Topical Bible: Heathen: Elihu

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Topical Encyclopedia

Elihu is a significant yet often overlooked figure in the Book of Job, a poetic and philosophical text in the Old Testament. His role and speeches are found in Job 32-37. Elihu, the son of Barakel the Buzite, is introduced as a young man who has been listening to the discourse between Job and his three friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Unlike the three friends, Elihu is not mentioned at the beginning of the book, nor is he included in the final epilogue, which has led to various interpretations of his role and significance.

Background and Identity

Elihu's lineage is noted as being from the family of Ram, and he is identified as a Buzite, which may suggest a connection to the region of Buz, mentioned in Jeremiah 25:23. This connection places him within the broader context of the ancient Near Eastern world, often referred to as "heathen" lands by the Israelites. Despite this, Elihu's speeches reveal a deep understanding of the God of Israel, indicating that he is not a heathen in the spiritual sense but rather a devout follower of Yahweh.

Role in the Book of Job

Elihu's speeches serve as a pivotal transition between the dialogues of Job and his friends and the divine speeches from the whirlwind. He is introduced with a sense of youthful zeal and righteous indignation, as he is "burning with anger" (Job 32:2) against Job for justifying himself rather than God, and against the three friends for failing to provide a satisfactory answer to Job's suffering.

Elihu's contribution to the discourse is marked by several key themes:

1. God's Justice and Sovereignty: Elihu emphasizes the justice and sovereignty of God, arguing that God is beyond human understanding and that His ways are always just. He challenges Job's questioning of God's justice, asserting that God is "mighty in strength of understanding" (Job 36:5).

2. The Purpose of Suffering: Elihu introduces the idea that suffering can be a form of divine discipline, intended to instruct and refine rather than simply punish. He suggests that God uses suffering to "open their ears to instruction" (Job 36:10) and to turn people away from wrongdoing.

3. God's Communication: Elihu highlights the various ways God communicates with humanity, including through dreams, visions, and suffering. He insists that God speaks in ways that may not always be immediately apparent to humans.

4. The Majesty of God: Elihu's speeches culminate in a poetic description of God's majesty and power, particularly through natural phenomena like storms and lightning. He prepares the way for God's own speeches by reminding Job of the Creator's incomprehensible greatness.

Theological Implications

Elihu's speeches are unique in that they are not directly rebuked by God, unlike the speeches of Job's three friends. This has led some scholars to view Elihu as a prophetic figure who provides a more accurate theological perspective on Job's suffering. His emphasis on God's transcendence and the educative purpose of suffering aligns with the broader biblical narrative of God's redemptive work through trials.

Elihu's presence in the text serves as a reminder of the complexity of divine-human interaction and the limitations of human wisdom. His speeches challenge readers to consider the multifaceted nature of God's justice and the mystery of His ways, encouraging a posture of humility and reverence before the Almighty.

Nave's Topical Index

Job 32:1
So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
Nave's Topical Index

Library

Call to China and Voyage Hence
... Elihu Doty, one of the pioneers of the Amoy Mission. ... "My reason for desiring the
missionary work is a desire for the salvation of the heathen. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/ii call to china and.htm

The Sinner's Excuses Answered
... Elihu purposed to speak in God's behalf and ascribed righteousness to his Maker. ...
In this sense of coming, untaught heathen are not required to come. ...
/.../finney/sermons on gospel themes/vi the sinners excuses answered.htm

Church Union.
... Men like Elihu Doty and John Van Nest Talmage and Carstairs Douglas, were not likely
to come to ... But our great work is to gather converts from the heathen. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/viii church union.htm

The Old Testament Canon from Its Beginning to Its Close.
... theocratic details, and setting forth the relation of Israel to heathen nations
and ... The book of Job was written, with the exception of Elihu's later discourses ...
/.../davidson/the canon of the bible/chapter ii the old testament.htm

The Poetical Books (Including Also Ecclesiastes and Canticles).
... The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to naught; He maketh the devices of ...
Elihu, a young man who has hitherto been a silent witness of the controversy ...
/.../barrows/companion to the bible/chapter xxi the poetical books.htm

Light and Shade.
... He felt that in laboring for the heathen he was engaged in a work of the ... men, just
the men needed for the work,-David Abeel, William J. Pohlman and Elihu Doty. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/iv light and shade.htm

John 7:37-38. "Let any Man Come. "
... It is a great saying of Elihu, in the book of Job, " God looketh upon men ... in the
wilderness (Num.21:5). But turn to the pages of a heathen philosopher like the ...
/.../chapter vii john 7 37-38 let.htm

In Memoriam.
... Elihu Doty, of Amoy ... But there was a mental grasp, a force and a fire which often
induced the remark that he was too good to be sent to the heathen, there being ...
//christianbookshelf.org/fagg/forty years in south china/xii in memoriam.htm

An Exhortation to Peace and Unity
... his spirit have been grieved at a sentence which occurs: 'Would a heathen god refuse ...
of the truth; this would make us go to God, and say with Elihu, That which ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/an exhortation to peace and.htm

The General Conference of 1836
... D. Cahoon, Schuyler Chamberlain, Samuel Kelly, Samuel Norris, Jared Perkins, Elihu
Scott, Elisha ... to face, as the servants of Him who claims the heathen for his ...
/.../chapter 13 the general conference.htm