JOB LESSON 34


     We will begin this lesson in Job 35:1 "Elihu spake moreover, and
said," Job 35:2 "Thinkest thou this to be right, [that] thou saidst,
My righteousness [is] more than God's?"

     Now Elihu was speaking directly to Job. It was such a shame that
Elihu was accusing Job of saying things he never even thought of
saying.  Job had never made a statement that this could have even been
twisted to mean.

     Job 35:3 "For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee?
[and], What profit shall I have, [if I be cleansed] from my sin?"

     Job had said that his righteousness had brought him no special
treatment here on the earth. Of course, we know that what Job was
speaking of, was this latest attack that had actually come from Satan.
Job had no way of knowing that this attack was from Satan. Job had
felt that ultimately God would bring him out of this terrible dilemma
he was in.

     Job 35:4 "I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee."

     It appears, that Elihu was trying to prove Eliphaz, Bildad, and
Zophar just as wrong as Job. He had to defame them all, if he would
take the high position that Job had held. The three friends were no
companions of Job. They had accused Job of things that would have
easily classified them as his enemies.

     Job 35:5 "Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds
[which] are higher than thou."

     Elihu was insinuating that all of them thought they were higher
than God in the heavens. God had created the heavens, as well as the
earth. He was above it all. The Creator is greater than His creation.
Job would agree with that completely. In fact, he stated that, before
Elihu did.

     Job 35:6 "If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or [if]
thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?"

     Mankind cannot do harm to God. The only way they can hurt Him, is
to break His heart. The sins and transgressions of mankind do no real
harm to God, except to His heart. To commit sin means disobedience to
God. The sin will not alter God's plan for the world in any way. The
sin causes hurt to your own soul.

     Job 35:7 "If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what
receiveth he of thine hand?"

     We cannot do anything directly for God except to love Him. We
cannot add to Him by any of our righteous deeds. The easiest way to
help God is to help our fellowmen. We read in Matthew what Jesus had
to say about this. Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say
unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto
one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me."

     Job 35:8 "Thy wickedness [may hurt] a man as thou [art]; and thy
righteousness [may profit] the son of man."

     Elihu was actually saying that God would punish the wicked man,
and bless the man who did righteousness. This is not necessarily so.
To be righteous, so that you could benefit for being righteous, would
in itself, keep you from being righteous. We should never go to
church, give our offerings, or live righteous to get a reward from
God. We should do all these things, because we love God, and want to
please Him.

     Job 35:9 "By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make
[the oppressed] to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the
mighty."

     Elihu proceeded to tell Job why God had not answered his prayers.
In all truth, no one but God knows why God does not answer a certain
prayer. The oppressors, who cause people to cry, are generally the
people who rule over the oppressed. Rulers must remember that someday
they will stand before the Ruler of the entire world, and give an
account. God will judge them as they judged others on the earth. Those
who oppressed others will be oppressed themselves.

     Job 35:10 "But none saith, Where [is] God my maker, who giveth
songs in the night;"

     The oppressed, many times did not know God, and did not call out
to Him for help. Some of them were from generations of those who had
been oppressed. They had never truly been happy.

     Job 35:11 "Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and
maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?"

     God made man in the image of God. Animals, fowls, and fish were
all made lower than man. Man has a soul and animals do not. Man was
made to rule over the beasts, not to be taught by them.

     Job 35:12 "There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the
pride of evil men."

     This was a sharp criticism of Job. Elihu said Job was not
answered by God, because he asks from a heart filled with pride. We
learned very early in this book of lessons, that Job was truly an
humble man. All of the accusations of Elihu were false.

     Job 35:13 "Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the
Almighty regard it."

     This was a true statement, but Job was not guilty of doing this.
God listens to, and answers the prayers of the humble.

     Job 35:14 "Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, [yet]
judgment [is] before him; therefore trust thou in him."

     This was very good advice, if you were not suffering as Job had
suffered. Sometimes in great distress, we all feel that God is far
away. It does not mean that we have any less faith in His ability to
answer our prayers. He is the Judge of all the world. Trust in God is
one step beyond faith. It is when we know that God is working
everything out to our benefit, and we rest in that fact. I believe Job
had come to that point. He had moments of weakness, but never stopped
trusting in God.

     Job 35:15 "But now, because [it is] not [so], he hath visited in
his anger; yet he knoweth [it] not in great extremity:"

     Elihu still believed that the anger of God brought this trouble
to Job. Elihu was even saying that God had gone easy on Job. Elihu
would not have felt that way, if he had the same problems.

     Job 35:16 "Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he
multiplieth words without knowledge."

     This judgement, as all the others that Elihu had made, was in
error. Elihu was in a sense, saying that God had turned His back on
Job. He said Job spoke without knowledge, and God would not hear him.
He could speak mountains of words, and God would still not hear. Elihu
had made a terrible mistake, in saying all of this.


























                           Job 34 Questions


1.  What did Elihu accuse Job of saying in verse 2?
2.  Had Job said that?
3.  In verse 3, what did Elihu say Job had said?
4.  What had he really said?
5.  Who had Job's attack come from?
6.  Who did he believe it came from?
7.  In verse 4, who was Elihu trying to prove wrong along with Job?
8.  What did Elihu tell them to look to heaven to see?
9.  What was Elihu insinuating?
10. The Creator is greater than His _________.
11. How is the only way man hurts God?
12. What is the only thing we can do for God directly?
13. Quote Matthew chapter 25 verse 40.
14. What was Elihu actually saying in verse 8?
15. We should never go to church, give our offerings, or live
    righteous to _____ a _______ from God.
16. Why should we do all of these things?
17. Why did the oppressed not call on God?
18. God made _____ in the image of God.
19. How do men and animals differ?
20. Elihu was calling Job a __________ man.
21. Verse 13 was a ________ statement.
22. Sometimes in __________ distress, we all feel that God is far
    away.
23. _______ in God is one step beyond faith?
24. Why did Elihu say that God would not hear Job?
25. What had Elihu done in saying all of this to Job?