wickedness” (35:15). Elihu was determined to declare God entirely just (34:10-12) and defend
Him (36:2) while twisting Job’s words. In sum, Elihu did sort through and augment the growing legal tangle, but his additions were not helpful.
Cajoler
Elihu was also bent on getting Job to reconsider and he explored new territory in the process.
Early in his first speech, he shifted gears temporarily away from Job’s presumed declarations of innocence. Instead, acknowledging the great gulf between God as Judge and Job, he posed the question – when humans absolutely need to hear from God, how does God speak? In Elihu’s presentation, God uses multiple media.
Elihu drew on the same numinous terrors to which Eliphaz had appealed as grounds for the
credibility …show more content…
From a literary perspective, Elihu’s speeches brought some sense of closure to the human arguments, even though his thought trajectory suffered from the same kinds of lapses as the others. What is significant, however, is the perfect segue that his final oration provided to the appearance of God. Because it had proven futile to cajole Job, Elihu returned to the sovereign power and transcendence of God. From God’s initial acts of drawing together drops of water, forming clouds and providing showers (36:27-28), Elihu reveled in the majestic displays of thunder and lightning at God’s command. “He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice” (37:3-4).
Get Ready
“Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. Do you know how…?” (37:14-18). Elihu’s series of questions is a tiny foretaste of what Job was about to experience from The Divine
Inquisitor. In the meantime, Elihu affirmed God’s radiance (37:21-22), His exaltation, and His perfect righteousness in dealing with humankind (37:23), and closed with the basic recipe of wisdom – the fear of the Lord
Him (36:2) while twisting Job’s words. In sum, Elihu did sort through and augment the growing legal tangle, but his additions were not helpful.
Cajoler
Elihu was also bent on getting Job to reconsider and he explored new territory in the process.
Early in his first speech, he shifted gears temporarily away from Job’s presumed declarations of innocence. Instead, acknowledging the great gulf between God as Judge and Job, he posed the question – when humans absolutely need to hear from God, how does God speak? In Elihu’s presentation, God uses multiple media.
Elihu drew on the same numinous terrors to which Eliphaz had appealed as grounds for the
credibility …show more content…
From a literary perspective, Elihu’s speeches brought some sense of closure to the human arguments, even though his thought trajectory suffered from the same kinds of lapses as the others. What is significant, however, is the perfect segue that his final oration provided to the appearance of God. Because it had proven futile to cajole Job, Elihu returned to the sovereign power and transcendence of God. From God’s initial acts of drawing together drops of water, forming clouds and providing showers (36:27-28), Elihu reveled in the majestic displays of thunder and lightning at God’s command. “He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth. After that comes the sound of his roar; he thunders with his majestic voice” (37:3-4).
Get Ready
“Listen to this, Job; stop and consider God’s wonders. Do you know how…?” (37:14-18). Elihu’s series of questions is a tiny foretaste of what Job was about to experience from The Divine
Inquisitor. In the meantime, Elihu affirmed God’s radiance (37:21-22), His exaltation, and His perfect righteousness in dealing with humankind (37:23), and closed with the basic recipe of wisdom – the fear of the Lord