JOB 32-37 THE DOCTRINE OF ELIHU
THE DOCTRINE OF ELIHU
Job 32-37
Taught by: Pastor Carolyn Sissom
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Elihu had the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and spoke to Job out of the Holy Place; The Feast of Pentecost; the dimension of the 60-fold ( a mixture of wisdom); a refreshing; the young man; acceptable; knowing Christ in the power of His Resurrection.
This is another example of another Old Testament Saint who has the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
32:8: “There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty gives them understanding”.
32:19: “Behold my belly is as wine which has no vent; it is ready to burst like new bottles. I will speak, that I may be refreshed: I will open my lips and answer.
33:3: “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty has given me life.”
He knew the voice of God and had the Revelatory Gifts of dreams and visions.
33:15: “For God speaks once, yes twice, yet man perceives it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls upon men, in slumbering upon the bed; Then He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction.
Elihu identifies himself as the interpreter: 33:6 “Behold I am according to your wish in God’s stead; I also am formed out of the clay.” He is saying he is the mediator who Job requested. 9:33: Neither is there any daysman between us that might lay his hand upon us both. This is a type of the Son of God and the ministry of reconciliation of the Sons of God.
Elihu, the interpreter, revealed the revelation of Jesus Christ who was to come as the Ransom.
Job 33:24:”Then He is gracious to him (man) and says, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom.
Job had seen his Redeemer as the Living One, Who would vindicate him the day of His coming. Now Elihu has the revelation that Jesus is Job’s Ransom. This Ransom is not on the grounds of the integrity of Job (or any other man), but on the grounds of His own sacrifice for the redemption of fallen man.
Job 33: 26-28: “His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s; he shall return to the days of his youth; He shall pray to God, and He will be favorable to Him; and he shall see His face with joy; for He will render to man His righteousness. He looks upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not. He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light?”
In verse 29 is mentioned the thrice-working of God. “Lo, all these things works God oftentimes (#7969 meaning twice, yea thrice) with man, to bring back his soul from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life.”
Elihu has the revelation that the servant of God must be taught to rejoice in the Will of God, rather than the service of God, and to glory in weakness as a condition for knowing the Divine-strength brought to its full development of power. The faithful servant of God must even be willing to suffer many things for the sake of being fitted for ministry to others. This is a partial revelation from the Holy of Holies that we are to participate in His sufferings. Even as it is written that Jesus Christ Himself as our great High Priest is touched with the feelings of our weaknesses.
Elihu possessed a spiritual discernment unknown by the older men. He begins his speech with modesty and tact. However, as the speech progresses, his spirit became heated. Elihu says that Job’s friends have utterly failed to find an answer, and yet condemned him without mercy. They had been touchy when their wisdom was doubted; self-assertive in their knowledge; hard in application of a theory, over-riding even all the principles of humanity in the determination to prove their case and maintain their reputation. Elihu cuts through the chase, bypasses all the side issues, ignores all the theoretical discussion and gets straight to his doctrine.
- 33: 14-18: By the direct inner teaching of the Holy Spirit in the heart (“a dream in a vision of the night”).
- 334: 19-22: By being paced in the school of suffering and chastening with pain as God deals with His servants. (In this view he only has partial light and truth).
Elihu’s main contention was that suffering is intended of God to be corrective rather than punitive as charged by his three friends. The three friends did not have the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and were still trying to work out their salvation with works and their own righteousness. His doctrine of the cause of suffering is that it is to be educational. He does not yet have the full revelation of our participation in the sufferings of the Cross to reveal the Glory of God.
Heb. 4:14-16: “For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end; While it is said, Today if you will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation. For some when they had heard did provoke: however, not all that came out of
On earth Jesus was in all points tried even as those He came to save. Compassion is the key to His More Excellent Ministry and we are to be like HIM!
Elihu, however, is 60-fold. He is a mixture. The difference between Elihu, the Holy Spirit- led interpreter, and Elihu, the man, is very plain to be seen.
