User blog:SouthWriter/Our Gracious God

Elihu Speaks:

Part 1, Job 32 -- 34

Sometimes a young man just can't keep quiet. However, young Elihu, likely a cousin to Abraham, had done well sitting back while Job's friends "tried his patience." Job's patience was wearing thin and he and his friends had all fallen silent.

And so, the young "seminary student" (as a friend of mine calls him), breaks the silence. He is quite polite about it, for it seems that respect for elders goes waaaay back! These six chapters provide quite an education into the sovereignty of God.

Though Job had spoken a bit about God's creative might, he had not dwelt too much on the nature of God Himself. He lamented about why God would seem to be acting contrary to what is expected of Him. His friends thoght they knew all about how God worked among men, but proved utterly clueless when it was obvious they were wrong.

Elihu's father Barachel, whose own name means "God blesses," continued his family's tradition naming his son. Elihu means "He is my God." It might be significant that the family are "Buzites," which means "contemptable." Were they aware of the grace of God towards sinners because of a history among the dispised "black sheep" of Terah's clan?

Whatever the case, Elihu had a good grasp of the sovereign grace of God. He speaks quite freely of the Spirit of God working among those who will listen for His voice. He goes on to speak eloquently of the mercy of God who calls men to repentance:

23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: 24 Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. 25 His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth: 26 He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness. 27 He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; 28 He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.

The Word of God, even by way of a young ministerial student (for example), is much more eloquent than any paraphrase I could provide. However, perhaps God has given me enough wisdom in the 50 some odd years I have been a Christian to mine a jewel or to from these verses.

First, the word "messenger" in this case may very well be a heavenly one, that is, an angel. He is a rare occurence among men, opening up the mysteries of heaven that no mortal man can hope to understand. It is this "Angel of the LORD" that is the Word made understandable. We know what God the Father is like because Jesus is the exact expression of Him. We have no hope in our own righteousness, but he is our Righteousness. We are delivered from Hell because He has paid our ransom! While once we were headed toward the darkness of Hell, now we are walking in the Light !

How great is the Glorious Grace of Jesus!

--SouthWriter (talk) 05:25, January 13, 2016 (UTC)