AWAKE BIBLE IN A YEAR JANUARY 31

by charityrattray

Read Job 33-36

What we know of God is too little. ELIHU digs at a source of questioning humans have been entertaining from the garden of Eden. It’s a questioning of the directions and leadership of God. God speaks in a dream, a vision of the night, and Elihu suggests it is for man to turn aside from his conduct and to keep man from pride. These are possible hints to why suffering is allowed. God is gracious and forgiving. God is a redeemer. We hardly have a grip on the magnitude of God’s nature and majesty. Our minds are simplistic. We are children who believe if we do good, we get good. Do bad, get bad. The arguments of Job’s friends have FAILED to answer the problem of injustice and suffering. The complex nature of suffering verses a good God riddles Job with the question, ‘what is the charge against me’, and he continues to hold out for an audience with God. Job hints of a need for a mediator. Jesus is the only God who willing suffers injustice. Elihu will hint of it as well. Job 33:23 ‘If there is an angel as mediator for him, One out of a thousand, To remind a man what is right for him,

Jesus shows me what is right. Jesus was made sin who knew no sin. (2 Corinthians 5:21) God will not do wickedness. God will not pervert justice; He will drink it to the full. ON WHO was laid the sin of the world? On JESUS, the JUST.

Elihu, God, and Job will all say as if in unison, ‘Job speaks without knowledge’ (Job 34:35, 38:2, 42:3)

Elihu says suffering can be a response to pride if one has magnified themselves instead of God. Suffering opens the ear of man. (Job 36:10). Elihu is not aware of God’s opinion of Job, and how this whole thing began with God testifying about the character of Job. He cautions Job about how far Job has gone in questioning God. Elihu does not answer why the righteous suffer, but rather that they are being kept from pride, and suffering does not mean God is your enemy.

Suffering opens the ear to hear our unchangingly GOOD God calling out, come to me. Strangely suffering brought into the hands of the CREATOR God becomes the surgeon’s cut that heals.