Elihu was angry at Job’s three friends because they had not helped Job. He was also disturbed by Job’s self-righteous attitude. Much of his speech was made of words telling them what wonderful things he is going to say! Like the others, his chief wisdom was the use of words which concealed rather than made plain his meaning.
His first speech introduces the youth who had been listening on the sidelines. He will speak without flattery or partiality! He assures Job, who has complained that God is too much for man that he can dispute with Job. 32:17: I said, I will answer also my part; I also will show my opinion. For I am full of matter, the spirit within me constrains me.” The Spirit was constraining his flesh.
He begins his sermon in tactfulness, poise of spirit, gentle courtesy; exact truth and justice in quoting Job’s words. However, as the sermon proceeds, his tone would indicate that he has self-hurt because Job and his friends are not responding to him. He loses his self-restraint, and begins to make charges against Job as the elders had done.
Micah 2:7: “O you that are named the house of Jacob, is the Spirit of the Lord impatient? Are these His doings? Do not My words do good to him that walks uprightly?
The Holy Spirit is never impatient with us. The messenger of God needs the patience of God as well as the message! We have seen those who start well with zeal and enthusiasm but do not finish. When they do no receive, what they perceive, as recognition and appreciation for their efforts, they faint.
As Elihu proceeds to teach wisdom to the aged friends, he takes up much the same line of argument as they had done in the beginning. This is always the case when flesh feels rejected and mis-understood. Also the “ego” continually strives to get the upper-hand. When men argue over religious matters, they have fallen into the flesh. The Holy Spirit does not argue. The Holy Spirit has no need to argue.
Elihu on the other hand seems to expect an immediate result to all that he had to say. Why did Elihu expect Job to confess that the word given by Elihu met his need? I can’t name the times I have heard people say, “I gave that word first”. Lord help us all. When any minister of the gospel holds the word they gave as a standard for others, that they may receive the recognition, even though they may have the Word of the Lord, they have missed God.
This again is the mixture of the Holy Spirit-led revelation and the flesh of man operating in His servants. After a measure of growth, the soul becomes able to discern spiritual things quickly; and then it is easy for the light to outrun the experience; the lack of the corresponding LIFE-POWER betrays itself in some critical moment, as it appears to have done in Elihu, when he is tested by the silence of Job.
When Elihu carefully explains to Job the chastening aspect of suffering, and how it is a work of God grace. Job has no reply (33: 31-33) “Mark well, O Job, hearken to me; hold your peace, and I will speak. If you have any thing to say, answer me: speak, for I desire to justify you. If not, hearken to me: hold your peace, and I shall teach you wisdom.”
Oh boy, when Job didn’t speak, now he is participating in the journey to the cross as our Lord and Savior did not defend himself in the face of such impudence.
Let us make note that after this sermon, Elihu is never mentioned in the Bible again. However, Job is affirmed throughout the Old Testament and the New Testament in Acts and James as a Prophet of the Lord. The Lord even honored him with a whole book of the Bible as an overcomer. Now notice how Elihu proceeds to overspeak himself to Job.
The second speech in chapter follows the same pattern as the first. The young man attacks Job at a vulnerable point. His flesh takes over and he starts to drive a nail in the coffin. 34:1: “Furthermore, Elihu answer and said, Hear my words, O you wise men; and give ear to me, you that have knowledge. For the ear tries words, as the mouth tastes meat. Let us chose to us judgment; let us know among ourselves what is good.”
Now this is a man who is trying to make a reputation for himself among the church Elders. I have seen the Elihu’s come and go.
He goes for Job’s jugular in 34:9, he quotes Job when Job spoke out of his grief of pain and anguish and offended Elihu’s sense of divine justice. “For he has said, It profits a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.” Elihu’s next words indicate that Job should be tried for his rebellion. Whatever God does is right. Therefore it is the wisdom of man to submit and learn. This Job had not done, but in what he said he had at least suggested that God’s action had been unjust, and thus rebellion was added to sin.
