JOB 31-35 Observations

CHAPTER 30

Job’s Present State Is Humiliating

· Job 30:1 - 31 (NASB) ¹ “But now those younger than I mock me, Whose fathers I disdained to put with the dogs of my flock. ² “Indeed, what good was the strength of their hands to me? Vigor had perished from them. ³ “From want and famine they are gaunt Who gnaw the dry ground by night in waste and desolation, ⁴ Who pluck ^£mallow by the bushes, And whose food is the root of the broom shrub. ⁵ “They are driven from the community; They shout against them as against a thief, ⁶ So that they dwell in dreadful valleys, In holes of the earth and of the rocks. ⁷ “Among the bushes they cry out; Under the nettles they are gathered together. ⁸ “Fools, even those without a name, They were scourged from the land. ⁹ “And now I have become their taunt, I have even become a byword to them. ¹⁰ “They abhor me and stand aloof from me, And they do not refrain from spitting at my face. ¹¹ “Because He has loosed His bowstring and afflicted me, They have cast off the bridle before me. ¹² “On the right hand their brood arises; They thrust aside my feet and build up against me their ways of destruction. ¹³ “They break up my path, They profit from my destruction; No one restrains them. ¹⁴ “As through a wide breach they come, Amid the tempest they roll on. ¹⁵ “Terrors are turned against me; They pursue my honor as the wind, And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud. ¹⁶ “And now my soul is poured out within me; Days of affliction have seized me. ¹⁷ “At night it pierces my bones within me, And my gnawing pains take no rest. ¹⁸ “By a great force my garment is distorted; It binds me about as the collar of my coat. ¹⁹ “He has cast me into the mire, And I have become like dust and ashes. ²⁰ “I cry out to You for help, but You do not answer me; I stand up, and You turn Your attention against me. ²¹ “You have become cruel to me; With the might of Your hand You persecute me. ²² “You lift me up to the wind and cause me to ride; And You dissolve me in a storm. ²³ “For I know that You will bring me to death And to the house of meeting for all living. ²⁴ “Yet does not one in a heap of ruins stretch out his hand, Or in his disaster therefore cry out for help? ²⁵ “Have I not wept for the one whose life is hard? Was not my soul grieved for the needy? ²⁶ “When I expected good, then evil came; When I waited for light, then darkness came. ²⁷ “I am seething within and cannot relax; Days of affliction confront me. ²⁸ “I go about mourning without comfort; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help. ²⁹ “I have become a brother to jackals And a companion of ostriches. ³⁰ “My skin turns black on me, And my bones burn with fever. ³¹ “Therefore my harp is turned to mourning, And my flute to the sound of those who weep.

CHAPTER 31

Job Asserts His Integrity

· Job 31:1 - 40 (NASB) ¹ “I have made a covenant with my eyes; How then could I gaze at a virgin?

o COMMENT: Job made an agreement with his own eyes regarding “gazing” on women…he had dealt with his own weakness common to all men, at not just “looking” at a good looking woman, but going beyond that to “gazing” on her.

· ² “And what is the portion of God from above Or the heritage of the Almighty from on high? ³ “Is it not calamity to the unjust And disaster to those who work iniquity? ⁴ “Does He not see my ways And number all my steps?

· ⁵ “If I have walked with falsehood, And my foot has hastened after deceit,

· (then) ⁶ Let Him weigh me with accurate scales, And let God know my integrity.

· ⁷ “If my step has turned from the way, Or my heart followed my eyes,

· Or if any spot has stuck to my hands,

· (then) ⁸ Let me sow and another eat, And let my crops be uprooted.

· ⁹ “If my heart has been enticed by a woman, Or I have lurked at my neighbor’s doorway,

· (then) ¹⁰ May my wife grind for another, And let others kneel down over her. ¹¹ “For that would be a lustful crime; Moreover, it would be an iniquity punishable by judges. ¹² “For it would be fire that consumes to Abaddon, And would uproot all my increase.

· ¹³ “If I have despised the claim of my male or female slaves When they filed a complaint against me,

· ¹⁴ What then could I do when God arises? And when He calls me to account, what will I answer Him?

· ¹⁵ “Did not He who made me in the womb make him, And the same one fashion us in the womb?

o COMMENT: Note that a person becomes a person in the womb, and the person is made a person by God.

