You go to the mail box, open it up and inside is a nice white envelope. You know by the name printed out the outside of the envelope that it is a bill of some sort. Maybe it’s from a Doctor’s office, a credit card company, the bank… whatever. What’s the question in your head? “What is this thing for?”
Red and blue lights flashing behind you; a uniformed officer matter-of-factly walks up to your car window. Say it with me, “What did you stop me for?”
We all want full and complete knowledge of any given situation. Maybe we did deserve the bill in the mail. Maybe the officer just stopped you because your license plate had been removed. We just want to know the deal.
In the 31st chapter of this book Job ends his time talking by laying out the facts, as he sees them, and asking God, “What’s the deal?” “What are my charges?” Job looks over every aspect of his life and examines it. He asked if he is a fornicator, a liar, a wicked employer, an oppressor of the poor, apathetic, greedy… the list goes on.
Job is so much like you and me. We are more than willing to trust God; we just want all the details and then some.
This final diatribe of Job’s elicits a response from a younger man; who has until now remained silent. Elihu the son of Barachel is angry. He is angry at Job because of Job’s claim to be righteous when his circumstances obviously say he is not. (Insert sarcasm.) He is angry and Job’s friends because they seem to have lost the debate. Most of what Elihu has to say in chapter 32 is all about how he just has to speak. He claims that he has held his tongue long enough. We will hear more from Elihu in the next coming weeks as it takes another 5 chapters for this brash young man to say what is on his mind.
Job knew whose judgment mattered and whose did not. I have found the more that I willing let myself be examined by God’s Holy Spirit the less I care if anyone wants to examine me. “Search my heart O God and see if there be any wicked way in me.”
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