Elihu's Speeches

Brief Outline:

Job 32-33

Elihu's first speech

God instructs man through affliction. Here, Elihu is introduced. All throughout the book of Job, Job has been desiring a "moderator". Elihu is just that. Elihu's speeches prepare the way for the Lord speech to come.

Job 34

Elihu's Second Speech

Elihu's point was that God's justices was vindicated against what Job has been insinuating. Job had not been able to understand the purpose of his suffering.

Job 35

Elihu's Third Speech

Job had wrong reasoning. It does not matter with God if a man is righteous or wicked in relation to worldly suffering.

Job 36-37

Fourth Speech

This speech basically states that God always has a purpose when godly people are afflicted. He does so to lift us out of our pride and to show us his disciplining grace and love. Elihu wanted Job to take note of this and to notice God's power and pride in nature. Elihu concludes by stressing man's sinful frailty in God's presence.

Discussion for this week:

1. In Job 35:6-
Elihu says,

"If you sin, how does that affect him? If your sins are many, what does that do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him, or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness only the sons of men."

Question:

Have you ever thought about how your sin affects God? How there is nothing that He receives from our hand, accept for our love and obedience, when we choose to give it to Him? I had never really thought about that. Our wickedness only affects ourselves and those around us. Please discuss how this verse may or may not have impacted you. Have you really thought about this before?

2. In Elihu's fourth speech, it talks about how God uses affliction that we may be experiencing to lift us out of our pride, and to show us His discipline and love.. One of the most powerful verses to me in the bible is..

"...for My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."

2 Corinthians 12:9

Can you think of a time you might like to share with us, when God has used your affliction, to show how His power is made perfect in your weakness?

Please comment!! Have a great week! Please read Job 38-42 for next week!!

Sources: The New Unger's Bible Handbook revised by Gary N. Larson, My old trusty NIV Bible!

Job 27-31

Catching UP.......

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! I was out of town, and this week, I have been having Internet problems...so please forgive me for not getting to this earlier! I know people are busy, and I see that many people have logged on through my live traffic feed, but your comments on discussion are greatly appreciated. Also, we only have a few weeks left in Job, so please comment on another book you may be interested in for our next study! Obviously we can only do one at a time, but I would love suggestions! For next week, please read Job 32-37!

Job 27-31 Job's Closing words of vindication

Overview:
Job 27-28
Job clung to righteousness, contrasting himself with wicked people, he described the treasures of the earth, and the higher wealth of wisdom, which is known by God. Job outlined his past blessings and honor. In chapter 28, the magnificent poem about wisdom, breaks the continuity, and Job's final answer to Zophar, completing the cycle chapters 29-31.

Job 29-31
Job looks back on the good days of his prosperity when he was respected and honored. He contrasts this with his present state in Chapter 30. In Chapter 31, he once more insists that his past life has been blameless. He sets himself sort of up on a pedestal here. It is part of the argument of the book that this was the kind of conduct expected from a man who claimed to be a good God-fearing Jew, and it is an ideal of which any society might be proud. It shows more-over how deep and lasting an effect the moral force of the teaching of the prophets had on the life of Israel.

Discussion for this week:

These stanza's stood out to me this week:

Job 28:12-13

"But where can wisdom be found? Where does understanding dwell? Man does not comprehend its worth; it cannot be found in the land of the living."

Job 28: 20-28

"Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell? It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, concealed even from the birds of the air. Destruction and Death say,'Only a rumor has reached our ears,' God understands the way to it and he alone knows where it dwells, for He views the ends of the earth, and sees everything under the heavens. When he established the force of the wind and measured out the waters, when he made a decree for the rain and a path for the thunderstorm, then he looked at wisdom and appraised it; he confirmed it and tested it. And He said to man, "The fear of the Lord --that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

Wow, what an amazing passage!

Here is the discussion:

What do you think about the whole idea of the fact that mortal life can never fulfill wisdom and that only in death will true wisdom be revealed to us? This passage says, of Death and Destruction, only a rumor of wisdom has reached their ears. I have to say that this thought kind of freaks me out a little. It seems like if only death reveals these things to us, we are sort of going through the motions of an alter existence...it is almost like this life is like a blinded type of deadness, and in our death, through Christs death, we will be alive. Do you fear death, and how does this passage make you feel better or worse about it?

Resources for this week: Hebrew-Greek Keyword Translation Bible, The New Unger's Bible Handbook Revised by Gary N. Larson, William Neal's Pocket Bible Commentary