ELIHU’S appeal to Job draws to a close. “Hearken unto this, O Job,” he says; “stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.” Did Job know when God did all these wonders? “Dust thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of Him which is perfect in knowledge?” “Teach us what we shall say unto Him,” he says to Job; “for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness.” Even now, we ourselves but “know in part"; “now we see through a glass darkly” (1 Cor. 13:9, 119For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. (1 Corinthians 13:9)
11When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. (1 Corinthians 13:11).). “Touching the Almighty, we cannot find Him out,” says Elihu, which is true for it is only by revelation that man is able to understand God in His ways. “He is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: He will not afflict. Men do therefore fear Him: He respecteth not any that are wise of heart,"—that is naturally. In the cross we see the end of man’s wisdom; “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent... hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” 1 Cor. 1:19, 2019For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. 20Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? (1 Corinthians 1:19‑20).
Elihu ends here. He has answered to Job’s desire for a daysman, the messenger of God, one in a thousand, to show unto man his real place before God, which is the place of humility and self-judgment. It is remarkable to find such a one taught of God, as Elihu was, in that day when all around man was giving up the knowledge of God, as we learn from Romans 1. Elihu did not have the written Word out of which he could read that which God has caused to be written for our learning. Yet even now there are many professing the name of Christ who have the Bible in their hands, but who do not understand the ways of God and of how He is working things out for our eternal welfare.
It is instructive to notice that all through the speech of Elihu Job remained silent. It seems he had a sense’ that unlike the speeches of his three friends, Elihu’s ministry was from God Himself; it entered his heart and conscience, subduing the strivings of the flesh in him. And well it is for us when we discern the voice of the Spirit of God speaking to us through another, and bow to it, no matter who the vessel might be that He is pleased to use. Job might not yet be humbled, he may not as yet have confessed himself to be vile, yet under Elihu there was a work going on in his soul, a work of God, a work of grace, which was designed to bring Job into such happiness of soul as he had never known before. And all this was not merely for Job’s blessing, but for the instruction and profit of God’s people through all ages. For how prone we are to forget that “God truth the righteous.” “He withdraweth not His eyes from them.” We are in His hands and under His eye continually. We are the objects of His deep, tender, and un changing loves but we are also the subjects of His wise moral government. Clouds may darken our pathway but to use the language of the poet, “God rides upon the storm,” and “Behind a frowning providence, He hides a smiling face,” May we remember the word of the Apostle, “Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Phil. 1:66Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ: (Philippians 1:6)
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