Job  

Chapter  36  

"Elihu's words on God's behalf."  

Elihu paused to give the men a chance to respond to his prior speech, and when they had nothing to say, he continue with this new thought; speaking now on God's behalf. 

Job  36:1   "Elihu also proceeded, and said,"

Job  36:2   "Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf."

Elihu is telling Job and these three men that he will now speak on God's behalf. 

Job  36:3   I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and will ascribe righteousness to my Maker."

Job  36:4   "For truly my words shall not be false:  He That is perfect in knowledge is with thee."

If you think that this young fellow is speaking on God's behalf, you are wrong, however Elihu said it right when he said that these words are "truly my words..."  Elihu is talking about himself and not God when he points to himself as the one that is perfect in knowledge.  Today we call them "know it all's".  This is about the same comment that Satan, the king of Tyre made in Ezekiel 28 that caused his fall from God, in his pride. 

Job  36:5   "Behold, God is mighty, and despiseth not any: He is mighty in strength and wisdom."

This is a true statement, and there is no argument with this fact. 

Job  36:6   "He preserveth not the life of the wicked: but giveth right to the poor."

The poor are the afflicted, and overall this also is a true statement.  The reason that the wicked have a short life has nothing to do with why Job was afflicted with these boils. For the next six verses Elihu will give his opinion and from these statement we can see exactly what he thinks of Job. 

Job  36:7   "He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous: but with kings are they on the throne; yea, He doth establish them for ever, and they are exalted."

Elihu is saying that God never takes His eye off the righteous, and as such he is accusing Job of lying from this statement.  Job sat there covered from head to toe with boils, and with troubles that few men have ever known.  "He withdraweth not His eyes..." is an absolute statement that just doesn't fit Job.  Either Job is not righteous, or this Elihu is a con man with words.  We know from the first three chapters that Job is and was a righteous men in all his affairs in life.  Elihu's reference to the kings is that when a king is first crowned, everyone looks up to him with praise.  Than shortly after he has sinned a bit, they all want to haul him away in chains. 

Job  36:8   "And if they be bound in fetters, and be holden in cords of affliction;"

Job  36:9   "Then He sheweth them their work, and their transgressions that they have exceeded."

Then after the king has been demoted, he turns to God and his transgressions are forgiven him, and he becomes accepted again.  See the reasoning of Elihu. 

Job  36:10   "He openeth also their ear to discipline, and commandeth that they return from iniquity."

This is just good old repentance.  This is a true statement for God will discipline His own for their sins, and after repentance command that they turn from the iniquities that they were doing.  Do you see how he is using truths to catch the righteous person off guard.  He wants to believe the truths that are said, and then by listing to all these truths first, the listener is off guard for the lies that follow.  The point is that you had better know what you are believing in.    

Job  36:11   "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures."

This is very true, if their prosperity is all within God's plan. 

Job  36:12   "But if they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and they shall die without knowledge."

Elihu has just told us here that Job didn't have knowledge, so it is obvious that this statement is aimed at Job.  We know exactly where Elihu has Job classified. 

Job  36:13   "But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when He bindeth them."

"Hypocrites" as used from the Hebrew text, are "the godless, and those with false pride".  Elihu is saying that it doesn't bother the hypocrites and those with false pride if they sins or not.  That's their nature and they always find a way to get their way. 

Job  36:14   "They die in youth, and their life is among the unclean."

In the Hebrew text, "They" that are called "the unclean" are called "Sodomites".  They die young as male prostitutes in their filthy diseases and sickness.  This is also a true and correct statement, and today that disease is called "AIDS", that brings on death. 

Job  36:15   "He delivereth the poor in his affliction, and openeth their ears in oppression."

Elihu has caught Job at his worse, and now Elihu continues to pick on him and make all sorts of slanderous remarks about Job. 

Job  36:16   "Even so would He have removed thee out of the strait into a broad place, where there is no straitness; and that which should be set on thy table should be full of fatness."

