Job 35 - Introduction

TODAY'S ENGLISH VERSION

1-2 It is not right, Job, for you to say
that you are innocent in God's sight,

3 or to ask God, How does my sin affect you?

It has done me no good not to sin.

4 I am going to answer you and your friends too.
5 Look at the sky! See how high the clouds are!
6 If you sin, that does no harm to God.

If you do many wrongs, does that affect him?

7 Do you help God by being so righteous?

There is nothing God needs from you.

8 It is your fellow-men who suffer from your sins,

and the good you do helps them.

9 When men are oppressed they groan;

they cry for someone to save them.

10 But they don-'t turn to God, their Creator,

who gives them strength in their darkest hours.

11 They don-'t turn to God, who makes us wise,

wiser than any animal or bird.

12 They cry for help, but God doesn-'t answer,

because they are proud and evil men.

13 It is useless for them to cry out;

Almighty God does not see or hear them.

14 Job, you say you can-'t see God,

but wait patientlyyour case is before him.

15 You think that God does not punish,

that he pays no attention to sin.

16 It is useless for you to go on talking;

it is clear you don-'t know what you are saying.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION 35:1-16

733.

What assertion of Job is answered by Elihu in this chapter? Is this position of Elihu popular today?

734.

Job is supposed to have said that he was more righteous than God. What did he really say?

735.

Job never said he had not sinned. What did Job say about his sinning?

736.

How does Elihu show a consistent arrogance?

737.

How does Elihu interpret God's transcendence? How did Job interpret this quality of God?

738.

Job had already answered the argument of verse seven. Cf. Job 7:20. What was it?

739.

What is meant by saying, God's self-interest is not the basis of His decisions in distributing His justice?

740.

Elihu makes one quality of God's nature contradict another quality. Show how this is so.

741.

How do you answer Job's question: If God's rule is righteous, why the cry of the oppressed?

742.

God does give songs in the night. Cite three examples.

743.

God can and does instruct us above and better than the animals. How? Why?

744.

If one is not heard and answered by God, it is because of what? I. e., what is the problem?

745.

We must be pious or our cry will not be heardso says Elihu. Is he right? Discuss.

746.

Elihu feels Job has less chance with God than other men. Why?

747.

Explain in your own words Job 35:15.

748.

Someone has multiplied words without knowledge, but it was not Job. Who was so involved?