Elihu's Words (VI)

Elihu next says:

"Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words. For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds, Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction." (Job 33: 13-16)

In the previous posting we looked at Elihu's question to Job - "why do you contend with him?" I asserted that this was a false accusation and a misinterpretation of Job's words. Job never fought against God. He bore his sufferings in a manner worthy of our imitation. (James 5: 11) But, Elihu, and the other three, did not think that Job handled his sufferings well. Also, Elihu's question assumes that Job had in fact declared his opposition to God. It is like the baited question - "do you still beat your wife." 

Yes, Job felt like God, for some mysterious reason (such as to try and test him), had become an enemy, and had taken away what he had previously given, and was continuing to give no signs of hearing his prayers nor granting his request for an explanation. But, this is far from "contending with God." It would be an act of lunacy to "fight against God." (Acts 5: 39) 

Next, Elihu gives as the reason why God is ignoring Job (supposedly) and not granting his request for an answer, saying "for he give no accounting of any of his matters."

As I have asked previously in commenting upon this statement, did not Job know this truth? Did he not know that God owed nothing to any of his creatures, being the sovereign Creator of all? Creatures can demand nothing from God. God makes demands of his creatures, but not vise versa. On the other hand, God has invited his rational creatures to ask questions of him and has actually given them answers in his word, by the mouth of his chosen prophets and other sent men. 

The scriptures advise believers to take their questions about life and suffering to their parents, brothers and sisters in the Lord, elders and deacons, and especially to God himself through prayer. Job humbly prayed to God for an answer to his sufferings. There was nothing unrighteous in doing that and God is perfectly at liberty to answer or not. After all, there are "secret things" that "belong unto the Lord," and these things he keeps unrevealed. These secret things are set in contrast to that which God has revealed, what questions he has answered, and which are given to men so that men can say "the things revealed belong unto us and to our children." (See Deut. 29: 29) In fact, the bible is full of God giving an accounting of himself and his works and ways. He even invites his rational creatures to "come and let us reason together says the Lord." (Isa. 1: 18) The Lord says “Present your case,” says the LORD. “Bring forth your strong reasons,” says the King of Jacob." (Isa. 41: 12) Things are secrets with the Lord (or mysteries) until the time when he reveals those secrets. Said the prophet: "Surely the Sovereign LORD does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets." (Amos 3: 7 ESV)

Elihu says that God may speak in one way or in another, such as in a dream or in a vision of the night. That these are two ways in which God speaks to prophets is not doubted. Said the Lord: “If anyone will be a prophet of the Lord among you, I will speak to him either in dream or in vision.” (Numbers 12:6) But, this is not the normal way God communicates with his people (to those who are not prophets). His normal way is to communicate with them through the words he gives to his prophets. Lots of false teachers have used their dreams and supposed visions to teach false doctrine. Notice these words of our sovereign Lord:

“How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, “who try to make My people forget My name by their dreams which everyone tells his neighbor, as their fathers forgot My name for Baal. “The prophet who has a dream, let him tell a dream; And he who has My word, let him speak My word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat?” says the LORD." (Jer. 23: 26-28)

So, though God does speak in dreams and visions to his chosen messengers, yet the false prophets also claimed the same, as the above words show. Their supposed God sent dreams were sources for their lies. They did not originate with the Spirit of God but were "of the deceit of their own heart." Though Elihu claims to speak dreams that have come from God yet he speaks falsehood. In the above words the dreams of the false prophets were chaff. God's word, is wheat. How do we judge the divine origin of dreams and visions? It is by comparing what the dreamer teaches as a result of his dream with the word of God. Further, what dreams or visions does Elihu claim to have received? Perhaps he misinterprets his dreams, for knowing the dream is one thing but knowing its meaning is another, as the Book of Daniel shows us.

Further, in the words of Elihu there is the inference that Job, who wanted to hear from God, was desiring what he already had available to him. God has been speaking to Job and answering him, but Job, he affirms, has not been listening. Though God speaks to men who fail to recognize it, yet this was not true in Job's case. Ironically, as we have seen, it is Elihu who is not hearing the voice of God. Job was a good listener, not Elihu.

Is Suffering Always Chastening?

Elihu next says:

"In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword. “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones, So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food. His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones stick out which once were not seen. Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners." (33: 17-22)

In these words Elihu is saying that pain and sufferings are sent by God for the good of his creatures, and prolongation of days given, in order that they by them might come to "turn," to repent, to be "chastened" so as to be brought to salvation and restoration. He also says that pain is given to men to keep them humble. 

