By: Obed Pineda
“The heart of the righteous studies how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil” (Proverbs 15:28)
There he was sitting in silence, listening very carefully to the ongoing debate between four aged men held in high regard by their community. The highly charged topic of dispute between the four old friends was whether or not sin was the root cause for all of the calamity that had befallen one of them. Three of them, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite, insist that a transgression against God had been committed, and thus all the terrible events that transpired had ensued as retributive punishment from heaven. Hence, they vehemently persisted in their attempts to convince their friend to repent of his wickedness so that God’s wrath may be appeased, although not a single sin has been specifically identified as the source of his woes by any of them in their accusations (cf. Job 4-5, 8, 11, 15, 18, 20, 22, & 25). The accused, Job from the land of Uz, strongly disagrees with his three companions arguing that he has been a man of integrity, upright before God, and is outraged that he has to defend his honor from these friends whom he supposed had arrived to comfort and strengthen him during his duress (cf. Job 13:4, 16:1-2, 21:27-34). Job was disheartened to uncover that “I am one mocked by his friends, who called on God, and He answered him, the just and blameless who is ridiculed” (Job 12:4). The unnamed, inspired penman does not say how long the heated exchange between the four men lasted, nor the exact moment that Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite sat in on their debate, but it does verify that the entire time he was present, the younger Elihu “paid close attention to” every word these four seniors had spoken (Job 32:12a). Once more, it is not disclosed by the Holy Spirit how much of the conversation the younger Elihu was able to hear, but evidently it was enough for him to have an intense reaction to the final outcome of the conversation (cf. Job 32:2, 3, and 5). It is important to comprehend that Elihu’s wrath was kindled equally toward all four men, albeit for distinct reasons. It is also crucial not to make the mistake of thinking that Elihu’s reaction was from disappointment that Job and his three accusers ended their dialogue in an impasse, thus depicting him as a spectator whose sole purpose was to watch four aged men argue with each other for amusement. Rather, let us pay careful attention that Scripture declares that he responded vigorously toward Job “because he justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job” (Job 32:2-3). Elihu sagely, justly, and correctly surmised the outcome of their dispute because he practiced temperance and humility by accepting that “because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job” (Job 32:4). Heaven’s spotlight reveals in Elihu’s example the value of showing respect for one’s elders by listening intently to what they have to say (cf. Leviticus 19:32). This does not mean that Elihu began to disrespect these elderly men the moment he chose to correct them, but instead it provides insight and direction as to how the younger person should proceed in doing so. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, instructed the young Timothy, “Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity” (1st Timothy 5:1-2). It must be noted that the inspired Paul is not prohibiting Timothy from correcting an older man or woman, but he is teaching him about the proper demeanor and approach he must ensure to have when it becomes necessary to address their error. The apostle warned his young apprentice that he is to avoid “striking or beating upon” the gray haired with his words (Thayer, G1969), reminding him that “a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will” (2nd Timothy 2:24-26). This was exactly what Elihu practiced when he chose to address the errors he perceived from his four elders (cf. Job 32:10-14). Elihu displays great respect for all four men as he first establishes the purpose for his silence up to the moment he chose to open his mouth (cf. Job 32:6-7). He continues to honor the gray haired by choosing his words very carefully, and by approaching them with meekness and humility, disallowing his roused wrath to take control of his reason (cf. Proverbs 14:29, James 1:19-20). It is evident from Holy Scripture that it was not Elihu’s intention to humiliate any of these four men by taking advantage of the opportunity to make himself look superior in wisdom in comparison to their folly. Elihu’s need to speak up was first to indicate to Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar that “surely not one of you convinced Job, or answered his words” (Job 32:12b). He then turns to Job and repeats Job’s self-defense of being upright before God and among his peers back to him, to which Elihu humbly responds, “Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words” (Job 32:8-13). The younger member of the group was wise and righteous in his discourse with all four men, exhibiting a godly spirit not seen in Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Elihu was sure not to repeat their mistake of answering Job’s matter without having all of the proper information that would help explain the why of his situation (cf. Proverbs 18:13, 19:11). Instead he avoided speaking about why Job was being afflicted, and focused on Job’s self-righteous attitude and his three friend’s unfounded accusations. There is little doubt that Elihu was in the right when it is observed that Jehovah God speaks to Job immediately after he is finished speaking (cf. Job 38-41). Furthermore, he is not reproved by the LORD when He is done speaking to Job, for it is written, “the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, ‘My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has’” (Job 42:7-8). Therefore, it is valuable to realize that the purpose for Holy Writ providing Elihu’s example is to dissipate the notion that a long life guarantees heavenly wisdom, and that it would be incorrect or improper to accept direction from a young person due to their short life (cf. 1st Timothy 4:12, Titus 2:15). Elihu explains it best as he espoused to his elders, “there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. Great men are not always wise, nor do the aged always understand justice” (Job 32:8-9). Elihu wisely concluded that it is godly fear that leads to heavenly wisdom, and not necessarily a person’s life experience (cf. Proverbs 1:7, 2:5, 9:5, James 3:13-18).