Note: I'm still puzzling over Elihu's speech. I'm calling in reinforcements. I hope to have something to write by late tonight, so if you don't see a post at your normal time of checking, that is the reason. I will certainly update, but for now I feel the need to discuss.
If you've read the chapters let me know what you think: is Elihu's speech really representative of God and the truth? Or is he a sneaky-sneaky truth-twister? Let me know!
UPDATE:
In truth, I'm not sure I will have the "Elihu: Villain or Hero" question completely figured out any time soon. Though, I am taking up my youth minister on borrowing his book "Sitting with Job" as I am very intrigued how it changed his perspective on the matter (shout out to Travis!). So, here's the run-down of the issues as I know them, and my take. But be forewarned: I might change my mind, even in the foreseeable future.
1. Many commentators look at Elihu as a positive force in Job. The Bible Knowledge Commentary, Warren Wiersbe's Be Patient, Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible name just a few. While they do not think Elihu is perfect (and besides God, who really is?), they do say that Elihu made real points: mostly that God uses pain and suffering for other reasons than to punish. Job's friends had represented God as mostly retributive and punitive; but that is not the case. God sometimes will use suffering as a warning, according to Elihu, and sometimes as a means to draw us closer to God. And how many of us can deny that? Do we not often observe that it is during the rough times that we tend to reach out for the Almighty most? Also, Elihu rebukes Job for his sin. We'll get to that in a minute.
2. On the other side of the coin is my professor, who views Elihu as another attack from Satan: to get Job to sin through spiritual deception. He maintains that Elihu's views are false and his claims faulty. And that he attempts to back them up from nature. My professor contends that Elihu dwelt on the punitive nature of God just as much as the others and that it was Job's sin that brought misfortune upon him. Elihu is a brash, arrogant speaker who will only lead Job astray.
Notice, both camps do admit that Elihu reflects on Job's sin. The question is: had Job sinned and when did he do it? I have to admit, over the past few days of reading, I think we can see Job has sinned: his comments on God are downright disrespectful, bordering on defiant and insolent. He has displayed pride and anger that his pride has been injured. The question is, is Elihu addressing Job's sin as from the comments he's made in the past few days or the reason for his suffering? If it is the reason for Job' suffering, than Elihu is just as faulty as Job's other friends, because we know from earlier in the book that Job did not suffer because of sin but because of a conversation between God and Satan. God was allowing Job to be tested. However, if he is rebuking Job for his sin since he had opened his lips, then that is another matter: he explains to Job reasons why God might allow someone to suffer, and then rebukes Job for his pride and sin in his response to his own calamity.
I rather think that I sit on the latter camp's side of the fence. Job has certainly sinned since he began to speak. I think that very likely, this is what Elihu spoke to. And Elihu has a very good point: we know from other Scriptures that God does in fact use suffering for a variety of reasons, one including character building as I've already referenced in another post. (Man, I almost feel a Calvin and Hobbes comic strip coming on...) But you can also check out 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 and Hebrews 12:1-11, as recommended by Warren Wiersbe. And that's where I'm at. Let's see what that other book has to say, though, and see if it sways me another way.
Tomorrow's Reading: Job 38:1-39:8 (We get to hear God speak!)
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