Elihu’s Categories of Suffering from Job 32-37

By Larry J. Waters

[Larry J. Waters is Associate Professor of Bible Exposition, Dallas Theological Seminary, Dallas, Texas.]

Many people turn from Christianity because they sense it has no answers to the problem of suffering. Even in evangelical circles the disillusion and defection are staggering.[1] The challenge is to give answers that make sense to the inquiring mind and troubled heart of the sufferer or observer. This article examines explanations for suffering found in the Elihu speeches in Job 32-37.[2] This is not to imply that Elihu was offering ultimate and final answers to suffering. Instead he was suggesting alternatives to the one reason for suffering offered by the three antagonists, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, namely, sin.[3] Elihu made a unique contribution to the study of suffering that serves as preparation for understanding the Yahweh speeches in Job 38-41.[4]

The core of Elihu’s polemic may be seen in two passages, 33:12-13 and 34:10, and summarized in 37:23, “The Almighty—we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.” Job and his three counselors had unwittingly accepted the common view of  “compensation” theology, in which God is obligated always to bless the good and punish the bad. But Elihu challenged this false belief system, pointing out that God justly administers retribution, and that His righteousness was maintained even when Job was suffering.

Elihu showed compassion for Job by insisting that God was actively involved in his life and that God’s control of creation is purposeful. Unlike the three friends, Elihu avoided completely the futile search for some mysterious sin that Job supposedly had committed as the cause of his suffering. While Job’s initial suffering was undeserved, Elihu pointed out that Job’s continued struggle was because of wrong attitudes toward God. Within these perimeters Elihu offered explanations for suffering that were applicable to Job’s situation and by inference to believers throughout history. In the process Elihu showed Job that God and His justice were working for Job, not against him. For Elihu suffering is not an adversary but a vehicle allowed by God to enhance the divine-human relationship. Even though the speeches of Elihu (Job 32-37) and God (Job 38-41) often parallel each other, it is God who finally satisfies the sufferer’s quest for justice and procures his repentance, not for some sin related to the initial affliction, but for attitudes and actions during the suffering. Elihu introduced a new interpretation of suffering into theology and life, for “Elihu’s emphasis upon suffering . . . constitutes his basic contribution to the discussion.”[5]

Job 31 records Job’s final and passionate oath of innocence and defense of his righteousness. Sure of his claim, Job declared, “I sign now my defense—let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser put his indictment in writing. Surely I would wear it on my shoulder, I would put it on like a crown. I would give him an account of my every step; like a prince I would approach him” (31:35-37, author’s translation). God did not answer Job; He remained silent. Job’s attempt to manipulate the sovereign God into answering his challenge failed. His undeserved suffering had caused him to become obsessed with God’s seeming injustice, so much so that Job’s “burgeoning pride” stood “between him and God,”[6] and became the major reason for Elihu’s entrance into the debate.[7]

Category One: Preventive Suffering [8]

The attitude of Elihu in chapter 33 is one of gentleness and sympathy toward Job. Unlike the three counselors, Elihu identified with Job as a fellow sufferer, and not just as an observer.[9] Elihu did not minimize Job’s move toward sin in the dialogue. Nor did he say that the primary reason for Job’s suffering was punishment for some past hidden sin. Rather, for Elihu, suffering is among other things, a preventive measure to keep Job from perpetuating a sinful, false theology.[10] Job’s flawed concept of God’s justice and providence were challenged and put into correct perspective. Elihu cautioned Job to remember that God is greater than man (33:12). Yet Elihu also gave true comfort to the sufferer, insisting that God sent suffering to Job not to reject him, but to accept him and to encourage him to rely on God instead of his own human righteousness and goodness. Job was always aware of his high position, as seen for example in his use of a rare noun נַדִיבָה (“honor, nobility”) in 30:15. God’s challenge to him in 40:8, “Will you condemn Me?” was on the basis of Job’s exaggerated self-image (10:3, 7; 13:18; 19:6; 27:2, 6; 31:35-37).[11]

Therefore in view of Job’s hubris Elihu introduced his first category of suffering: suffering is preventive. Elihu identified four areas where this is true. First, suffering is preventive in that it warns and instructs (“He opens the ears of men,” 33:16). Second, suffering is preventive in that it turns people from wrongdoing and sin (“That He may turn man aside from his conduct,” v. 17). Third, suffering is preventive in that it keeps a person from pride and the destructive conduct associated with arrogance (“That He may . . . keep man from pride,” v. 17). Fourth, suffering is preventive in that it protects a person from death (“To bring back his soul from the pit [death],” v. 30).[12] The “pit” is also mentioned in 33:18, 22, 24, 28.

