Job 36:3 | KingComments | STEP | The fourth and last part of Elihu’s speech we hear in Job 36-37. It contains no quotation of what Job said. It is now about Who God is, the connection between God’s righteousness and His power over creation. Elihu has not yet finished speaking and continues ( ). He has already made three speeches – just like Job and his friends – but he adds a fourth. He asks Job to wait a little for him and to listen to him ( ). He wants to tell in God’s behalf, what else he can show in His favor. A lot has already been said by him about God, but there is still more in his heart that he wants to pass on about Him, which will be of use to Job. These are not superfluous words. We will see that they are a wonderful introduction to the apparition of God to Job and His speaking to him immediately after Elihu has finished speaking. Elihu says that he will “fetch from afar” his knowledge regarding God and His actions ( ). Thus, he will not speak from his own perceptions like his friends, not walk the paths that have been trodden, and not appeal to tradition. This means that he will not go back to a distant past, but will appeal to what lies beyond the human understanding. He appeals to God Himself, Who is far above man ( ), the Source of wisdom that comes from above ( ). With the knowledge he obtains from God, he will ascribe “righteousness” to Him Whom he calls “my Maker”. Anything that a person can say about God and do justice to Him can only happen if such a person has been informed about it by God. For the knowledge of God, we must be with Him. The condition of God’s knowledge of Himself is to acknowledge Him as his Maker. In this way, in that state of mind, we will do God justice in our speaking. We do not seek our own honor, our own right, but His honor. Then we will be, like Elihu, a true servant of God. We can then be used by Him to give Him righteousness, that is to declare Him righteous in His actions. When we realize that, the consequence is that we trust Him. Then all doubt about His purposes will disappear and we will not accuse Him, however covered up, of injustice. Before Elihu speaks about God, he again points out the importance of what he is going to say ( ). “For truly my words are not false.” He insists he’s telling the truth. His words are reliable and worthy of all acceptance. They are, to use Paul’s words, “of truth and rationality” ( , literal translation). Yet without restraint and at the same time without moderation, he can add that he is “perfect in knowledge”. There is nothing secretive in what he says, and there is no double ground in his words. He adds that he is with Job, saying once more that he is the same before God as Job ( ). Elihu – he is that “one who” – does not owe his perfectness to himself, but to God; he has received it from Him, “from afar”, as he said in . He does not exalt himself there, but is with and beside Job, on the same level before God.

‏ Job 36:3

Introduction

The fourth and last part of Elihu’s speech we hear in Job 36-37. It contains no quotation of what Job said. It is now about Who God is, the connection between God’s righteousness and His power over creation.

More Words in God’s Behalf

Elihu has not yet finished speaking and continues (Job 36:1). He has already made three speeches – just like Job and his friends – but he adds a fourth. He asks Job to wait a little for him and to listen to him (Job 36:2). He wants to tell in God’s behalf, what else he can show in His favor. A lot has already been said by him about God, but there is still more in his heart that he wants to pass on about Him, which will be of use to Job. These are not superfluous words. We will see that they are a wonderful introduction to the apparition of God to Job and His speaking to him immediately after Elihu has finished speaking.

Elihu says that he will “fetch from afar” his knowledge regarding God and His actions (Job 36:3). Thus, he will not speak from his own perceptions like his friends, not walk the paths that have been trodden, and not appeal to tradition. This means that he will not go back to a distant past, but will appeal to what lies beyond the human understanding. He appeals to God Himself, Who is far above man (Jer 23:23 ; Jer 31:3), the Source of wisdom that comes from above (Jam 3:17).

With the knowledge he obtains from God, he will ascribe “righteousness” to Him Whom he calls “my Maker”. Anything that a person can say about God and do justice to Him can only happen if such a person has been informed about it by God. For the knowledge of God, we must be with Him. The condition of God’s knowledge of Himself is to acknowledge Him as his Maker.

In this way, in that state of mind, we will do God justice in our speaking. We do not seek our own honor, our own right, but His honor. Then we will be, like Elihu, a true servant of God. We can then be used by Him to give Him righteousness, that is to declare Him righteous in His actions. When we realize that, the consequence is that we trust Him. Then all doubt about His purposes will disappear and we will not accuse Him, however covered up, of injustice.

Before Elihu speaks about God, he again points out the importance of what he is going to say (Job 36:4). “For truly my words are not false.” He insists he’s telling the truth. His words are reliable and worthy of all acceptance. They are, to use Paul’s words, “of truth and rationality” (Acts 26:25, literal translation). Yet without restraint and at the same time without moderation, he can add that he is “perfect in knowledge”. There is nothing secretive in what he says, and there is no double ground in his words. He adds that he is with Job, saying once more that he is the same before God as Job (Job 33:6).

Elihu – he is that “one who” – does not owe his perfectness to himself, but to God; he has received it from Him, “from afar”, as he said in Job 36:3. He does not exalt himself there, but is with and beside Job, on the same level before God.