Elihu is telling Job that if he would have followed all this that I am telling you, you would have had all the things that are fit for a king.  We will see that in the end, Job will end up exactly that way, prosperous, and with a long life.  However it is not for the reasons that Elihu is stating.   

Job  36:17   "But thou hast fulfilled the judgment of the wicked: judgment and justice take hold on thee."

Elihu is stating here flatly that Job is a wicked man.  Job you are getting everything that you deserve that God can throw your way.  The problem is that God isn't doing it to Job, it is Satan that is bring on all these problems in Job's life.  Because Job has not figured it out yet, he just stays there and takes this pounding from these so-called friends. Job was a righteous man, and he even paid the alms for his sons and daughters sins, he was so concerned about doing right.  

Job  36:18   "Because there is wrath, beware lest He take thee away with His stroke: then a great ransom cannot deliver thee."

It is real easy to gaze down on Job sitting there covered with these boils, and say to him, it is obvious that you got what you had coming.  That is what this verse implies.

Job  36:19   "Will He esteem thy riches? no, not gold, nor all the forces of strength."

This is a true statement, gold and power will not redeem righteousness.

Job  36:20   "Desire not the night, when people are cut off in their place."

Naturally God's people are the people of the light, and those of the night will be cut off at the return of the Lord. 

Job  36:21   "Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction."

Elihu is telling Job that it is he that chose to do iniquity.  Of course Elihu simply doesn't know Job for the righteous man he was.  There is no way that Elihu could be filled with the Holy Spirit and speaking on God's behalf after reading what he is saying about Job.  God is not the author of confusion, and this young fellow is full of confusion.   

Job  36:22   "Behold, God exalteth by His power: who teacheth like Him?"

This is a true statement, but there is one thing for sure, Elihu is not.  Even though it says in the bible that Job sinned right here in verse 21, however the one that made that statement is a liar, and simply doesn't know Job nor God.  This is Elihu doing the talking, not God.

Job  36:23   "Who hath enjoined Him His way? or who can say, `Thou hast wrought iniquity?' " 

Job  36:24   "Remember that thou magnify His work, which men behold."

This is a true statement for men can tell whether you magnify God by the way you live your life. 

Job  36:25   "Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off."

Elihu is telling Job, look at you, you are setting an example for everyone else.

Job  36:26   "Behold, God is great, and we know Him not, neither can the number of His years be searched out."

Though this appears to be true statement, however the part of this verse that states, "and we know Him not" is not a true, for we can know God very well by studying His Word.  This is a true statement directed to Elihu's part, but false in the case of Job.  Job knew God very well.  Elihu didn't know God yet here tries to speak for God. 

Job  36:27   For He maketh small the drops of water they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof:"

True; God fills those clouds to their fullest and then down comes the rain. 

Job  36:28   "Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly."

God does give the former rains and the latter rains to develop the crops, and water them to bring them to harvest time. 

Job  36:29   "Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of His tabernacle?"

The "noise in the clouds" is the thunder.  When you see the storm clouds brewing, you   see the lightning, then follows the thunder from those spreading clouds. 

Job  36:30   "Behold, He spreadeth His light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea."

Job  36:31   "For by them judgeth He the people; and giveth meat in abundance."

He is saying that in every storm, God can either bring punishment or mercy through a rain storm.  We need the rain to grow the food we eat, and to water the plants and trees around us.  We need the rain to fill the lakes and rivers to provide the water of our every needs.  However that same storm can bring a tornado, floods and destruction.

Job  36:32   With clouds He coverth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the clouds that cometh betwixt."

This is a bad job on the translation.  What it is saying here is that He covers his hand with the lightning and He commands that bolt of lightning to hit the mark.  The mark is the enemy, of course.  God is in control of all things and everything that happens.  He even controls the direction of the lightning. 

Job  36:33   "The noise thereof sheweth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapour."

Even the cattle can tell that the storm is coming way off in the distance by the noise from the storm.  We now move into the last chapter concerning these men that are trying to advise Job.