The third speech of Elihu begins in Chapter 35. He opposes Job’s words of righteousness not paying; thus God would not be just. Well yes, but when a man is on the dung heap with sores in his body, the man after God’s heart would heal the man with compassion, not heap more condemnation on him. Miracles and Healings from the hand of the Lord have nothing to do with the merit of the receiver.
If the compassion of Jesus moves through one of us to heal a sufferer that compassion will be what brings the erring one to the Lord, not our self-righteous preaching.
35:1 starts with Elihu spoke moreover. (Definition: In addition to what has already been said, furthermore). The Wisdom of God is to know when to shut-up. Elihu is now himself in the crucible and has definitely overstated the message he was graced to deliver.
In 32:17, the Holy Spirit was constraining him. Constraint means threat, use of force to prevent, restrict or dictate the action or thoughts of others or a state of being within boundaries, limits or regulations. This is healthy boundaries set by the Holy Spirit to keep us from operating in the flesh. This is to protect the Lord’s servants from presumption and impudence. The constraint of the Holy Spirit is not to quench the Spirit, but to teach us the boundaries of the flesh compared to the Spirit.
In the early days of the Charismatic revival, many over-stepped boundaries of respect. I am so grateful the Lord has graced the house of Eastgate Ministries with that grace of respect for Elders, one another, and of all peoples. There is a place within everyone that is private. As ministers of the gospel, we must always ask the Lord’s permission and the permission of those to whom we minister to be able to speak into anyone’s life. I would think that wisdom will never transgress into "furthermore and "moreover".
Before I pray for someone, I always ask their permission, or else they come to me and ask for ministry. I would never presume to speak my opinion or revelation into anyone life without an invitation. I pray for the wisdom to know when I am being constrained by the Holy Spirit.
Elihu’s “moreover” (35:5-7) is his truth that God’s administration of justice is always fair. Job should not be so impatient, for in God’s own time He will administer that justice. (We know that Job is commended through eternity for his patience-- James 5:11: "Behold we count them hapy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy."
While it is true that according to the terms and requirements of infinite righteousness, God is independent of man, yet according to the nature of His heart of love, which these men did not understand perfectly, He cannot be independent. If man sins by being too independent rather than interdependent with our brothers and sisters in Christ, the Lord God Almighty is not independent of our feelings and weaknesses.
Elihu then declared that the reason why men do not find God is that the motive of their prayer is wrong. It is a cry for help rather than for God Himself. He declared that God will not hear vanity, and charged Job with this wrongness of motive in his search for God. He deals with Job from the present and not from the past.
It is the Lord who chooses us. John 15:16: “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain; that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it to you.”
Yesterday I walked out the door of my house and saw the pear tree blooming across the street. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “Everything that bears fruit, must first bloom”. I received John 15:16 as a commission in the late 80’s. It is declared on all of the church stationery.
The fourth speech of Elihu in chapter 36 shows that Elihu is dedicated to upholding the righteousness of the Creator; He will defend God! He again re-iterates his doctrine of why the righteous suffer. His doctrine is the purpose of affliction is discipline; when men learn their lessons, God delivers them. (36:11) “If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity and their years in pleasures.” This is the prosperity message that as Christians we will all drive a Cadillac. Well I have owned a brand new Cadillac and I sure did enjoy driving it. I also owned a Mercedes and enjoyed that one too. I bless everyone to have and enjoy all the prosperity of Heaven and earth. However, I never sought the Lord for either. We will find this great prosperity of joy unspeakable and full of Glory when we seek the Lord and are hid in Him. (James 5:11: "We count them happy that endure.") This is one of the keys to the great prosperity of joy unspeakable. Job found it.