Category Two: Corrective or Disciplinary Suffering

Corrective or disciplinary suffering is the alternative to heeding the warnings of preventive suffering. In corrective suffering God takes the believer beyond the warnings of preventive suffering and actually chastises. “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed” (33:19). Elihu said that this category of suffering may have been used in Job’s life to help correct some of Job’s false concepts that had surfaced during the debates. These included Job’s misunderstanding of God’s justice (34:12, 21-37) and Job’s misconception of righteousness and its rewards (35:2-14).

The word יָכַח, “chastened,” in 33:19 means “to correct by punishment,” and is “especially used of God dealing with men in discipline.”[13] The passive form of the verb points to Yahweh as the ultimate source of this pain, thus showing that the suffering was not random, but was divine discipline for transgression.[14] Job had deteriorated physically to the point of death, and he was in a position where only God could deliver him.

Why would God need to use suffering in Job’s case to discipline or correct him? What needed to be corrected? For one thing Job had developed a false idea of his own righteousness and whether it was of any value in serving God. Elihu contended that Job said, “I am righteous before God,” or with Gordis and others, “I am more righteous than God?”[15] In Job’s fervent defense of his innocence and his vigorous accusations against God’s justice, he seems to have “claimed for himself a righteousness that surpasses God’s.”[16] Of course no human being, regardless of numerous righteous acts and pious standing, could be more righteous than Yahweh.

Elihu quoted Job as saying, “What advantage will it be to You? What profit will I have, more than if I had sinned?” (35:3). And “It profits a man nothing when he is pleased with God” (34:9). These statements by Job (harking back to his words in 21:15, “What would we gain if we entreat Him?”) demonstrate that he, like the three, assumed that God guaranteed reward for obedience and godly living. His faith in that assumption had been shattered by his own experience, but rather than casting off his misinterpretation of God’s retributive justice, he turned against God and cynically asked, in essence, “How am I better off than if I had sinned?” (35:3). It is as if Job were saying, “If it matters to God what I do, then God will express that by a difference in the way he treats me. I have been righteous. But it has not made a difference in the way God is treating me. Therefore it does not matter to God what I do.”[17] Certainly this attitude needed correcting. Therefore Elihu viewed the alternative to heeding the warnings of preventive suffering as disciplinary or corrective (37:13; cf. Prov. 3:11; Heb. 12:5-6).

Category Three: Educational Suffering

Elihu offered a third category for Job’s suffering as pedagogical or educational. Statements that God is the teacher and that He uses suffering educationally abound in Elihu’s speeches (33:16, 30; 34:32; 35:11; 36:8-10, 15b–16, 22). Specifically the teaching ministry of suffering is designed to keep down pride (33:17; 35:12-13; 36:9; 37:19-20), to solicit patience (35:14), and to humble the sufferer before the power and majesty of the Almighty God (36:24-37:24). The ultimate objective is to lead the sufferer to a deeper relationship with God.

Job 36:22-25 plays a transitional role in preparing for Elihu’s subsequent presentation in 36:26-37:20. It also pertains to God’s activity in the human moral sphere (36:22-23).[18] Verses 22-23 assert the supremacy of God and His incomprehensible activity. The first question, “Who is a teacher like Him?” (v. 22) introduces Elihu’s contention that God is the supreme teacher who uses suffering to direct and instruct (cf. Pss. 25:8-14; 94:12). As a loving and caring teacher, God uses suffering to move His students along the right path in contrast to a capricious, tyrannical god who would simply be indifferent to his subjects. The second question, “Who has appointed Him His way?” (Job 36:23) asserts that God cannot be swayed by human accusation or traditional prescription. His dealings with humankind are free of manipulation and coercion. Therefore no one, especially Job, can accuse Him of error. Since God is above all in knowledge and without error, His wisdom is superior to human wisdom.[19]

That suffering can teach humility is clearly indicated in chapters 36 and 37 (36:24-37:24). In chapter 37, as the approaching storm moves closer, Elihu’s emotional involvement is expressed (v. 1). He described the autumn storm (vv. 2-5) and God’s control over the winter weather (vv. 6-13). Elihu then asked Job a series of rhetorical questions that call for a silent consideration of God’s power and infinite wisdom in contrast to Job’s limited power and wisdom (vv. 14-18). This contrast demonstrates the “futility of expecting to have a hearing with the Almighty” based on Job’s ability to understand the inexplicability of God’s ways (vv. 19-22).[20] In view of God’s might, justice, and transcendence, humankind should be humble before Him. The proper response to suffering is not to mount a defense of one’s own rights and righteousness (vv. 19-20), but to stand in awe of His power, recognizing that, even though the cause of the affliction cannot always be understood, it fulfills God’s just purpose in the life of the sufferer and the collective lives of all humanity (vv. 23-24). Viewing the awe of His handiwork, Job’s “error of egocentricity”[21] was challenged so that through humility he would be better equipped to deal with his suffering.