· ¹⁶ “If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, ¹⁷ Or have eaten my morsel alone, And the orphan has not shared it ¹⁸ (But from my youth he grew up with me as with a father, And from infancy I guided her),

· ¹⁹ If I have seen anyone perish for lack of clothing, Or that the needy had no covering,

· ²⁰ If his loins have not thanked me,

· And if he has not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep,

· ²¹ If I have lifted up my hand against the orphan, Because I saw I had support in the gate,

· (then) ²² Let my shoulder fall from the socket, And my arm be broken off at the elbow. ²³ “For calamity from God is a terror to me, And because of His majesty I can do nothing.

· ²⁴ “If I have put my confidence in gold, And called fine gold my trust,

· ²⁵ If I have gloated because my wealth was great, And because my hand had secured so much;

· ²⁶ If I have looked at the sun when it shone Or the moon going in splendor, ²⁷ And my heart became secretly enticed, And my hand threw a kiss from my mouth,

· (then) ²⁸ That too would have been an iniquity calling for judgment, For I would have denied God above.

· ²⁹ “Have I rejoiced at the extinction of my enemy, Or exulted when evil befell him? ³⁰ “No, I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for his life in a curse. ³¹ “Have the men of my tent not said, ‘Who can find one who has not been satisfied with his meat’? ³² “The alien has not lodged outside, For I have opened my doors to the traveler.

· ³³ “Have I covered my transgressions like Adam, By hiding my iniquity in my bosom,

o COMMENT: This is a very interesting comment on the way Adam handled his sin in the garden…covering (apparently done with the fig leaf) and hiding iniquity in the bosom (not sure what that equates to).

· ³⁴ Because I feared the great multitude, And the contempt of families terrified me, And kept silent and did not go out of doors?

o COMMENT: Notice the source of hypothetical sin: fear, contempt from others…

· ³⁵ “Oh that I had one to hear me! Behold, here is my signature; Let the Almighty answer me! And the indictment which my adversary has written, ³⁶ Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, I would bind it to myself like a crown. ³⁷ “I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.

· ³⁸ “If my land cries out against me, And its furrows weep together;

· ³⁹ If I have eaten its fruit without money, Or have caused its owners to lose their lives,

· (then) ⁴⁰ Let briars grow instead of wheat, And stinkweed instead of barley.” The words of Job are ended.

CHAPTER 32

Elihu Contradicts Job’s Friends/Elihu in Anger Rebukes Job

· Job 32:1 - 22 (NASB) ¹Then these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.

o COMMENT: This was not pride on Job’s part…but a fact. He had lived a righteous life and there were no things undone that convicted his heart.

o COMMENT: Beyond this, we know that Job was righteous in God’s eyes…that is even more important.

· ²But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram burned; against Job his anger burned because he justified himself before God.

o COMMENT: This is what I call the “Lawn Mower Principle” A blade of grass starts growing more than the others around it. Then instead of others asking how did that blade of grass start growing (so they could grow too) they call in the “lawn mower” to reduce that growing blade to their level. But to a healthy blade of grass, that only means it will grow more vigoursly.

· ³And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

o COMMENT: Interesting response…anger because Job’s counselor’s can’t answer Job’s questions.

o QUESTION: Why get angry. Why not come along side Job and empathize with him that his predicament is beyond analysis.

· ⁴Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. ⁵And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men his anger burned. ⁶So Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite spoke out and said, “I am young in years and you are old; Therefore I was shy and afraid to tell you what I think. ⁷ “I thought age should speak, And increased years should teach wisdom.

o COMMENT: Wisdom does not always come with time.

· ⁸ “But it is a spirit in man, And the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding. ⁹ “The abundant in years may not be wise, Nor may elders understand justice.

o COMMENT: Understanding come from God (the “breath of the Almighty”). Wisdom does not necessarily come with time. And Justice is not always resident with older people. Look a Joash, David, Daniel, 3 Hebrew children, etc…they were all young and had far more wisdom than most of the older people around them.