There is a warning to be heeded in 36:18: “Because there is wrath, beware less He take you away with His stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver you. “Beware lest you be allured by your sufficiency; neither let the greatness of the Ransom turn you aside.” This is the danger of every honored servant of the Lord. Self-sufficiency at first and then, when this is taken away, and the soul has learned to draw upon the Sufficiency of God, it is possible for it to be allured from dependence upon him by the very sufficiency He has given! Them comes the solemn warning that the “greatness of the Ransom” may snare us. It seems that most are only able to grasp one aspect at a time of the stupendous sacrifice of Jesus, and the awful Holiness of God, so that we either walk in a measure of bondage, and judge our fellowship with God by our obedience; or else the Grace of God and the value of the shed and sprinkled blood of His Son, are realized to such an extent, that we fail to deal severely with sin or disobedience in our walk each day with the Lord.
In chapter 42: 1-6, it is Job through this journey of suffering who solves the problem of suffering. Affliction is God-permitted to refine man so that he may see God in all His greatness and splendor, and see himself as flesh and a sinner to the intent that may repent of his pride in “dust and ashes.”
From 36: 17-21: Elihu extols God in hymns praising the Creator and Controller. Here the prophet manifests. Like John the Baptist, Elihu prepares the way for the Lord as He appears to the assembly in the whirlwind. After answering the arguments of Job which he gave to the three friends, Elihu confidently speaks forth in God’s behalf. It has been suggested that this last part of Elihu’s sermons really consists of a word description of the gathering storm around them. He completes in chapter 37 the description of the storm. Elihu was attempting to use the storm to tell Job of his inability to know God, and, therefore, of the folly of his speech against God. It was a great theme, but Elihu was not equal to it, and was interrupted by the Voice of the Most High.
36: 27-33: “For he makes small the drops of water; they pour down rain according to the vapor thereof; which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly. Also can any understand the spreading’s of the clouds, or the noise of His tabernacle? Behold, He spreads His light upon it, and covers the bottom of the sea. For by them judges He the people; He gives meat in abundance. With clouds He covers the light; and commands it not to shine by the cloud that comes between. The noise thereof shows concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapor.
The principle of the gathering storm speaks of the Day of the Lord. This is most important in our understanding the pattern of the book of Job. While Elihu is speaking (at the end of the 60-fold realm,
11 Pet. 3:8: “but, beloved, be not ignorant of the one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”
Job 37: (read the whole chapter) “at this also my heart trembles, and is moved out of it place. Hear attentively the noise of His voice, and the sound that goes out of His mouth.
He directs it under the whole heaven, and His lightning to the ends of the earth. After it a voice roars: He thunders with the voice of His Excellency; and He will not stay them when His voice is heard. God thunders marvelously with His voice; great things does He which we cannot comprehend. For He says to the snow, be you on the earth; likewise to the small rain, and to the great rain of His strength. He seals up the hand of every man; that all men may know his work. Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places. Out of the south comes the whirlwind; and cold out of the north.
The reason I believe that Elihu was seeing the gathering storm is in 38:1, “then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind.
This is a vital principle regarding The Day of the Lord, revealed in Scripture as a Stormy Day! Next week the Voice of Thunder speaks out of the storm. I encouraged the Bible Study to visualize the company around the dung hill as this storm gathers around them.
37: 10: “By the breath of God frost is given; and the breadth of the waters is straightened. Also by watering he wears the thick cloud; he scatters his bright cloud: and it is turned around about by his counsels: that they may do whatsoever he commands them upon the face of the world in the earth. He cause it to come, whether for correction, or for his land, or for mercy. Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Do you know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine? Do you know the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge? How you garments are warm, when he quests the earth by the south wind? Have you with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as molten glass? Teach us what we shall say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. Shall it be told him that I speak? If a man speaks, surely he shall be swallowed up. And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds; but the wind passes and cleanses them. Fair weather comes out of the north; with God is terrible majesty. Touching the almighty, we cannot find him out; he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice; he will not afflict. Men do therefore fear him: he respects not any that are wise of heart.”
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