Job 37:21 | KingComments | STEP | Elihu is ready for his closing words after the climax of . In it he turns to Job ( ). He asks him to listen “to this”, these are the lessons of God’s rule over nature. To do this, Job must remain in an attitude of awe and attention and pay attention “to the wonders of God” which He shows in nature. If he is willing to hear, he will absorb God’s wonders and his spirit will be filled with the reverence that is appropriate toward Him. From , Elihu asks Job some questions intended to make him realize how ignorant he really is and how incapable he is of judging God in His dealings with him. In this light, it must become clear to him that it is absolutely out of place for him to call God to account. He knows nothing at all and God knows everything. This method of teaching in the form of asking questions is the one God also uses in His speech to Job in the following chapters. God will do nothing but ask Job the same kind of questions, only much more extensively and with the result that Job goes on his knees before Him. Elihu’s first question is about the ordering God has put into His works and through which He controls them ( ). Does Job have any idea of how God connects all of His works and how they relate to each other? Of course he does not. He also has to answer the question of how God “makes the lightning of His cloud to shine”. The next question to Job is whether he knows about the layers of the thick clouds ( ). Job does not know the answer. He had no knowledge of the laws of nature that man has discovered in the course of time. He can only look at them with silent amazement and wonder how clouds heavy with water float anyway. It cannot be other than through the mighty hand of God. But how He does it, cannot be explained. But with all our knowledge of physics do we know the answer? We don’t know the answer either. We see the laws, but how those laws originated, we do not know without the revelation by God that He gives in His Word. God, Who does all these wonders, is perfect in knowledge. Someone who is able to make such an ordering in nature and make the clouds float must know everything ( ). He has perfect knowledge in Himself and of all His works, of all that is outside Him, of all creation, and of every human being, for everything has come forth out of Him. On the other hand, man is a completely ignorant creature. The temperature is completely in God’s hand. Does Job know how the temperature can rise so high that it warms him up and makes his clothes stick to his body ( )? He knows that a south wind brings heat ( ). But does he know how God makes the earth still and then lets that wind blow from the south? And what can he do about it? Surely, he has not helped God to spread out the skies which during the heat are “strong as a molten mirror”, has he ( )? God did that all alone ( ). Job cannot command clouds to temper the heat. Only God can. What can Job do other than endure the heat patiently? If things are as they are, what can such a weak, helpless and ignorant human being do against God when He acts with him? Elihu is aware of his ignorance of the things he has told Job about God. But perhaps Job knows more and wants to tell him and everyone what they should say to God ( ). After all, Job has said to God that he wants to present his case before Him ( ). He would let God know that God was not acting well with him. Elihu feels himself in darkness when it comes to judging God and that will be felt by everyone who looks at God in His rule over nature. Who dares to say that he can fathom God’s actions? In what Elihu says here, there is a gentle admonition to Job. Elihu knows that no one has to tell God what he (Elihu) has said ( ). For God has known everything already for a long time ( ). If anyone thinks he has to do so with the thought that something has eluded Him and wants to correct Him, he will be “swallowed up”. If such a person goes to God to inform Him, he will be overwhelmed by the awareness of His omniscience. When it comes to the judgment of God in His reign, everyone is well advised to keep silent: “Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD” ( ). Apart from not being able to say anything about what God does, we also see nothing of it, we are blind to it ( ). About what God does, we lack light, it is hidden from us in the clouds. We see the clouds. What God is going to do with them escapes us. But the light shines in them, we may know that. And in His time He will drive away the clouds by the wind. Then the sky will be clear. We can apply this to our lives. The clouds are a picture of trials and tribulations that may be present in our life. Then we don’t see the light, but we know it’s there. We know that He is beyond our difficulties, though it is difficult to see Him. When the time comes when He expels the clouds, the light becomes visible. We see Him. Maybe the troubles are not gone, but He shows us the purpose for which they serve. When the heavens have been cleared by God, it turns out that gold has come with the wind from the north, the gold of the bright weather ( ). With these last words of Elihu, Job is, as it were, prepared for the gold of the speaking of God Himself. In the application to our lives we can say that it has not only become clear, but has also enriched. The purification of faith is more precious than the purification of gold ( ). We have been given a deeper impression of God’s “awesome majesty” than we had before. He had and has control over everything and controls the clouds in our life. Elihu finishes his closing words with a kind of conclusion. He points out that he and others cannot find “the Almighty” ( ). What he means by that is what he then says about God. God is incomparable to man and immeasurable in His “power”. His “justice” is incorruptible. He never does anything that is contrary to the law, to the correctness of a matter with which He is concerned. The same goes for Job. Furthermore, His “abundant righteousness” is in the use of His means. Abundant righteousness is literally ‘a multitude of righteousness’. In all the means at His disposal, His righteousness shines forth, He floods with it, it is His hallmark. This also means that “He will not do violence”. He uses all His perfect qualities in such a way that in His dealings with people all insensitive or barbaric hardness is lacking. Because of these qualities which He uses for the benefit of men, they fear Him, that is, they have respect and awe for Him ( ; cf. ). It is a general fear of God when they see the revelation of His power ( ). Those who have a stubborn heart are those who have their own opinion of God and want to tell Him how to rule. They lack the awe of Him. That is why He does not see them, He ignores them. With this Elihu has said what he had on his heart. The three friends of Job believed that suffering is the result of God’s ‘tit for tat policy’. In judging suffering, they adhered to what we might call a ‘compensation theology’. This theology assumes that there is a connection between righteousness and prosperity, and between sinful conduct and misery. Elihu has shown how wrong this theology is. Job questions the government of God in his life. But he already understands nothing of the government of God in nature. Elihu therefore admonishes Job to acknowledge God’s wisdom in both matters and to trust Him. Now that Elihu has spoken about the coming of the sun after the storm, the coming of God in His majesty ( ), the time has come for God Himself to teach Job in a wonderful way about His ways (cf. ). This is what the following chapters are about.