The Scriptures verify that “suffering produces discernment [and] knowledge, and teaches us God’s statutes” (Job 34:32; 36:22; Ps. 119:66-67, 71).[22] Also suffering teaches the sufferer to look to future glory (2 Cor. 4:17; 1 Pet 5:10), to learn obedience and self-control (Job 33:17; 35:12-13; 36:9; 37:19-20; Ps. 119:67; Rom. 5:1-5; Heb. 5:8). It teaches patience and perseverance (Job 35:14; Rom. 5:3-4), it challenges believers to be sympathetic to others who suffer (2 Cor. 1:3-7), and to live a life of faith (Job 13:14-15; Rom. 8:28-29; James 1:2-8). Suffering helps the sufferer understand God’s gracious purpose (Job 36:15), to share in Christ’s suffering and represent Him to others (2 Cor. 4:8-10), to pray and give thanks in times of trouble (2 Cor. 1:11; 1 Thess. 5:18). It can deepen a person spiritually (Rom. 5:3-4) and teach humility (Job 36:24—37:24; 1 Pet. 5:6-7) and contentment (2 Cor. 12:10; Phil. 4:11).[23]

The ultimate objective of Elihu’s presentation of educational suffering was to lead the sufferer to a deeper relationship with Yahweh, the superb teacher (Job 36:22; 37:19-24).

Category Four: Glorification Suffering

Suffering can also be a glorification process whereby the sufferer brings glory to God by remaining faithful during the suffering. The testimony of the repentant person glorifies God because of His providing restoration after suffering (33:26-27). God is also glorified when He promotes the righteous person after a period of suffering (36:7, 15; cf. 42:10-16). In human suffering God is often glorified when His work is displayed and He is praised (36:22-26; cf. John 9:3; 11:4). This means that even when a sufferer does not know the reason for the suffering, there is indeed a reason, a divine reason: this suffering is primarily for God’s glory.

If the sufferer receives truth, then he “sings out”[24] to others (33:27) and announces that even though he has sinned, God did not withdraw from him or give him what he deserved.[25] And once his relationship with God is renewed, the sufferer becomes a witness of God’s mercy and glorifies God before the whole community (vv. 27-30). In this way the whole community shares in the joy of the renewed relationship. The reason for this joyful declaration is that God has redeemed him from going down to the pit (death) and is enabling him to enjoy the “light of life” (vv. 28, 30).

Elihu wanted Job to abandon his present anger against God and to engage in a simple declaration of the greatness of God (“you should exalt[26] His work,” 36:24). Like others who had observed God’s greatness, Job should be singing praise in honor of God’s wondrous deeds. In this sense Job’s suffering would be a source of glorification of God in the midst of his suffering; a testimony of His greatness to his acquaintances. Elihu’s point is that once Job abandoned his complaint, he would glorify God and reap the benefits of the suffering he was undergoing (cf. Pss. 59:6; 92:5; 138:5; Rev. 15:3). If Job recognized God’s use of suffering in his life, he would glorify God and magnify His works in the suffering instead of complaining and demanding a court hearing (Job 37:22-24).

Category Five: Revelational or Communicational Suffering

According to Elihu suffering can be revelational, that is, it can help the sufferer gain a deeper understanding of God and His relational attributes—love, grace, and mercy. As Creator God He speaks in many and various ways (33:4; cf. 34:14-15). He is gracious and forgives (33:24, 26). He is a teacher, He redeems, and He turns back His people to Himself (34:32; 33:27-30). He is loving and encourages those He loves (36:15-16, 22-23, 26, 31). He is the great and sovereign God, who gives grace and mercy even in punishment (37:7, 13). In the revelational sense suffering is also communicational, for God uses suffering as a means of communicating His will to people (33:19-33).

Elihu claimed that Job’s charge that God is silent is unreasonable. Actually God speaks (33:14), though people do not always perceive it. Elihu then discusses nocturnal dreams and visions as a means of divine communication (v. 15). Job’s false accusations against God’s silence were answered by Elihu, who in essence said, “Job, you are on a wrong course.” God was intimately speaking with His loved one and seeking a more intimate relationship with him, which in his case could be gained only through undeserved suffering.

