Job 35

It is often rightly advised that those who comfort people who have suffered greatly should speak less and listen more. What may not be as readily appreciated is that this is also sound advice for the one who is grieving, though not right away. It is true that people need some time to honestly tell their story and to cry out to God. In the first few weeks after loss some people imagine that they are doing very well, and can give great testimony to God in those opening days of grief, but they have probably not even begun to feel the heaven burden of what has happened to them. After the spiritual anesthesia wears off, they may be shocked by the physical heartache and the overwhelming emotional distress and confusion that attack them. Of course they may say all kinds of things at that time, and that is much better than trying to continue to pretend that they are doing well. But eventually the time may come when even they are tired of their own story. They may then come to see that not all of their words to God and to others were true, right, and good.

God can certainly take any abuse we may give Him. He can take our statements that go over the edge, but we need to come to our own conclusion that error and excess do not do us any good. They can not restore what we have lost. They do not help us to embrace the new life that is ahead of us. They will not heal the wounds of our souls. Job has said some things that might have gone too far. The Lord is using His servant Elihu to redirect Job away from this loss, and toward the greatness of God. Does Job really believe that he would have been better off if he had sinned? I doubt it. But I do not doubt that the thought that his righteous life was useless may have occurred to him. God knows our thoughts.

Of course it is never wise to pursue sin. But Elihu answers these errors of the heart not by pointing to their obvious folly directly, but by telling Job and the rest of us who would read these words to look at the heavens and to consider the glory of God. We cannot win a fight against the One who loves His beloved people. We will never stain the righteousness of God. This is good to consider. Am I angry with the events that have transpired in my life? Am I perplexed by the actions of the Almighty? Yes, but do I understand that I will never take anything away from the One who created the heavens and the earth. His greatness is beyond my reach. His love is beyond my foolish thoughts. I only hurt myself by dwelling on things that are not true. Praise God, I cannot hurt Him. It is probably time to say less.

Have you ever considered the idea that if God has turned His face away from your cries for a season, that may have been more for your own good than because of God's anger at you? Could it be that God does not want to pay attention to your foolishness, like a father who will not listen to the angry, silly insults that his young son is hurling at him. Job has surely not said everything that he has thought, but now a prophet of God is here, and God is able to reveal things that are hidden, so that the hearer is finally forced to admit that the secrets of his heart have been laid bare, and thus fall down, and worship.

Now it is time for holy redirection toward God, His attributes, His ways, and His many gifts. It is a great mystery how the Holy Spirit will finally enable a person to happily and willingly hear what otherwise might have been rejected as insensitive and offensive. Now the heart that was so bruised remembers that God does give songs in the night, and a hurting soul is helped. “God teaches me. If He seemed to turned away for a moment, maybe that was the best thing. He will visit me again.”

“Lord, I was foolish when I challenged you the other day. What was I thinking of? This man is right in what he is saying. Thank you for being patient with me. You have not come against me in anger despite my words. I am sorry that I had some empty talk in my mouth, and that I kept on speaking about things that I could not possibly understand.”

The time has come for Job to say less. He will not even open His mouth until the prophetic figure Elihu somehow gives way to the immediate presence of God. Job will only speak then when God insists that he respond. When he does finally talk, his heart will be humble.

Jesus taught for three years. He said of His ministry, “I was sent for this purpose.” Not only did he teach publicly and send out his disciples to do the same, He especially revealed the secrets of the kingdom in His private teaching of His disciples. He had much to say, and all of it was without sin. If we were able to examine even his innermost thoughts during times of deepest trouble and even distress, we could still never accuse Him of any sin. Yet even for our Lord, the time for talking eventually came to an end. There was no need to respond to the charges of enemies who hated Him. He spoke the loudest simply through His willing death for us. Here was a powerful Word that was fully acceptable to the Father. We must eventually stop speaking about our sorrows, and start looking to the Man of Sorrows as the Source of all the healing we could ever ask for or even imagine.