‏ Job 37:21

The Closing Words of Elihu to Job

Elihu is ready for his closing words after the climax of Job 37:13. In it he turns to Job (Job 37:14). He asks him to listen “to this”, these are the lessons of God’s rule over nature. To do this, Job must remain in an attitude of awe and attention and pay attention “to the wonders of God” which He shows in nature. If he is willing to hear, he will absorb God’s wonders and his spirit will be filled with the reverence that is appropriate toward Him.

From Job 37:15, Elihu asks Job some questions intended to make him realize how ignorant he really is and how incapable he is of judging God in His dealings with him. In this light, it must become clear to him that it is absolutely out of place for him to call God to account. He knows nothing at all and God knows everything. This method of teaching in the form of asking questions is the one God also uses in His speech to Job in the following chapters. God will do nothing but ask Job the same kind of questions, only much more extensively and with the result that Job goes on his knees before Him.

Elihu’s first question is about the ordering God has put into His works and through which He controls them (Job 37:15). Does Job have any idea of how God connects all of His works and how they relate to each other? Of course he does not. He also has to answer the question of how God “makes the lightning of His cloud to shine”.

The next question to Job is whether he knows about the layers of the thick clouds (Job 37:16). Job does not know the answer. He had no knowledge of the laws of nature that man has discovered in the course of time. He can only look at them with silent amazement and wonder how clouds heavy with water float anyway. It cannot be other than through the mighty hand of God. But how He does it, cannot be explained. But with all our knowledge of physics do we know the answer? We don’t know the answer either. We see the laws, but how those laws originated, we do not know without the revelation by God that He gives in His Word.

God, Who does all these wonders, is perfect in knowledge. Someone who is able to make such an ordering in nature and make the clouds float must know everything (1Sam 2:3b). He has perfect knowledge in Himself and of all His works, of all that is outside Him, of all creation, and of every human being, for everything has come forth out of Him. On the other hand, man is a completely ignorant creature.

The temperature is completely in God’s hand. Does Job know how the temperature can rise so high that it warms him up and makes his clothes stick to his body (Job 37:17)? He knows that a south wind brings heat (Lk 12:55). But does he know how God makes the earth still and then lets that wind blow from the south?

