( Job 32) short without challenging him in the right way, and
76 Baffled to Fight Better
It is foolish to say that this chapter refers to a past dispensation and that we are in advance of it. We are in another dispensation, but not necessarily a better one. What man among us can come anywhere near the standard of integrity of Job? That kind of statement comes from accepting principles for guidance instead of a personal relationship. If I worship God from fear or superstition, then I am wrong, my heart has been "secretly enticed." Job's point of view is that if I do anything in order to appease God, I am committing iniquity. The only reason for my approach to God must be that He is what I believe Him to be, a God of honour and justice, not a God of coercive necromancy who demands that we do things without any reason. To-day we are dealing with the very thing
for which the friends have pulled Job to pieces. There are people who say, "I will not, I dare not, accept the God you are presenting because He is not a moral God; there is something wrong in such a presentation, my whole being cries out against it, I cannot go to such a God as a Deliverer."
In these chapters Job is insisting that God must be other than his former creed said He was, and that it must be acknowledged that there are facts which the creed had not taken into account. Thank God for theology, but theology is second, not first; if we put it first, we will do what the friends did, refuse to look at facts and remain consistent to certain ideas which pervert the character of God. In the final run God will not have us say an untrue thing for the sake of His honour.
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the passIon For authorIty
Job 32–37
In Elihu the passion for authority is represented. The average man in Job's condition is apt to break away from all authority. A lesser man than Job would have become a sophist and said that every man is a law unto himself, i.e., his own inner consciousness is sufficient law. Job was not of this order, neither was Elihu. The passion for authority is a noble one, but Elihu missed out the fact that authority to be worthy arises out of the nature of a superior moral integrity, and not simply from one who happens to be higher up in the scale than ourselves. Elihu comes with the idea that because God has said a thing, therefore it is authoritative: Job wants to know what kind of God it was who said it, is He a being whose character does not contradict the moral basis of life? Authority must be of a moral, not a superstitious character. Elihu's contention is, "Because God has said so," that is sufficient; or, "Because the creed says so," therefore it must be blindly accepted. To be without any authority is to be lawless, but to have only an internal authority is as bad as having a blind external authority; the two must meet together somehow.
proved Himself worthy not only in the domain of God, which we do not know, but in the domain of man, which we do know; He is worthy there, consequently He prevails to open the Book (see Revelation 5). Authority to be lasting must be of the same order as that of Jesus Christ, not the authority of autocracy or coercion, but the authority of worth, to which all that is worthy in a man bows down. It is only the unworthy in a man that does not bow down to worthy authority.
The Superior Conceit of Shyness ( Job 32:1–22) And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion. . . . Behold, I waited for your words; I gave ear to your reasons, while ye searched out what to say. Yea, I attended unto you, and behold, there was none of you that convinced Job, or that answered his words. ( Job 32:6, 11–12)
There is a fine apparent modesty about Elihu. He says, "I waited for you to speak, but all I have listened to has made me angry, because Job has justified himself at the expense of God, and you have stopped short without challenging him in the right way, and now I will speak."
1. The Inspiration of Autocratic Authority ( Job 32) Autocratic authority means to rule by right of insistence, not necessarily by right of personal integrity. Napoleon said of Jesus Christ that He had succeeded in making every human soul an appendage of His own because He had the genius of holiness. Other men exercised authority by coercive means, Jesus Christ never did, His authority was worthy. He
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu . . . against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. ( Job 32:2)
Elihu exhibits the superior conceit of shyness. There is quite possibly a superior conceit in a shy or quiet