In Old Testament times God often communicated with people through dreams and visions (Gen. 20:6; 31:24; 41:1; Num. 12:6; Judg. 7:13-15; 1 Sam. 28:6; 1 Kings 3:5; Dan. 2; 4; 7). This is also recorded in Near Eastern literature.[27] Job felt his dreams were a means of divine cruelty (Job 7:14). However, Elihu said dreams could be a legitimate means for receiving a message from God.28 And in Job’s case the purpose was to instruct him, turn him from pride, and keep him alive (33:16-18).

Elihu’s desire to “see Job cleared” is intensified in chapter 34. Elihu presented the true doctrine of retribution as it normally operates when sin continues. Elihu’s defense of God’s justice showed that He allowed undeserved suffering to continue in the life of Job for the purpose of revealing (a) his own struggle with the operation of God’s justice, and (b) his difficulty with a false belief system that led him to challenge God’s justice and goodness.

Therefore through revelational, communicational suffering God focuses attention on Himself (Job 38-42; cf. John 9:3), His Word (Deut. 8:3; Ps. 119:50, 67, 71), and even His blessings (Job 36-41; Ps. 77:1-2). In addition, suffering reveals the life of God in sufferers (2 Cor. 4:10) and deepens one’s confidence in the Lord (John 11:15; Rom. 8:38). Suffering demonstrates the love of God (Job 36:15-16; 2 Cor. 8:1-2, 9). And it can be used, among other things, as a revelatory tool to disclose to a person his status before God (Job 33:15-18; 34:32).

Category Six: Organizational Suffering

Suffering can be organizational in the sense of helping to prioritize what is important in one’s life and relationship to God (37:7, 14, 23-24). The power of the weather confines and restricts human activity on earth (v. 7). “The most resolute humans must capitulate to the whims” of God’s use of the weather.[29] This is important to Elihu’s argument, for confined people are forced to at least consider their dependence on the power of the Creator and acknowledge that He is the source of such storms. The desired result is that people will acknowledge God’s creative work (v. 7). Even animals are forced into cover and the strongest of animals are confined to their dens and lairs for hibernation or for survival (v. 8). Through the elements God reveals Himself to His creation.

In verses 14-18 Elihu sought to persuade Job to acknowledge God’s justice and sovereignty. He advised him to “stand and consider the wonders of God” (v. 14). Alden states that this “is perhaps the most important statement that Elihu made and the one thing that Job was forced eventually to do. It was ultimately the solution to his problem and the cure for his ills, physical, emotional, and attitudinal.”[30] Elihu wanted Job to contemplate the wonders of God, for that would reveal to Job “his inadequacies in knowledge and power.”[31] By doing this Job would gain insight into his situation and acknowledge God’s superior wisdom and power.

Organizational or prioritizing suffering is designed to make the sufferer see what is important. It “prods us to rely more on God” (2 Cor. 1:9-10),[32] to spend more time in prayer (Pss. 50:15; 77:2; James 5:13), and to keep on the right path (Job 33:18, 30). “Suffering teaches us to number our days so we can present to God a heart of wisdom.”[33] It helps the sufferer focus hope on the grace that will be revealed when Christ returns (1 Pet. 1:6, 13).[34]

Category Seven: Relational Suffering

Suffering can also help believers relate to God in prayer. Elihu said the sufferer “will pray to God, and He will accept him” (33:26), and God will “hear the cry of the afflicted” (34:28). The sufferer sees “His face with joy,” prays to God (33:26; which is exactly what Job did in 42:5-6), and is restored. God hears the cries of the needy (34:28), and “He delivers the afflicted in their affliction” (36:15). God is personally related to and involved in the suffering of His people. Elihu assured Job that God did care about him, was active in his life, is in control of human existence, and does nothing that is contrary to His attributes, especially His justice. Also suffering is relational in that it brings people together and is an opportunity for showing compassion and comfort to others (2 Cor. 1:3-11).

The ultimate answer for Job is that he “sees God” and has a meaningful relationship with Yahweh based on His grace. At the end of God’s speeches Job’s focus was on God, not his suffering. God wants the sufferer to focus on Him and His blessings (Ps. 77:1-2, 10-12). Job, like all believers, experienced God’s comfort through his suffering (cf. Matt. 5:3), and this deepened his faith and trust in the Lord (Rom. 8:28-31). Suffering encourages believers to offer thanks in all circumstances (1 Thess. 5:18) and to know that God’s purposes and plans are not hindered by suffering, but are often moved forward (Jer. 29:11).