That God chastens his own children to discipline them, to correct them, to teach them, is not doubted. But, it is not what God does with those not his children, or to lost men in general. The sufferings of all men are due to their fall in Adam and to the fact that they are cursed and under wrath. Yet, men do not get all their due in this life. The next life will be the great equalizer. This being so, we cannot say, for instance, that Lazarus, who laid at the gate of the rich man (Luke 16), and suffered greatly throughout his life, was therefore a wicked man (over and above what he was by the fall of Adam). Nor can we say that the rich man, at whose gate Lazarus waited for crumbs, was righteous because he "fared sumptuously every day." If the full reward for both obedience and disobedience were all received equally in this life, then the rich man would have lived like Lazarus and Lazarus would have lived as the rich in his life.

The word "chastise" (or chastening) may sometimes denote punitive inflictions upon criminals and which are not intended to be "rehabilitating." (Deut. 22: 18) So, the Lord Jesus was "chastised" by the Roman soldiers. (Luke 23: 16, 22) The impenitent are chastened in God's "hot displeasure" (Psa. 6: 1; 38: 1), though even this is mostly in the world to come.

Job had already asked them "why the wicked live and become old and mighty in power?" (Job 21: 7) They never answered his question and yet they often complained that he was not answering their questions. Neither does Elihu. In their theology and explanations there should be no wicked man who lives to old age, or who suffers little adversity and poverty in life. But, the fact is, many wicked people fare better in this world than do the righteous. Notice this text:

"Deliver my life from the wicked with Your sword, With Your hand from men, O LORD, From men of the world who have their portion in this life, And whose belly You fill with Your hidden treasure. They are satisfied with children, And leave the rest of their possession for their babes. As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness." (Psa. 17: 13-15)

For the most part, those who die as lost and unrepentant sinners, have generally fared well in life. God is not continuously sending torments and sufferings to the wicked in their lives. He knows that they will be spending eternity in Hell and so he is "longsuffering" and "forbearing" with the wicked, allowing them to have "their portion in this life." This fact alone refutes the thesis of Elihu. If pain and adversity and loss are means God sends to bring wicked men to repentance, they why is he allowing the wicked to experience so few adversities as compared to the righteous? The portion of the righteous is not so much in this life as in the next. The Psalmist also wrote:

"For I was envious of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no pangs in their death, But their strength is firm. They are not in trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men. Therefore pride serves as their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment. Their eyes bulge with abundance; They have more than heart could wish." (Psa. 73: 3-7)

Job too saw the prosperity of the wicked and realized that a man's status as either righteous or unrighteous cannot be discerned from his life's circumstances, by his lack of adversity. If Elihu and the three senior friends be correct, then only the righteous would grow old and prosper. The Psalmist denies that this is true, however. Further, the idea of Elihu is that the man who God especially desires to save will receive the greater chastisements so that repentance will hopefully be produced and bring long life and prosperity. Whether the chastisements are effectual to salvation is an "iffy" matter. Thus, a man who is deathly sick and repents of his sin will be made healthy again, according to Elihu. The man who is suffering the loss of all things and repents will be restored to his former standing, he affirms. But, this is not the teaching of the bible. A man may repent and find forgiveness with God and yet not find that he now is restored to perfect health and made suddenly rich in this world. 

As the text cited at the head of this post indicates, God does discipline his children in order that they might be saved, that they might not be condemned with the world. Elihu does not deny, as some affirm, that Job is being punished for his sins. It is true that he says that the punishment, the chastisement, is not merely punitive, but corrective, a means to deliverance. Some commentators affirm that this was a new argument introduced by Elihu, but this is not correct. Eliphaz had said to Job: “Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects; Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty." (5: 17) It is also what Solomon taught in the Proverbs. He wrote: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor detest His correction; For whom the Lord loves He corrects, Just as a father the son in whom he delights." (Prov. 3: 11-12)

Wrote the apostle Paul:

"And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it." (Heb. 12: 5-11)

This chastening pertains to those who are children of God. It also involves fatherly disciplinary punishments, yea, even whippings and scourging, and rebukes. 

Job was not ignorant of God's chastening. He was a beloved son of God and God chastens all his children. So, why does Elihu (and the other three) think that he does not already know about it? Does he think that Job has not already deeply considered that possibility? 

The fact is, Job's sufferings were not chastening for wrongdoing. If Job's sufferings were for heinous sin, then why is Elihu and the other three not suffering as he? Why are we not? Will we say it is because we are righteous, like Elihu and the other three? 

Did Job's sufferings produce a better character in the end? Yes, but as previously noted, this was an indirect result of his sufferings. The main purpose of his sufferings was to prove God right in what he said about Job and his righteous life and his fealty to his God, about his holding fast even though tempted and tried by "the Satan." After all, "all things work together for good to them who love God" (Rom. 8: 28). God brought good to Job as a reward for his patient endurance, but that was a side benefit of God being proven right and the Devil proven wrong. He brought good out of evil.