Job 32:2-3 (KJV)
Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Elihu is an interesting character in the book of Job. His introduction makes me cautious. Three times we are told that his wrath was kindled. Wrath is not generally the best spirit from which to offer counsel. Still, I do not think we should dismiss Elihu as merely another of Job’s misguided counselors.
Job repeatedly answered Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. He never answers Elihu. When Elihu finishes, the LORD answers Job out of the whirlwind. At the end of the book, God specifically rebukes the three friends and requires Job to pray for them. Elihu is not included.
That does not prove every word Elihu spoke was right, but neither should we accuse him of errors the Bible does not identify.
There is another distinction that makes considerable sense to me.
The three friends were trying to explain why Job’s suffering began. Elihu is much more concerned with how Job responded after it began.
The three friends reasoned backward from Job’s suffering. Job was suffering; God judges wickedness; therefore, Job must have committed some terrible sin. They could not prove their accusations, but they condemned him anyway. Elihu was angry with them for precisely that reason: “they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.”
Elihu’s concern with Job was different. His wrath was kindled “because he justified himself rather than God.”
That leads me to something important.
When life happens—and it does to all of us—it is more important how we respond than why it is happening.
We spend a great deal of energy trying to answer why. Why did God allow this? Why now? Why me? Why did He not prevent it?
Job never learned what we learn in chapters one and two. The book records no explanation given to him. When God finally spoke, He did not explain why Job’s suffering began. He addressed Job’s response.
There will be things that happen in our lives for which we may never receive an explanation. The greater concern is what those circumstances draw out of us.
Do they cause us to question God’s goodness, wisdom, or justice? Or do we continue to trust Him when we cannot explain what He is doing?
As we listen to Elihu through the next several chapters, I want to hear him out. I will not assume he is wrong because he spoke in wrath or place him alongside the three friends when God did not.
I want to listen carefully, compare his words with what God says afterward, and let Scripture form my judgment.
#WhenLifeHappens #TrustGodAnyway #HowWeRespond #LessonsFromJob #DailyVisitWithGod
Trusting God Without Answers: A Different Perspective on Suffering
When life happens, do you spend more time asking God why or considering how you should respond?
Job 32:2–3 challenges us to examine our response to suffering rather than demanding an explanation for it.
Share your thoughts in the comments: What has the book of Job taught you about trusting God through difficult circumstances?
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