His
thunder announces the coming storm. (Job 36:33)
Three
friends sat silently while Job grieved. Then they opened their mouths causing
him to suffer even more. Elihu, a younger man, sits quietly out of respect for
their age and standing in the community, but he has reached his limit; he can
hold his tongue no more. Chapter 32 tells us he was angry with Job for not
admitting his guilt, and angry with his three elders for their inability to
convince Job of his need for confession.
Elihu
expresses his conviction that God cannot possibly do wrong (34:10), and asserts
that a man’s suffering must be interpreted as punishment for wrongdoing. Since
God rewards the upright and punishes the sinful, suggesting a just man might
also suffer is the same as accusing God of evil.
As
far as Elihu is concerned, God is not hard to figure out. Do right and prosper;
do wrong and suffer. Easy to read, just as thunder is a sure sign of an
approaching storm, suffering is a sure sign of God’s displeasure.
As
we get older, we find out things aren’t always so black and white.
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