN'T HE SOUND LIKE HE HAS THE SAME ATTITUDE THAT
JOB'S FRIENDS SAID THAT JOB POSSESSED? (HE IS SURE THAT
HE IS RIGHT.)
G. WHAT DO WE SEE ABOUT HIM IN v.2 WHERE IT SAYS THAT HE WAS
ANGRY AT JOB FOR JUSTIFYING HIMSELF INSTEAD OF GOD? (HE IS
ANXIOUS TO STAND UP FOR GOD AND WHY GOD IS RIGHT ACCORDING TO
ELIHU)
II. ELIHU'S VIEW OF GOD'S ANSWER TO JOB
A. ELIHU TELLS US THAT JOB COMPLAINS THAT GOD HAS NOT TREATED
HIM FAIRLY. READ 33: 12-14.
1.IS GOD OBLIGED TO ANSWER US?
2. DO WE HAVE A RIGHT TO COMPLAIN IF GOD DOES NOT SEEM TO
ANSWER OUR QUESTIONS? (ELIHU SAYS WHO ARE YOU THAT GOD
HAS TO ANSWER YOU? HE IS RIGHT! GOD IS UNDER NO
OBLIGATION TO ANSWER US. HOWEVER HE HAS VOLUNTARILY
OFFERED TO ANSWER.
Luke 11:9 "So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek
and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (NIV)
B. ELIHU TELLS JOB THAT NOT ONLY IS GOD NOT OBLIGED TO ANSWER
HIM, BUT HE ALSO SUGGESTS IN v. 14 THaT THAT GOD DID IN FACT
ANSWER JOB AND JOB DID NOT NOTICE IT. ELIHU SAYS,"GOD SPEAKS
TO US IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT WAYS: EVEN IF WE DO NOT KNOW THAT
GOD IS SPEAKING TO US."
C. LETS READ ABOUT HOW THIS WORKS. READ 33:16-20.
1. HOW DOES HE SAY THAT GOD SPEAKS TO US? (BY REVELATION.
OR BY DISCIPLINE (P.S. JOB, LIKE WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU.)
2. IS ELIHU RIGHT HERE? (I THINK SO.)
D. ELIHU SUGGEST THAT GOD SPEAKS TO US TO HELP US AVOID
DISASTER, ("THE PIT") BY REVELATION OR DISCIPLINE.
E. LETS READ 33:23-25.
F. IF WE TAKE THE WARNING THAT WE FIND IN THE BIBLE OR FROM
DISCIPLINE, WHAT DOES ELIHU SUGGEST MIGHT HAPPEND SO THAT WE
CAN STAY OUT OF THE PIT? (THAT WE WOULD HAVE A MEDIATOR
INTERVENE FOR US.)
G. LETS LOOK MORE CLOSELY AT ELIHU'S VIEW OF A MEDIATOR. READ
33:26-30.
1. DO YOU AGREE WITH HIS VIEW? THAT THE MEDIATOR SAYS, "I
FOUND A RANSOM FOR THIS SORRY FELLOW." AND THAT THE
MEDIATOR KEEPS US FROM GETTING WHAT WE DESERVE?
2. wHAT IS THE KEY TO GETTING THIS HELP FROM THE MEDIATOR
ACCORDING TO ELIHU? (IT SEEMS IN v.23, THAT IT IS SORT OF
JUST FINDING A MEDIATOR (MESSENGER) TO TAKE YOUR SIDE.
H. THE PUNCH LINE FOR ELIHU IS THAT THE PERSON WHO GETS HELP
SHOULD CONFESS THAT HE HAS SINNED AND JOB HAS NOT DONE THAT.
JUST THE OPPOSITE. OUR LESSON SUGGESTS THAT ELIHU HAS ONLY A
PRIMITIVE UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEED FOR A SAVIOR.
I. ELIHU ENDS THIS PART OF HIS SPEECH BY SAYING, (v. 29) GOD
WILL DO THIS FOR MAN TWO OR MAYBE EVEN THREE TIMES. I HOPE HE
IS WRONG.