Category Eight: Judgmental or Providential Suffering

Suffering can be used in a judgmental or providential sense in which God uses suffering as a means of punishing evildoers, both nations and individuals. Job’s three protagonists had argued that the punishment of evil is the only reason for suffering. Elihu agreed that God often uses suffering to punish wrongdoing, but this, he argued, is only one of many reasons. In 34:21-30 Elihu elaborated on God’s impartial judgment. He stated that God’s omniscience, the ability to see and comprehend all activity and thoughts on earth, substantiates His justice. To continue the thought from the last section (vv. 16-20), God’s omniscience will not allow Him to make any mistakes when He punishes evildoers, nor is His justice restricted by a fixed time frame (vv. 23, 29). Since God sees all (vv. 21-22), a court appointment, as Job had been demanding, is not necessary (vv. 23-24). A trial is unnecessary either for condemnation or for blessing, because God knows the thoughts of humankind.

On this basis God can judge people publicly and openly “without inquiry” (v. 24) and His punishment will always be just and expeditious (vv. 24-26). This judgment is said to be based on the failure of people to follow God (v. 27) and specifically for their cruel treatment of the poor (v. 28). Elihu concluded that God is not obligated to speak and can remain silent and “hide His face” from nations and individuals alike (v. 29) and still be just in what He does (v. 30). How then could Job judge God? Although the wicked do not know His ways and they oppress the humble and needy, God knows their ways and will rectify the plight of the poor. The wicked will be “shattered” (v. 24), “overturned” (v. 25), “crushed” (v. 25), and “slapped,” or “struck down” (v. 26). Contrary to Job’s assertions (9:24; 12:6; 21:7; 24:1), God does punish those who are wicked. Elihu said that God is not limited by human thoughts nor must He act within presumed boundaries. He acts silently as the “absolute Executor”[35] to perform His will “over nation and man” alike (34:29), even when evil seems to reign supreme.

The wicked do sometimes prosper, and the righteous are often oppressed. However, unlike Job, Elihu did not agree that this conflicts with God’s just rule over earth and humankind. God’s seeming “slowness” in rectifying wrongs does not deny His goodness, justice, and omnipotence.[36] Elihu was very aware of wicked rulers, corrupt justices, and deceitful leaders, but this did not mean that their existence nullifies God’s justice. True, there are apparent exceptions to God’s administration of justice. But this is because of God’s use of the wicked as tools of judgment on others who are equally or exceptionally wicked. Certainly God may delay punishment, but there are good reasons for this postponement: He sometimes uses tyrants as His instruments of justice (vv. 29-30).[37] As Gordis states, “God permits evildoers to hold sway in order to punish men and nations who have themselves been guilty of seeking to snare the innocent.”[38]

Category Nine: Proclamational or Declarational Suffering

Suffering can also be proclamational or declarational in that the sufferer has the opportunity to magnify God in several areas. First, the sufferer may reveal the just and nonarbitrary nature of God’s actions by recognizing that God will not “do wickedness,” “act wickedly,” or “pervert justice” (34:10-12). He acts in full accord with His perfect nature. Then in verse 13 Elihu asked, in essence, Who gave God the right to rule the universe? The answer, of course, is no one. This implies that as the Sovereign of the universe God is not accountable to anyone, and as the sovereign Sustainer He demonstrates His grace every moment through His life-giving Spirit who nourishes and supports life on earth (vv. 14-15). To question God’s administration of justice over His creation would require that the critic of His justice be entrusted with the administration of the world, making him equal to God. To question God’s actions one would need to place himself above God. This of course is absurd.

Job was insisting on his innocence (“I am without transgression” (v. 6), and he was convinced that he was being unjustly afflicted as an innocent man. However, Elihu declared that it is impossible for God to be unjust. Speaking to Job, not to the three,[39] Elihu asked him, “Will you condemn the righteous mighty One?” (v. 17). This is significant because Job, not the three, was accusing God of being unjust and biased. To accuse God of injustice is to speak “words without knowledge” and “without wisdom” (vv. 35; 35:16). In defense of God’s justice Elihu asked Job, “Shall He recompense on your terms?” (34:33). Job’s surprising condemnation of the “righteous mighty One” (34:17; cf. 40:8) makes no sense in light of God’s incomparable impartial acts (34:18-20). Elihu and God asked similar questions in 34:17 and 40:8.[40]

Second, Elihu proclaimed that the purity of God’s character and the greatness of His person are present even in times of suffering (34:10; 36:26; 37:23).

