God Cannot Continue to Bless a Hypocritical Nation

Continuing a Bible study in Job:

(Job 34:1) Furthermore Elihu answered and said, (2) "Hear my words, O you wise men; and give ear to me, you who have knowledge. (3) For the ear tests words, as the mouth tastes meat. (4) Let us choose to us judgment; let us know among ourselves what is good."

The "ear" in verse 3 is not the same original word as "ear" in verse 2. It denotes a broader sense; Elihu wants them to test the words, roll them over in their minds, and really grasp and understand them. One of the definitions put forth in The Brown-Driver-Briggs' Hebrew Definitions is "to uncover the ear to reveal; the receiver of divine revelation". Elihu believes he is speaking from divine revelation from God and he wants the men to receive what the Holy Spirit is speaking. He encourages the men to examine and explore what is true and right.

(5) "For Job has said, 'I am righteous, and God has taken away my judgment; (6) Should I lie against my right? My wound is incurable without transgression.'"

Taking away his judgment means that he feels God denied him a fair hearing. Lying against his right would be for Job to say he is wicked and deserved his affliction, even though he knew himself to be innocent. He felt his afflictions were without cause, or at least were more than he deserved.

(7) "What man is like Job, who drinks up scorning like water, (8) Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, and walks with wicked men?"

Elihu asks what man is like Job, who indulges in scornful and reproachful speeches to God. Perhaps a foolish or wicked man would do such a thing, but to see Job, a pious man who followed God, behaving this way, is another matter.

(9) "For he has said, 'It profits a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.'"

Job never said this exactly, but he did imply it when he said that God can destroy the wicked and the righteous alike.

(10) "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding; far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to commit iniquity. (11) For the work of a man shall He render to him, and cause every man to find according to his ways. (12) Yes, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment."

Elihu states that it is impossible for God to do evil, sin, or pervert judgment, which he feels Job has insinuated. God will treat each man as he deserves. Elihu isn't necessarily accusing Job of doing wickedness resulting in his afflictions, but he is emphatically stating that to accuse God of perverting judgment is in error.

(13) "Who has given Him a charge over the earth? Or who has disposed the whole world?"

It's a rhetorical question, for no one has given God authority. HE IS the authority! He is the original authority and ruler over all. The word translated as "disposed" means more completely "to put, place, set, appoint, make". So who has made the whole world, appointed its place and time, and put everything into order? God, of course!

(14) "If He set his heart upon man, He will gather unto Himself his spirit and his breath; (15) All flesh will perish together, and man will return to dust."

The KJV translators assumed the second phrase after the comma should also begin with "if" and read "if He will gather unto Himself his spirit and his breath", but they did italicize the word telling us they added it to the original text. I think the meaning is right without the additional "if". If God sets His heart upon man, He will gather man's soul and spirit to Himself, and then man's flesh returns to dust.

(16) "If you now have understanding, hear this; listen to the sound of my words. (17) Will even he who hates right govern? And will you condemn Him who is most just?"

The sense is that it was impossible to believe that one who was unjust could govern the universe. Therefore God is just, and Elihu believes Job has condemned the most just Ruler of the universe.

(18) "Is it fit to say to a king, 'You are wicked?' And to princes, 'You are ungodly'? (19) How much less to Him who is not partial to princes, nor regards the rich more than the poor, for they all are the work of His hands."

Elihu's argument is that Job would never consider telling a king or prince he was wicked or ungodly, so how dare he condemn the one who made that king and that prince?
How true it is that we often indulge in language to God that we would never consider to an earthly authority!

(20) "In a moment will they die, and the people will be troubled at midnight, and pass away; and the mighty will be taken away without hand."

At a moment's notice, those kings and princes and the rich will die, and the people will be shaken. "At midnight" probably is meant to give an image of something happening suddenly and without awareness like a robber breaking in at midnight or a storm that hits in the middle of the night. Even the mighty will be taken away without a human hand. People can be removed from this earth without any help from any other person on earth. The NKJV says "the mighty will be taken away without 'a' hand", and the other newer translations pretty much agree that it means they can be taken away without a human hand. Albert Barnes points out that the original KJV says it all the way it was probably originally meant. The Almighty takes away the mighty men without "hand", but by His "Word", or His will.

(21) "For His eyes are on the ways of man, and He sees all his steps. (22) There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves."

The meaning is clear; no one can escape God's notice.

(23) "For He will not lay upon man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God."

The KJV translators added the phrase "than right". Even without that "help", I believe the gist is that God is just and doesn't lay so much on man that He should be called into question by man.

(24) "He will break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their place. (25) Therefore He knows their works; and He overturns them in the night, so that they are destroyed. (26) He strikes them as wicked men in the open sight of others, (27) Because they turned back from Him, and would not consider any of His ways, (28) So that they cause the cry of the poor to come to Him, and He hears the cry of the afflicted."

Again the meaning is clear; God knows the work of wicked men and He strikes them down.

(29) "When He gives quietness, who then can make trouble? And when He hides His face, who then can behold Him, whether it be done against a nation, or against a man only? (30) That the hypocrite not reign, lest the people be ensnared."

