#669 The All Wise Palate

Elihu further answered and said:

2 “Hear my words, you wise men;

Give ear to me, you who have knowledge.

3 For the ear tests words

As the palate tastes food.

4 Let us choose justice for ourselves;

Let us know among ourselves what is good.

5 “For Job has said, ‘I am righteous,

But God has taken away my justice;

6 Should I lie concerning my right?

My wound is incurable, though I am without transgression.’

7 What man is like Job,

Who drinks scorn like water,

8 Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity,

And walks with wicked men?

9 For he has said, ‘It profits a man nothing

That he should delight in God.’

10 “Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding:

Far be it from God to do wickedness,

And from the Almighty to commit iniquity.

11 For He repays man according to his work,

And makes man to find a reward according to his way.

12 Surely God will never do wickedly,

Nor will the Almighty pervert justice.

13 Who gave Him charge over the earth?

Or who appointed Him over the whole world?

14 If He should set His heart on it,

If He should gather to Himself His Spirit and His breath,

15 All flesh would perish together,

And man would return to dust.

16 “If you have understanding, hear this;

Listen to the sound of my words:

17 Should one who hates justice govern?

Will you condemn Him who is most just?

18 Is it fitting to say to a king, ‘You are worthless,’

And to nobles, ‘You are wicked’?

19 Yet He is not partial to princes,

Nor does He regard the rich more than the poor;

For they are all the work of His hands.

20 In a moment they die, in the middle of the night;

The people are shaken and pass away;

The mighty are taken away without a hand.

21 “For His eyes are on the ways of man,

And He sees all his steps.

22 There is no darkness nor shadow of death

Where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.

23 For He need not further consider a man,

That he should go before God in judgment.

24 He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry,

And sets others in their place.

25 Therefore He knows their works;

He overthrows them in the night,

And they are crushed.

26 He strikes them as wicked men

In the open sight of others,

27 Because they turned back from Him,

And would not consider any of His ways,

28 So that they caused the cry of the poor to come to Him;

For He hears the cry of the afflicted.

29 When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble?

And when He hides His face, who then can see Him,

Whether it is against a nation or a man alone?—

30 That the hypocrite should not reign,

Lest the people be ensnared.

31 “For has anyone said to God,

‘I have borne chastening;

I will offend no more;

32 Teach me what I do not see;

If I have done iniquity, I will do no more’?

33 Should He repay it according to your terms,

Just because you disavow it?

You must choose, and not I;

Therefore speak what you know.

34 “Men of understanding say to me,

Wise men who listen to me:

35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge,

His words are without wisdom.’

36 Oh, that Job were tried to the utmost,

Because his answers are like those of wicked men!

37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;

He claps his hands among us,

And multiplies his words against God.” Job 34 NKJV

You wise men - anyone who has knowledge can see what I am saying. He is a speaker for sure, but he makes the general into the absolute so often. Yes, the ear hears and the tongue taste, and we should be careful to test what comes in either way, but many chew on words that have no substance. Most of the so called church today exercises little in the way of discernment and readily accepts all manner of doctrine without any concern to the Author's intent.  

I am righteous - To be clear, Job has stated that he has not committed such acts as men would associate with this suffering as a punishment, and he has not only made a list, but he has also shown that he has gone above and beyond to avoid the temptation as well. He has also made clear that no one can stand before God, that he would need a mediator, and God Himself has called Job blameless, this we know. Elihu tends to twist Job's words, and he has offered to be his mediator, yet acts more like the prosecution. He builds another Job off to the side, claims that it is Job and then proceeds to tear apart the things he has overstated, pulled from context and not so well considered. He claims that Job's insistence upon his innocence is a declaration against God's righteous judgment. These men have little patience for hurt, and will exhaust many words that Job already knows. It would be wicked for any man to say that he is without sin, for all have sinned and even as the Psalmist acknowledges, were born into sin, so that we must be "born again."  

Charles Spurgeon wrote this of verses 6-10:

He did not mean that Job did really go into the company of the wicked; but that, in his saying that it had been no profit to him that he should delight himself with God,—which Elihu declares that Job said, though I do not remember that he ever did say so,—he was making himself the associate of ungodly men. Any of us would be doing so if we, in our sorrowful moments, should say that we had derived no profit from delighting ourselves with God. It would not be true; it would be a rebellious and wicked speech, and, in some degree, it would be an atheistic speech.

Job 34:10. Therefore hearken unto me, ye men of understanding : far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.

That was well spoken. Let us never, even for a moment, imagine that God can do anything that is unrighteous or unjust. God is a sovereign, and therefore he may do as he wills with his own grace; but there is never any injustice in any of the acts of his sovereignty. He is infinitely wise, and just, and merciful, in all that he does. He does as he wills, but he never wills to do anything that could possibly be better done. His own will is the best that can be. - C.H. Spurgeon

His breath - It is true that God hath spoken into existence all the universe and breathed life into man, and that it is His breath to take back. Job does not contest God's sovereignty, but Elihu makes a stringent claim again, that being "He repays man according to his work." He has just like his friends taken a general truth and fixed it against Job, that this is the result not only of a past sin, but of his continued sin, which would be in his mind that Job accuses God of perverting justice. If Elihu was my representation I would want my money back. 

Should one who hates justice govern - I'm going to guess, no, that it is not a good idea. I think it implies that Job has held a high position in the community, and has sat in the seat of judgment, but now that he is being judged he does not like it. I don't think Job has claimed emphatically that God is unfair, but in his sorrow, his pain, and the hurt of his soul, he has expressed his uncertainty about things he thought he once knew. I think he would be glad to know of a particular sin, if that was the cause, so that he could confess and move on, but he is befuddled since this is not his case, but  that continues as the scarecrow of his prosecutors. 

He is not partial to princes - Job, you would never say to royalty that they are worthless or wicked, if not for fear than for the sake of  professional courtesy, or respect of position. How can you speak against God then, who is actually more just and is above all rulers, He made them and you both? Job has not once made the claim of title or position as to God's consideration, only his merit regarding mankind and his relationship, that he had reverenced the Creator, talked to the Creator, missed the Creator. Elihu is again packing good straw into an old shirt. 

There is no darkness or shadow of death -  I will quote Spurgeon again here, for this seemed to be the most exciting part of the prose to him and verses 21 through 30, I must admit are quite beautifully put:

How gloriously is this great truth put! This Elihu was a man of real eloquence; what a weighty sentence is this! How worthy to be treasured up in the memory! “There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.” Not even in the grave can they be concealed from the eye of God; and if it were possible for them to hide beneath the skirts of death himself, yet would God perceive them, and drag them forth to judgment. C.H. Spurgeon

Beautiful, but Job is not hiding from God, he is not hiding from these men either. I hope Job sees the comfort that is not intended in it though, for there is this truth in there, that neither we nor our situations are hidden from God. He knows what our accusers do not.

I will offend no more - Take what lashes you deserve and admit that you deserve them, Job. Take your punishment like a man. As the Lord to show you what it is, and do not ask Him judge according to your standard or bow to your wishes. 

Men of understanding - Consensus is out, and Job, we all agree that you are the father, this is your baby, and your words are without wisdom. The intellectuals have spoken. I hope you receive the highest penalty because you are arrogant and unrepentant. He considers Job a rebel, that he claps his hands at them, which is not applause but rather mocking, hear hear.