· ¹⁰ “So I say, ‘Listen to me, I too will tell what I think.

o COMMENT: But who really cares about what you think? About your opinions? Beyond just an intellectual exercise

· ¹¹ “Behold, I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings, While you pondered what to say. ¹² “I even paid close attention to you; Indeed, there was no one who refuted Job, Not one of you who answered his words. ¹³ “Do not say, ‘We have found wisdom; God will rout him, not man.’ ¹⁴ “For he has not arranged his words against me, Nor will I reply to him with your arguments. ¹⁵ “They are dismayed, they no longer answer; Words have failed them. ¹⁶ “Shall I wait, because they do not speak, Because they stop and no longer answer? ¹⁷ “I too will answer my share, I also will tell my opinion.

o COMMENT: Again, a person in Job’s shoes doesn’t need more opinions…Job needs answers!!

o PRAYER: God help me to be a person that can give REAL help to people in need … not just more intellectural dribble like these counselors of Job.

· ¹⁸ “For I am full of words; The spirit within me constrains me. ¹⁹ “Behold, my belly is like unvented wine, Like new wineskins it is about to burst. ²⁰ “Let me speak that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer. ²¹ “Let me now be partial to no one, Nor flatter any man. ²² “For I do not know how to flatter, Else my Maker would soon take me away.

o COMMENT: Watch out…with the counsel you are giving Job…you may have a surprise coming!!

CHAPTER 33

Elihu Contradicts Job/Elihu Claims to Speak for God

· Job 33:1 - 33 (NASB) ¹ “However now, Job, please hear my speech, And listen to all my words. ² “Behold now, I open my mouth, My tongue in my mouth speaks. ³ “My words are from the uprightness of my heart, And my lips speak knowledge sincerely.

o COMMENT: Sincerity is great…but more than sincerity is required to establish truth. Sincerity does not always lead to truth.

· ⁴ “The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.

o COMMENT: Note that the immaterial (the Spirit of God) produces / creates the material (has made “me”).

o COMMENT: My life comes from the “breath of the Almighty”

· ⁵ “Refute me if you can; Array yourselves before me, take your stand. ⁶ “Behold, I belong to God like you; I too have been formed out of the clay.

o COMMENT: Elihu try’s to pretend he is on Job’s side…and going to be Job’s advocate to God…good intentions…but Elihu you don’t measure up to what Jesus accomplished.

· ⁷ “Behold, no fear of me should terrify you, Nor should my pressure weigh heavily on you.

o COMMENT: Job … you have nothing to fear from me.

· ⁸ “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words:

· ⁹ ‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent and there is no guilt in me. ¹⁰ ‘Behold, He invents pretexts against me; He counts me as His enemy. ¹¹ ‘He puts my feet in the stocks; He watches all my paths.’

o COMMENT: Elihu recounts Job’s own words.

· ¹² “Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this, For God is greater than man.

o COMMENT: True…but Job has never argued this…so you counselors, why not act/speak like you really believe this?

· ¹³ “Why do you complain against Him That He does not give an account of all His doings?

· ¹⁴ “Indeed God speaks once, Or twice, yet no one notices it. ¹⁵ “In a dream, a vision of the night, When sound sleep falls on men, While they slumber in their beds, ¹⁶ Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction,

o COMMENTS: Here are a number of ways God speaks: dreams, visions of the night, while sleeping…He opens ears of understanding.

· ¹⁷ That He may turn man aside from his conduct, And keep man from pride; ¹⁸ He keeps back his soul from the pit, And his life from passing over into Sheol. ¹⁹ “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with unceasing complaint in his bones; ²⁰ So that his life loathes bread, And his soul favorite food. ²¹ “His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones which were not seen stick out. ²² “Then his soul draws near to the pit, And his life to those who bring death.

· ²³ “If there is an angel as mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a man what is right for him,

· ²⁴ Then let him be gracious to him, and say, ‘Deliver him from going down to the pit, I have found a ransom’; ²⁵ Let his flesh become fresher than in youth, Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor; ²⁶ Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him, That he may see His face with joy, And He may restore His righteousness to man. ²⁷ “He will sing to men and say, ‘I have sinned and perverted what is right, And it is not proper for me. ²⁸ ‘He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit, And my life shall see the light.’ ²⁹ “Behold, God does all these oftentimes with men, ³⁰ To bring back his soul from the pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life. ³¹ “Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and let me speak.

· ³² “Then if you have anything to say,
(then) answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you.

· ³³ “If not,

· (then) listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.”