God is the sovereign ruler. Not only does He cause destruction, but He causes peace that no man can interrupt. He can turn away from a single person or an entire nation. Wow! I think there is a more powerful meaning to verse 30 than might appear at first glance. Okay, so obviously God wouldn't want a hypocrite to reign. He wants true followers. The people can indeed be ensnared by a hypocritical ruler. But there's more. If God were to bless the hypocritical ruler and therefore the people and the nation, they could be ensnared by believing that they were doing good. This scripture so speaks to me about the situation in our country today! Our country has actually come to believe that it's okay to kill innocent babies by the millions! After all, abortion is lawful and a RIGHT, according to liberals. Laws tell us it's okay and normal for homosexuals to marry. These laws do indeed ensnare the people and cause them to sin. If God were to continue to bless our country after so much wickedness, He wouldn't be God!

2 Peter 2:6 says, "And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly." Sodom and Gomorrah were to serve as an example, but this nation and even people who call themselves Christians, think we can just ignore God's word on this, and continue on our merry blessed way. Recall also the passage in Matthew 10, verses 14 and 15, "And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. Verily I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" Places that refuse to hear God's word are doomed to a fate worse than Sodom and Gomorrah! Then there's Paul's long passage in Romans 1 about the progressive behavior of those who reject God. I often marvel that we can be given so absolutely perfect an illustration and still not see. In a nutshell, people refuse to see God's creation as just that, GOD's creation. They don't glorify God, they aren't thankful, and become fools thinking they are wiser than the truth. They change the truth and glory of God to a man-made image, a lie, (as in New Age religions or those that say "we all worship the same god") and they worship God's creation more than Him. They dishonor their bodies and begin to lust for those of their same sex. Because they did not LIKE to retain God in their knowledge...and this point is worth emphasizing. They know better but they choose NOT to remember God, God turns them over to all sorts of their vile behaviors. The last scripture is a hugely important one for all the lukewarm Christians who try to say we shouldn't judge and should just let people live the way they want. Who cares if we stand up for the "right" of a woman to kill her child and for homosexual "marriage" by electing the very people who continue to enforce and force those evil laws on the people? After all, if we personally don't think it's right, who cares if other people do it? Who really cares if we pretend it's in the interest of a "greater good" to look past the atrocities of a leader and lift him up? Who really cares if we agree to elevate sinful behavior to rights because, after all, times have changed. Well, God cares: "Who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them." - Romans 1:32

(31) "Surely it is meet to be said unto God, 'I have borne chastisement; I will not offend any more; (32) Teach me what I do not see; if I have done iniquity, I will do no more.'"

It was difficult to find a proper (better) one-word translation of the word "meet" here, but it is part of a phrase the gist of which indicates a causal relationship, with what came before leading to the natural response of what comes next, sort of like "So therefore..." It should also be noted that the original KJV translators added the word "chastisement" to give a better understanding of the word they translated as "borne" (borne what?). However, I don't think it was necessary to add to the text as "nasah" (the word translated as "borne") can stand alone as it also means "endured", "suffered", or "been laden". Elihu seems to be suggesting to Job that he humble himself before the Lord, continue to endure, and pray for understanding so that he doesn't offend or do iniquity anymore.

(33) "Should it be according to your mind? He will recompense it, whether you refuse or whether you choose, and not I; therefore speak what you know."

Paraphrased, "Should things be as you say? Does God need to govern as you see fit? God will render reward or punishment whether you or I choose it or not. If you know better than this or can add anything in your defense, let's hear it."

(34) "Let men of understanding tell me, and let a wise man listen to me. (35) Job has spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom. (36) My desire is that Job may be tried to the end, because of his answers for wicked men. (37) For he adds rebellion to his sin; he claps his hands among us, and multiplies his words against God."

So Elihu says, that Job has spoken without wisdom and knowledge, that is. Interestingly, the word translated as "desire" is "abeh" and is only used once in all of the Bible. Some scholars believe it was meant to be "abba", and Elihu is asking the Father to allow Job to be thoroughly or fully tried or examined. Other scholars point out that "abba" is used nowhere else in Job, so which lone word do we accept? Perhaps it IS Elihu's desire that Job be thoroughly examined because of his views which he has expressed, which seem to favor the wicked. Indeed, Elihu implies that Job has indeed sinned to bring on his affliction, and now he has added rebellion against God to his original sin. "Claps his hands" may be taken different ways, but obviously is intended as derogatory by Elihu. Either Job claps his hands in impatience, perhaps even as a way to silence his opposition, or as a symbol of his prideful triumph; either way Elihu sees it as disrespectful to God.

For a large part, it seemed to me that Elihu may have been truly speaking by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but it does seem he went a little too far in his assessment of Job's general spirit and did ultimately accuse him of sinful behavior. Only God knows Job's heart. In Elihu's defense, he knows God is always just and can't stomach Job's apparent disrespect. But this seems to be a case of when man sometimes wants to take over. If Elihu were to only speak the words of the Holy Spirit and not start adding his own, his words would have been better accepted.