Job 34 - Introduction

TODAY'S ENGLISH VERSION

Elihu

1-2 You men are so wise, so smart;

listen now to what I am saying.

3 You can tell good food when you taste it;

why can-'t you tell wise words when you hear them?

4 It is up to us to decide the case.
5 Job claims that he is innocent,

and that God refuses to give him justice.

6 He asks, How could I lie and say I am wrong?

I am fatally wounded, but I am sinless.

7 Have you ever seen anyone like this man Job?

He never shows respect for God.

8 He likes the company of evil men

and goes around with sinners.

9 He says that it never does any good

to try to follow God's will.

10 You men understand. Listen to me.

Will Almighty God do what is wrong?

11 He rewards people for what they do

and treats them the way they deserve.

12 Almighty God does not do evil;

he is never unjust to anyone.

13 Did God get his power from someone else?

Did someone put him in charge of the world?

14 If God took back the breath of life,
15 then everyone living would die

and turn into dust again.

16 Now listen to me, if you are wise.
17 Do you think the Almighty hates justice?

Are you condemning the righteous God?

18 God condemns kings and rulers,

when they are worthless or wicked.

19 God created everyone;

he does not take the side of rulers,
or favor the rich over the poor.

20 A man may die suddenly at night.

God strikes men down and they perish;
he kills the mighty with no effort at all.

21 He watches every step men take.
22 There is no darkness dark enough

to hide a sinner from God.

23 God does not need to set a time

for men to go and be judged by him.

24 He does not need an investigation

to remove leaders and replace them with others.

25 Because he knows what they do,

he overthrows them and crushes them by night.

26 He punishes sinners where all can see it,
27 because they have stopped following him

and ignored all his commands.

28 They forced the poor to cry out to God,

and he heard their calls for help.

29 If God decided to do nothing at all,

no one could criticize him.

If he hid his face, men would be helpless.

30 There would be nothing that nations could do

to keep oppressors from ruling them.

31 Job, have you confessed your sins to God,

and promised not to sin again?

32 Have you asked God to show you your faults,

and have you agreed to stop doing evil?

33 Since you object to what God does,

can you expect him to do what you want?

It is your decision, not mine;

tell us now what you think.

34 Any sensible person will surely agree;

any wise man who hears me will say

35 that Job is speaking from ignorance,

and that nothing he says makes sense.

36 Think through everything that Job says;

you will see that he talks like an evil man.

37 He refuses to stop sinning;

in front of us all he mocks and insults God.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 34:1-37

703.

Elihu believes he is defending God. How so?

704.

Give the fourfold outline of his discourse.

705.

To whom does he address his wordssurely not to the three friends?

706.

What more is involved in hearing than mere listening? Cf. Job 34:3.

707.

What is theodicy? Discuss. Cf. Job 34:4.

708.

Somebody seems to be a liar. Who is it? Discuss. Does Elihu fairly represent Job's complaint?

709.

Job is represented as a monumental scoffer. Explain how. Cf. Job 34:7.

710.

According to Elihu, Job fulfills Psalm one. In what way?

711.

Is piety for profit? How does this question relate to America?

712.

Who has accused God of wickedness? Discuss the point of verse ten.

713.

The question is not why does God not prevent injustice?. What is the basic question? Discuss.

714.

Elihu repeats himself in Job 34:12. What is repeated?

715.

Is power itself moral? How is God related to the injustice in the world? Discuss. Cf. Job 34:13.

716.

We can never gain an adequate perspective on evil until we know something. What is it? Discuss.

717.

There is the dilemma of victims and victors in the face of injustice. Explain.

718.

Elihu has given a bold assertion, not a balanced argument. How so?

719.

Discuss the thesis of natural leadership.

720.

It is fallacy to suggest that we are all created equal. Discuss. Cf. Job 34:19.

721.

What is emphasized in Job 34:20?

722.

Job is both right and wrong about God as revealed in Job 34:21. Explain.

723.

God does not need to go to court. Why not?

724.

Was there a need for the inquiry before God requested by Job?

725.

Do we have any examples of the truthfulness of Job 34:25-26? Discuss. Cf. Job 34:27.

726.

How can we correlate the cries of the oppressed with the response of God? Discuss.

727.

Job's fundamental question does not relate to the wicked, but to the innocent. Discuss.

728.

Explain the problem and the solution in the word together in Job 34:29.

729.

God does not always remove an unrighteous ruler. Explain Job 34:30.

730.

The meaning of Job 34:31 is not clear. What is its meaning?

731.

Elihu is putting words in Job's mouth. Are they the right words?

732.

If we do not like the way God runs the cosmos, what can we do?