Third, Elihu pointed out God’s nonmanipulative nature (35:4-8). Often a sufferer will attempt to “make deals” with God to try to end the suffering. But Elihu maintained (a) that God’s ways are higher than human ways (vv. 5-8); (b) that God’s silence is justified and does not imply that He is uninvolved with humanity’s suffering (vv. 9-11); and (c) that God’s silence does not mean that He did not hear Job (vv. 12-14). Elihu called attention to the heavens and the clouds that are “higher than you” (v. 5). Because of the grandeur of God’s creation, He is beyond accountability to any person. Human beings are God’s creation, and His consummate work, but they are not His equals. Verse 6 (“If you have sinned”) recalls Job’s words in 7:20 (“Have I sinned?”), and 35:7 (“If you are righteous”) recalls Eliphaz’s words in 22:3 (“Is there any pleasure to the Almighty if you are righteous?”). The thought in 35:6-7 is that it is impossible for a person to influence the operation of God’s justice through either sinful actions or righteous deeds. “Elihu uses the image of giving and receiving; what can Job possibly give God, and what can God possibly receive from Job?”[41] Good or bad actions on the part of humanity do not obligate God or allow people to manipulate Him.

Fourth, Elihu exulted in the greatness of God’s person and His omniscience (36:26-33). God is present with the sufferer. The assertion is that God is unquestionably “mighty” and “beyond our comprehension” (v. 26, author’s translation). The way in which God uses His power to bless or afflict, to save or destroy, is beyond human understanding (“we do not know Him” [v. 26], and “we cannot comprehend” the great things He does [37:5]; cf. Ps. 139:6; Eccles. 8:17; Isa. 55:9; 1 Cor. 13:12). Job’s problem was that he was seeking to comprehend the workings of the incomprehensible God (Ps. 102:28). The lesson for Job is that God is worthy of praise and is not subject to scrutiny or a legal claim against Him.[42] Elihu then proceeded to illustrate his assertion about God’s majesty. He speaks of God’s majesty in rain (Job 36:27-28), thunder (v. 29), and lightning (v. 30). God uses these elements to govern His moral order on earth ((vv. 31-33).[43] Verse 23 of chapter 37 does not state that God cannot be contacted and His just ways observed. Instead, this was Elihu’s response to Job’s own statements that he could not find God and present his case before Him (9:11; 23:3-4, 8-9). God is truly incomprehensible, but “Shaddai will never violate justice—He will not oppress the people capriciously. . . . That is, when God reveals himself to Job, Job will be reduced to silence as God will convince him that he has been treated fairly and justly.”[44]

Zuck points out that though Job was aware of God’s sovereignty and power (9:4-12; 10:16; 12:13-25; 23:13-16; 26:5-14; 28:23-28), Job felt God had abandoned him. Job continually accused God of being unjust or exercising that power and sovereignty capriciously (7:20; 9:17, 20-24; 10:2-3; 13:24; 16:9, 12, 17; 19:6-12; 27:2; 30:19-23).[45] The last two lines of 37:23 restate in succinct fashion the two major motifs of Elihu’s speeches: God is omnipotent (“He is exalted in power”) and His justice is exercised perfectly (“He will not do violence to justice”). Primarily 36:21-37:20 focuses on God’s power, and 37:5-21 deals with divine justice. This power is evident in the elements of nature and experienced by humans, but it is always guided by justice (34:17). In 37:24, Elihu’s closing sentence, he gives his “thesis statement,”[46] namely, the fact that man’s response to God’s power and justice, even when he is suffering, is to “fear Him” (cf. Job’s similar statement in 28:28). “Elihu maintains that strength and justice reside within the Creator in harmonious balance; his power does not override the bounds of justice nor violate the demands of true righteousness. Asserting both elements of this equilibrium is the fundamental thrust of his concluding statement in v. 23.”[47]

As Yahweh approached, Elihu focused Job’s attention on God, who then gave the complete and perfect answer, however obscure to the reader, for his suffering and doubts (chaps. 38-42).

Conclusion

Elihu genuinely cared for Job, who had become embittered through his reaction to continued suffering, poor advice, and acceptance of a faulty theology that was not compatible with his current experience (33:6-7, 23-24, 32; 36:6-7, 15-16; 37:19-24). Therefore Elihu was attempting to show to Job that God’s retributive justice is in perfect harmony with His essence, even though Job was suffering, and that God’s ways are beyond human understanding. However, Elihu did not attempt to offer an answer as to why Job experienced undeserved suffering. That answer resides with God, for He alone knows all the facts.

Suffering, Elihu said, is not an enemy; it is a vehicle used by God to clarify and enhance the divine-human relationship. Therefore since God goes to such lengths to consummate this intimate relationship, suffering becomes the supreme opportunity for the human sufferer to represent this relationship with Yahweh to the world. Even though the sufferer may not understand all the ways of God and the whys of life, this relationship is the only place a person will know and experience perfect retributive justice. A life of suffering is more than a series of absurdities and unexplainable pains that must simply be endured; it is a life linked with the unseen purpose and destiny of God Himself. The sufferer may not always know all the facts, nor is that at all necessary for living a life of faith; for suffering can be endured with faith and trust in an all-knowing, loving, and gracious God. As Job finally responded, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye has seen You” (Job 42:5).