And what can he do about it? Surely, he has not helped God to spread out the skies which during the heat are “strong as a molten mirror”, has he (Job 37:18)? God did that all alone (Isa 44:24b). Job cannot command clouds to temper the heat. Only God can. What can Job do other than endure the heat patiently? If things are as they are, what can such a weak, helpless and ignorant human being do against God when He acts with him?

Elihu is aware of his ignorance of the things he has told Job about God. But perhaps Job knows more and wants to tell him and everyone what they should say to God (Job 37:19). After all, Job has said to God that he wants to present his case before Him (Job 13:3 ; 18-22). He would let God know that God was not acting well with him. Elihu feels himself in darkness when it comes to judging God and that will be felt by everyone who looks at God in His rule over nature. Who dares to say that he can fathom God’s actions? In what Elihu says here, there is a gentle admonition to Job.

Elihu knows that no one has to tell God what he (Elihu) has said (Job 37:20). For God has known everything already for a long time (Psa 139:4). If anyone thinks he has to do so with the thought that something has eluded Him and wants to correct Him, he will be “swallowed up”. If such a person goes to God to inform Him, he will be overwhelmed by the awareness of His omniscience. When it comes to the judgment of God in His reign, everyone is well advised to keep silent: “Be silent, all flesh, before the LORD” (Zec 2:13a).

Apart from not being able to say anything about what God does, we also see nothing of it, we are blind to it (Job 37:21). About what God does, we lack light, it is hidden from us in the clouds. We see the clouds. What God is going to do with them escapes us. But the light shines in them, we may know that. And in His time He will drive away the clouds by the wind. Then the sky will be clear.

We can apply this to our lives. The clouds are a picture of trials and tribulations that may be present in our life. Then we don’t see the light, but we know it’s there. We know that He is beyond our difficulties, though it is difficult to see Him. When the time comes when He expels the clouds, the light becomes visible. We see Him. Maybe the troubles are not gone, but He shows us the purpose for which they serve.

When the heavens have been cleared by God, it turns out that gold has come with the wind from the north, the gold of the bright weather (Job 37:22). With these last words of Elihu, Job is, as it were, prepared for the gold of the speaking of God Himself. In the application to our lives we can say that it has not only become clear, but has also enriched. The purification of faith is more precious than the purification of gold (1Pet 1:7). We have been given a deeper impression of God’s “awesome majesty” than we had before. He had and has control over everything and controls the clouds in our life.

Elihu finishes his closing words with a kind of conclusion. He points out that he and others cannot find “the Almighty” (Job 37:23). What he means by that is what he then says about God. God is incomparable to man and immeasurable in His “power”. His “justice” is incorruptible. He never does anything that is contrary to the law, to the correctness of a matter with which He is concerned. The same goes for Job.

Furthermore, His “abundant righteousness” is in the use of His means. Abundant righteousness is literally ‘a multitude of righteousness’. In all the means at His disposal, His righteousness shines forth, He floods with it, it is His hallmark. This also means that “He will not do violence”. He uses all His perfect qualities in such a way that in His dealings with people all insensitive or barbaric hardness is lacking.

Because of these qualities which He uses for the benefit of men, they fear Him, that is, they have respect and awe for Him (Job 37:24; cf. Psa 130:4). It is a general fear of God when they see the revelation of His power (Rev 15:4). Those who have a stubborn heart are those who have their own opinion of God and want to tell Him how to rule. They lack the awe of Him. That is why He does not see them, He ignores them.

With this Elihu has said what he had on his heart. The three friends of Job believed that suffering is the result of God’s ‘tit for tat policy’. In judging suffering, they adhered to what we might call a ‘compensation theology’. This theology assumes that there is a connection between righteousness and prosperity, and between sinful conduct and misery. Elihu has shown how wrong this theology is.

Job questions the government of God in his life. But he already understands nothing of the government of God in nature. Elihu therefore admonishes Job to acknowledge God’s wisdom in both matters and to trust Him. Now that Elihu has spoken about the coming of the sun after the storm, the coming of God in His majesty (Job 37:22), the time has come for God Himself to teach Job in a wonderful way about His ways (cf. Heb 1:1). This is what the following chapters are about.