So I knew there was a plot twist at the end of the book of Job.  But I was reading it this morning and realized that there’s another plot twist I’d never even known about.

Job is the oldest book in the Bible.  It’s about a kind, generous, blameless rich man who loses everything.  All in one day, he loses all of his livestock, he loses his children, and his house burnt down.  His wife tells him to curse God and die.  Oh, and he also gets these gnarly sores and scabs all over his body that he scrapes with pottery to try to ease the pain.

To make matters worse, Job’s “friends” think they’re so smart and try to figure out a reason for what happened.  So they blame Job.  And then they blame God.  All the while, Job sticks to his guns.  He never curses or blames God.  He tells the truth, not admitting to the sins of which they accuse him, because he never did them.

Job has four “friends:” Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu.  The first three are old guys who see themselves as Job’s counselors.  So they try to give him advice while maintaining their own reputation (and families and houses and health, for that matter).  Doesn’t work.

But Elihu is a young man who proves that God’s kingdom is really quite the opposite of the way our world works.  Job’s three “elders” have been bickering with him for the entire account of the book, and then Elihu emerges finally in chapter 32.  Elihu’s been listening silently all this time out of respect and humility, but he admits that his frustration has been building up like wine (v. 19).

As a social worker, there are a few helpful ways Elihu handles the situation that contrast with the ways the “elders” approach it:

  1. He spoke for the benefit of Job (33:1-3)
    rather than to justify himself     (32:2).
  2. He listened (32:4)
    rather than interrupting     (32:11).
  3. He accepted correction (32:7-8)
    rather than feeling like he always had to be right     (33:27).
  4. He acknowledged God for anything good in himself (33:4)
    rather than bragging     (33:7).
  5. He sincerely considered his opponents equal to himself (33:6)
    rather than trying to gain status with them     (33:7).
  6. He was concerned with Job’s well-being (37:14)
    rather than his own popularity or approval     (33:12).
  7. He met them where they were at (33: 12-14)
    rather than condescending.
  8. He spoke with a message of hope
    rather than condemnation     (33:23-26).
  9. He relied on the unlimited wisdom and understanding of the Holy Spirit (32:8)
    rather than the limited wisdom of humans     (32:7).
  10. He distinguished fact (33:14) from his advice (34:2-4),
    but he isn’t afraid to humbly but firmly proclaim them all passionately     (33:32-33)
    and to connect them logically     (36:26; 37:1-2).

I was fascinated with the way God spoke through Job’s friend Elihu.  The elders tried to love Job, but they couldn’t’ do it on their own.  Elihu could have easily burst out in anger, but he didn’t.  He submitted his emotions to the Lord, and then let His truth speak.  Elihu used truth and facts he knew about God through his revelation of Himself in Elihu’s life, whether from the Word, personal experience, logic, or nature.

We are all like Job in many ways.  My friend Wes said yesterday in his sermon that you’re either (a) in the midst of a struggle, (b) coming out of a struggle, or (c) headed into a struggle.  But sometimes we’re also the friend.  Now, you can either be a “friend,” or you can be a friend.  But if you wanna be the second one, you’ll need help from your heavenly Advocate.  Let’s seek God’s wisdom so we can be a help to those in our lives.