Notes

1. An example is Bart D. Ehrman, who states that once he was an evangelical but now he no longer considers himself a Christian (God’s Problem: How the Bible Fails to Answer Our Most Important Question—Why We Suffer [New York: HarperCollins, 2008]), 2-3.
2. For a comprehensive study of these and other issues regarding Elihu see Larry J. Waters, The Contribution of Elihu to the Argument about Suffering in the Book of Job: A Study in Narrative Continuity (Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen, 2009).
3. See, for example, Robert S. Fyall, Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2002), 53; E. M. Good, In Turns of Tempest: A Reading of Job with a Translation (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1990), 321; August H. Konkel, Job, Cornerstone Biblical Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2006), 191; and Samuel E. Balentine, Job, Smyth & Helwys Bible Commentary (Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys, 2006), 623.
4. Issues regarding the authenticity of Job 32-37, Elihu’s theology in relation to suffering, and a general introduction to Elihu’s views on suffering have been offered by the present writer in previous articles. See Larry J. Waters, “Reflections on Suffering from the Book of Job,” Bibliotheca Sacra 154 (October–December 1997): 436-51; idem, “The Authenticity of the Elihu Speeches in Job 32-37,” Bibliotheca Sacra 156 (January–March 1999): 28-41; and idem, “Elihu’s Theology and His View of Suffering,” Bibliotheca Sacra 156 (April–June 1999): 143-59.
5. Robert Gordis, The Book of Job:Commentary, New Translation and Special Studies (New York: Jewish Theological Seminary of America, 1978), 358.
6. Clyde T. Francisco, “A Teaching Outline of the Book of Job,” Review and Expositor 68 (1971): 518.
7. See Waters, “The Authenticity of the Elihu Speeches in Job 32—37,” 28-41, for a discussion of the importance of chapter 32 to Elihu’s presentation. Charles L. Feinberg also views Elihu’s position as substantially different from that of the three (“The Book of Job,” Bibliotheca Sacra 91 [January–March 1934]: 85; and idem, “Job and the Nation of Israel,” Bibliotheca Sacra 97 [April–June 1940]: 211-12). See also Roy B. Zuck, Job, Everyman’s Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody, 1978), 141, 148; and Robert V. McCabe Jr., “The Significance of the Elihu Speeches in the Context of the Book of Job” (Th.D. diss., Grace Theological Seminary, 1985), 86-87. Elihu consistently disassociated himself from the theological view of the three—the notion that Job’s suffering was caused by some secret sin—and he claimed affinity with Job (33:31; 37:14).
8. Estes gives thirty-six reasons or purposes for suffering (Joni Eareckson Tada and Steven Estes, When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002], 232-33). And Roy B. Zuck lists thirty-three purposes (“God’s Many Purposes in Suffering” [unpublished notes, Dallas Theological Seminary, n. d.], 1-2).
9. On Elihu’s identification with Job see Henri J. M. Nouwen, “Living the Questions: The Spirituality of the Religion Teacher,” Union Seminary Quarterly Review 32 (fall 1976): 21. He writes, “Elihu appeared on the scene. . . .He confesses that he, too, is involved. He admits that Job’s problem is humanity’s problem and he realizes that Job’s question is basically the same as his own. In contrast to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, who rejected Job, Elihu identifies with him and speaks to him out of inner solidarity” (ibid.). See also Marvin E. Tate, “The Speeches of Elihu,” Review and Expositor 68 (fall 1971): 490; and Robert Gordis, “Elihu the Intruder,” in Biblical and Other Studies, ed. Alexander Altmann (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1963), 62-63.
10. However, several authors believe Elihu’s view was similar to that of the three, that is, that Job was suffering because of some previous sin (e.g., David Arvid Johns, “The Literary and Theological Function of the Elihu Speeches in the Book of Job” [Ph.D. diss., Saint Louis University, 1983], 2-7; Norman C. Habel, The Book of Job, Cambridge Bible Commentary [London: Cambridge University Press, 1975], 169; Samuel R. Driver and George Buchanan Gray, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Job, International Critical Commentary [Edinburgh: Clark, 1921], 1:xl; Marvin H. Pope, Job, Anchor Bible [New York: Doubleday, 1973], lxxix; and R. A. F. MacKenzie, “Job,” in Jerome Biblical Commentary [Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1968], 528). Other authors say Elihu’s