Commentary and reflection:
According to God’s own testimony, Job’s words are true.
Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you [g]considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and [h]shuns evil?” Job 1:8Job was respectful of young women, did not deceive his neighbor, was faithful to his wife, although he was rich, he did not put his trust in his riches, attended to strangers, was generous to the poor, was benevolent to his employees, he did not seek evil for his enemies, and was a good steward of the environment.
In his speech he states many truths,
In life you reap what you sow, the wicked sow their own misfortune, this is true.
God looks down from heaven at the works of men and takes them into account on the day of judgment, this is true.
Adultery is like a fire that consumes the house to destruction, this is true.
The rich and the poor, the humble and the powerful, we are all equal in the sight of God, this is true.
Whoever puts his trust in wealth denies God, this is true.
In all these truths, there is an important one missing: in this world the children of God suffer, too. The difference lies in His presence with them, in the limits He sets on the evil one, in His blessings, and in the hope of salvation.
About the suffering of the Son of God the inspired pen says,
“The blood of Christ is the eternal antidote for sin. The offensive character of sin is seen in what it cost the Son of God in humiliation, in suffering and death. All the worlds behold in Him a living testimony to the malignity of sin, for in His divine form He bears the marks of the curse. He is in the midst of the throne as a Lamb that hath been slain. The redeemed will ever be vividly impressed with the hateful character of sin, as they behold Him who died for their transgressions.” Signs of the Times, December 30, 1889, E. G. White
In Elihu’s attitude we see a natural human reflex, which (perhaps at different levels) we all have. The reflex is the need to rationally explain everything. He was able to control himself while his wiser friends talked to Job. When they finished, Elihu continued to maintain control while he listened to Job’s speech. Then, while waiting for his friends to respond to Job as he thought appropriate, he became indignant and lost control for their apparent inability to refute Job. Elihu was frustrated because his older and wiser friends couldn’t find an appropriate answer.
We can all learn a valuable lesson here. It is almost always wiser to listen than to speak. And it is always wiser to admit not having the answer, than to pretend to know everything.
Finally, empathy is the vehicle of divine wisdom when we speak with a grieving soul. The purest empathy is the one we receive from the Holy Spirit when we see our neighbor through the eyes of Christ. Not as candidates for baptism, not even as stars in our crowns, but as souls worthy of our love and compassion.
Who is God calling you to see from His perspective, and not from the perspective of your preconceived ideas?
May God grant you His blessing today.
Pastor Ronald Paulin
