How does Elihu's speech in Job 35:1 challenge our understanding of righteousness? Setting the Scene • Job’s friends have fallen silent; Job has insisted on his integrity. • Elihu, younger and burning with zeal for God’s honor, picks up the conversation. • Job 35:1 launches his fourth address: “Then Elihu continued, and said:” • Though the verse is only an introduction, the speech it opens (vv. 2-16) confronts the very heart of how we measure righteousness. Elihu’s Core Challenge • vv. 2-3: “Do you think this is just when you say, ‘I am more righteous than God’? For you ask, ‘What does it profit me…?’” • Elihu claims that Job’s self-defense has slipped into self-promotion—bordering on claiming moral superiority over God. • By pressing Job, Elihu pushes every reader to examine hidden assumptions: – Righteousness judged on our terms can drift into rivalry with God. – Our sense of justice may question God’s ways, but Scripture insists He remains perfectly righteous (Deuteronomy 32:4). – True righteousness never negotiates with God for reward; it bows in trust and obedience. Human Righteousness Put in Perspective Elihu’s later sentences (vv. 5-8) sharpen three truths: 1. God’s transcendent independence • “Look to the heavens and see….” (v. 5). God is infinitely above human bargaining. 2. Our sin or virtue cannot diminish or enrich Him • “If you sin, how does that affect Him? … If you are righteous, what do you give Him?” (vv. 6-7). 3. Human actions do, however, affect other humans • “Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man.” (v. 8). Why This Upsets Comfortable Assumptions • It overturns the idea that God owes blessings in exchange for good behavior. • It dismantles self-centered religion that treats obedience as leverage. • It reminds us that righteousness is measured by God’s character, not human consensus. • It exposes the folly of comparing ourselves with others (2 Corinthians 10:12) rather than with God’s holiness. Scripture Echoes • Isaiah 64:6—our righteous acts are “a polluted garment.” • Romans 3:10—“There is no one righteous, not even one.” • Luke 18:9-14—the Pharisee vs. the tax collector; God justifies the humble, not the self-confident. • Psalm 14:2-3—God looks down and finds none who do good without His grace. Living the Lesson Today • Cultivate humility: confess any subtle assumption that our morality pressures God. • Celebrate grace: rest in Christ’s righteousness credited to those who believe (2 Corinthians 5:21). • Serve others: since righteousness benefits people around us (Job 35:8), let tangible love verify inward faith (James 2:14-17). • Keep God central: worship that focuses on His greatness guards us from self-righteousness. Conclusion Elihu’s brief opening in Job 35:1 introduces a speech that flips the spotlight from human virtue to God’s supremacy. It challenges every reader to quit score-keeping with heaven and instead embrace a righteousness defined, granted, and delighted in by God alone. |
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