view on suffering was different. For example Edouard Dhorme assesses Elihu’s view of suffering as divine justice at work (A Commentary on the Book of Job [Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1984], liv–lx). H. H. Rowley states that Elihu viewed suffering as disciplinary, to cleanse the sinner (The Book of Job, New Century Bible Commentary [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1983], 206). Francis Andersen views Elihu’s function as adjudication (Job: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries [Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1976], 51); and H. D. Beeby, argues that Elihu was a “mediator” between Job and God (“Elihu—Job’s Mediator?” Southeast Asian Journal of Theology 7 [October 1969]: 42-49). See also D. A. Carson, How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1990), 170.
11. See Mark Hamilton, “Elite Lives: Job 29—31 and Traditional Authority,” Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 32 (2007): 69-89. Hamilton lists six aspects of Job’s elite life (ibid., 71).
12. Zuck maintains that Elihu did not deal with Job’s past sinful actions but with his present sinful attitudes and that “Elihu viewed suffering as protective, rather than retributive” (Job, 141, 148).
13. Wilhelm Gesenius, Gesenius’ Hebrew and Chaldee Lexicon to the Old Testament Scriptures, trans. Samuel Prideaux Tregelles (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 348.
14. That some suffering is seemingly random and yet purposeful may be noted in Luke 13:1-5 and John 9:2-3.
15. Gordis, The Book of Job, 400; Hartley, The Book of Job, 463; and Rowley, The Book of Job, 224. Habel translates the phrase “I am right against El” (The Book of Job, 486). See also Zuck, Job, 153.
16. Hartley, The Book of Job, 463.
17. Johns, “The Literary and Theological Function of the Elihu Speeches in the Book of Job,” 121.
18. David Allen Diewert, “The Composition of the Elihu Speeches: A Poetic and Structural Analysis” (Ph.D. diss., University of Toronto, 1991), 512.
19. McCabe, “The Significance of the Elihu Speeches in the Context of the Book of Job,” 203.
20. Ibid., 224.
21. Shimon Bakon, “The Enigma of Elihu,” Dor le Dor 12 (1984): 221.
22. Tada and Estes, When God Weeps, 237.
23. Ibid., 232-40; and Zuck, “God’s Many Purposes in Suffering,” 1-2.
24. See Gordis, The Book of Job, 379; and Hartley, The Book of Job, 448.
25. McCabe, “The Significance of the Elihu Speeches in the Context of the Book of Job,” 128.
26. The hiphil second masculine singular of שָׂגָא may be taken as declarative (“magnify”) or as causative (“you cause His work to be magnified”). The adjectival form occurs only twice in the Old Testament (Job 36:26; 37:23), a favorite word of Elihu (Gordis, The Book of Job, 419; and Diewert, “The Composition of the Elihu Speeches: A Poetic and Structural Analysis,” 516).
27. See A. L. Oppenheim, The Interpretation of Dreams in the Ancient Near East (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1956). See also Diewert, “The Composition of the Elihu Speeches: A Poetic and Structural Analysis,” 183.
28. The classic methods of Old Testament communication included dreams, lots, Urim and Thummim, angels, and prophets.
29. Robert L. Alden, Job, New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman, 1993), 360.
30. Ibid., 362.
31. Zuck, Job, 160.
32. Zuck, “God’s Many Purposes in Suffering,” 1.
33. Tada and Estes, When God Weeps, 238.
34. Ibid.
35. Zuck, Job, 150.
36. Hartley, The Book of Job, 459.
37. Gordis, The Book of Job, 393. Johns discusses the interpretation of these two verses extensively (“The Literary and Theological Function of the Elihu Speeches in the Book of Job,” 46-50). Dhorme states that the last phrase in 34:30 (מִמֹּקְשֵׁי עָם) is a metaphor that “alludes to those who ensnare others in their nets” (A Commentary on the Book of Job, 525).
38. Gordis, The Book of Job, 393.
39. The verb שָׁמַע (“listen”) in verse 16 is singular and therefore is addressed to Job.
40. Both questions, Elihu’s and God’s, have similar vocabulary (צַדִּיק, πהַאַ,מִשְׁפָּט ,רָשַׁע ) (Diewert, “The Composition of the Elihu Speeches: A Poetic and Structural Analysis,” 292).
41. Johns, “The Literary and Theological Function of the Elihu Speeches in the Book of Job,” 122.
42. Hartley, The Book of Job, 479.
43. Diewert, “The Composition of the Elihu Speeches: A Poetic and Structural Analysis,” 521.
44. Hartley, The Book of Job, 484 (italics his).
45. Zuck, Job, 162.
46. Diewert, “The Composition of the Elihu Speeches: A Poetic and Structural Analysis,” 569.
47. Ibid., 570.