III. GOD v. JOB (34)
A. READ 34:2-4. ELIHU SAYS THAT THE EAR TESTS WORDS AS THE
TONGUE TASTES FOOD.
1. WHAT DOES THAT MEAN AND DO YOU AGREE?
(JUST AS FOOD DOESN'T TASTE QUITE RIGHT, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT
YOU CAN SAY THAT DOESN'T SOUND QUITE RIGHT.)
2. IF SOMETHING DOESN'T SOUND QUITE RIGHT, WHAT SHOULD WE
DO NEXT? (ELIHU SUGGESTS IN 34:4 THAT YOU SHOULD TALK TO
OTHERS ABOUT IT. SINCE JOB MAY BE THE FIRST BOOK OF THE
BIBLE THAT WAS WRITTEN, TODAY I WOULD SAY STUDY THE BIBLE
AND TALK TO OTHERS WHO ARE STUDYING THE BIBLE.)
B. READ 34:5-6. ELIHU SETS UP THE PROBLEM. HE SAYS THAT JOB
SAYS HE IS INNOCENT AND GOD IS UNJUST. I AM RIGHT, BUT GOD'S
ARROW IS IN ME. FROM THIS HE CONCLUDES THAT ONLY ONE CAN BE
RIGHT. EITHER JOB IS RIGHT OR GOD IS RIGHT.
1. WHAT IS THE ERROR IN HIS LOGIC? HIS THINKING? (THAT
SOMEBODY HAS TO BE WRONG. IN FACT, THE ONLY THING WRONG
IS THAT JOB AND ELIHU THINK THAT GOD IS DOING THIS.)
C. IN THE NEXT FEW VERSES (v.7-30) HE LEAVES NOT DOUBLT ABOUT
WHO HE THINKS IS RIGHT. HE SAYS THAT JOB HANGS AROUND WITH
TERRIBLE MEN AND SAYS TERRIBLE THINGS. GOD KNOWS THE SECRET
THINGS THAT A PERSON DOES AND HE PUNISHES EVIL. IN SUM HE
SAYS THAT JOB GOT EXACTLY WHAT HE DESERVED.
D. FINALLY, IN v. 31 THROUGH THE END OF THE CHPT ELIHU SAYS
THAT BECAUSE OF WHAT JOB HAS SAID, HE NOW ADDS REBELLION
AGAINST GOD TO JOB'S OTHER SINS.
IV. THE EFFECT OF OUR LIVES
A. WE ARE GOING TO SKIP OVER MOST OF CHPT 35. BUT LETS READ v.
3-8. ELIHU SAYS THAT JOB HAS SAID THAT THERE IS NO PROFIT IN
OBEDIENCE. AND HIS REPLY IS THAT GOD DOES NOT GET ANY TALLER
OR RICHER BECAUSE WE OBEY. OBEYING ONLY AFFECTS TWO THINGS:
1. OTHERS (v.8; AND,
2. WICKEDNESS ONLY AFFECTS YOU?
3. DO YOU AGREE? WHAT INFLUENCE DO WE HAVE ON OTHERS?
a. TO WHAT DEGREE SHOULD WE BE CONCERNED ABOUT THIS?
b. (JOB DID NOT KNOW IT AND NEITHER DID ELIHU, BUT
JOB WAS AFFECTING THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. THE ENTIRE
UNIVERSE WAS LOOKING OVER HIS SHOULDER.)
4. IS THAT THE CASE WITH US? SHOULD WE FEEL THAT THE
ENTIRE UNIVERSE IS PEEKING OVER OUR SHOULDER?
V. IN CHPTS 36-37 ELIHU EXTOLLS THE MIGHT POWER OF GOD. IT IS ALL
TRUE AND IF YOU HAVE NOT READ IT YET, SUGGEST YOU READ IT THIS
AFTERNOON.
VI. NEXT WEEK: FINALLY, GOD IS HEARD. AND WE WILL HEAR WHAT HE HAS
TO SAY ABOUT ALL OF THIS NEXT WEEK. STUDY YOUR LESSON, IT COVERS
JOB 38-41.