There are three questions that drive the book of Job:
1. Job’s question: Why is light given to him who is in misery, and life to the bitter in soul? (3:20)
2. Satan’s question: Does Job fear God for no reason? (1:9)
3. God’s question: Have you considered my servant Job? (1:8)
The wisdom debate with the friends drives Job to see past his own original question to ponder Satan’s question in chapter 21. He quotes the wicked as saying, “What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? And what profit do we get if we pray to him?” (21:15), and finally concludes, echoing Psalm 1, “The counsel of the wicked is far from me.” (21:16)
And indeed, as Job comes to his final summary in chapter 27-31, you can even see how Job is pushing towards God’s question — although he can only affirm God’s description of him: “a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil.” He does not identify himself as “the servant of the Lord.” Until he sees himself as the suffering servant, he will not understand his own question!
So what is Elihu doing in all this?
The simplistic structure is that in chapter 33 he echoes Job (offering to play Job’s advocate — or comforter — one who will “justify” [piel] Job, not as a judge [which would be the hifil], but as an advocate). It was fitting that we covered this on Pentecost Sunday — since Elihu offers to play the Advocate to Job’s Suffering Servant! — and whatever response Job may have had to Elihu, *our* response should be, “thanks be to God we have a better Advocate than Elihu!!”
Now in chapters 34-35 he echoes the friends, paraphrasing and quoting them (in spite of his claim that he will not answer Job with their arguments!), and coming to the same conclusion as the friends: Job “answers like wicked men” (34:36). But is this Elihu’s conclusion? Or is it Elihu’s summary of the friends’ conclusion?
I have become convinced that this is, in fact, Elihu’s own conclusion. He address the friends in 34:2 and 10 as “you wise men,” and “you men of understanding,” and then in 34:34 he says that “men of understanding…and the wise man” will say that Job speaks without knowledge. And Elihu clearly agrees with them: as he concludes in his own statement, “Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiplies words without knowledge.” (35:16)
Elihu is convinced that God will never condescend to answer Job. Therefore Elihu must answer Job on behalf of God. The wise men of the earth must judge Job — and their verdict must be: “Guilty”! And if anyone else had said what Job said, Elihu would have been right.
And if anyone else had said “the Father and I are one,” they would have been right to condemn him! The book of Job serves as a warning to the rulers and judges of Israel — beware! Do not condemn the suffering servant of the Lord! Do not be too quick to condemn the one who claims “I am innocent” — “I am in the right!”