CHAPTER 34

Elihu Proclaims God’s Justice/Elihu Vindicates God’s Justice

· Job 34:1 - 37 (NASB) ¹Then Elihu continued and said, ² “Hear my words, you wise men, And listen to me, you who know. ³ “For the ear tests words As the palate tastes food. ⁴ “Let us choose for ourselves what is right; Let us know among ourselves what is good.

· ⁵ “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous, But God has taken away my right; ⁶ Should I lie concerning my right? My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

o COMMENT: Job’s claims.

· ⁷ “What man is like Job, Who drinks up derision like water, ⁸ Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men? ⁹ “For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing When he is pleased with God.’ ¹⁰ “Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to do wickedness, And from the Almighty to do wrong. ¹¹ “For He pays a man according to his work, And makes him find it according to his way. ¹² “Surely, God will not act wickedly, And the Almighty will not pervert justice. ¹³ “Who gave Him authority over the earth? And who has laid on Him the whole world?

· ¹⁴ “If He should determine to do so,

· If He should gather to Himself His spirit and His breath,

· (then) ¹⁵ All flesh would perish together, And man would return to dust.

· ¹⁶ “But if you have understanding,

· (then) hear this; Listen to the sound of my words. ¹⁷ “Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One, ¹⁸ Who says to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’; ¹⁹ Who shows no partiality to princes Nor regards the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands? ²⁰ “In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without a hand. ²¹ “For His eyes are upon the ways of a man, And He sees all his steps. ²² “There is no darkness or deep shadow Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves. ²³ “For He does not need to consider a man further, That he should go before God in judgment. ²⁴ “He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, And sets others in their place. ²⁵ “Therefore He knows their works, And He overthrows them in the night, And they are crushed. ²⁶ “He strikes them like the wicked In a public place, ²⁷ Because they turned aside from following Him, And had no regard for any of His ways; ²⁸ So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him, And that He might hear the cry of the afflicted— ²⁹ When He keeps quiet, who then can condemn? And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him, That is, in regard to both nation and man?— ³⁰ So that godless men would not rule Nor be snares of the people. ³¹ “For has anyone said to God, ‘I have borne chastisement; I will not offend anymore; ³² Teach me what I do not see;

· If I have done iniquity,

· (then) I will not do it again’? ³³ “Shall He recompense on your terms, because you have rejected it? For you must choose, and not I; Therefore declare what you know.

· ³⁴ “Men of understanding will say to me, And a wise man who hears me, ³⁵ ‘Job speaks without knowledge, And his words are without wisdom. ³⁶ ‘Job ought to be tried to the limit, Because he answers like wicked men. ³⁷ ‘For he adds rebellion to his sin; He claps his hands among us, And multiplies his words against God.’”

o COMMENT: This sounds eerily like academia today. Gathering pseudo wise men, saying you really “understand” and then putting down the godly man, not just once but at least 8 times….and at a time when he most needs encouragement and support…better to do without counsel like this.

CHAPTER 35

Elihu Condemns Self Righteousness/Elihu Sharply Reproves Job

· Job 35:1 - 16 (NASB) ¹Then Elihu continued and said, ² “Do you think this is according to justice? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’? ³ “For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You? What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?’ ⁴ “I will answer you, And your friends with you. ⁵ “Look at the heavens and see; And behold the clouds—they are higher than you. ⁶ “If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him? And if your transgressions are many, what do you do to Him? ⁷ “If you are righteous, what do you give to Him, Or what does He receive from your hand? ⁸ “Your wickedness is for a man like yourself, And your righteousness is for a son of man. ⁹ “Because of the multitude of oppressions they cry out; They cry for help because of the arm of the mighty. ¹⁰ “But no one says, ‘Where is God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night, ¹¹ Who teaches us more than the beasts of the earth And makes us wiser than the birds of the heavens?’ ¹² “There they cry out, but He does not answer Because of the pride of evil men. ¹³ “Surely God will not listen to an empty cry, Nor will the Almighty regard it. ¹⁴ “How much less when you say you do not behold Him, The case is before Him, and you must wait for Him! ¹⁵ “And now, because He has not visited in His anger, Nor has He acknowledged transgression well,

· ¹⁶ So Job opens his mouth emptily; He multiplies words without knowledge.”

o COMMENT: This is Elihu’s conclusion…what a sad commentary on one called alongside Job to help him bear the burden’s he is going through. This had to have added to Job’s burden rather than relieved it. SAD!!