S) "13 Why do you complain against Him
That He does not give an account of all His doings?
14 Indeed God speaks once,
Or twice, yet no one notices it."
Job 33:13-14 (NASB)
O) This chapter has a lot, A LOT, of content and subjects that can be unpacked. First, this is the long-waited address by Elihu, who explained his hesitation and waiting in chapter 32. He was younger than the other men, and was shy because of the age and experience of the men gathered. So, in his address to Job, in chapter 33, we find a pretty good model for disarming and beginning a conversation that will be difficult to navigate (vv. 4-7, again in v.32). We also see the danger of man's wisdom presented, which contrasts the benefit of biblical counseling (touched on with vv. 1-3, 8, 12, and 33). That brings us to the passage above. Job was perplexed, genuinely confused about his struggle and why God seemed to be against him. He desired to know why, but was still bound by a commitment to humility and reverence. This left him in turmoil, not knowing how to proceed. The words of Elihu, here, are a true reminder of the character and desires of God's heart. He longs for relationship with His creations, such as He had in the Garden of Eden. He wants to communicate with His people. He wants to be heard, not simply to be obeyed. The difficulty Job's friends had, was borne from the fact that they did not actually have the answers. Their wisdom was, indeed, useless to Job's circumstances. What was necessary (and eventually came), was to get answers from God Himself. It was not that God owed Job an explanation, as if He had erred in His treatment of Job. But, the answers Job sought, were never going to be found in the wisdom of man.
A) There have been many times when I've wished that God would just talk to me. I've wished that He would plainly speak to a particular situation. There have been many times when I've wished... I've wished... wished. How useless is that? The truth is, that God speaks to me, to all of His children, all of the time. Elihu continued in vv. 15 and 16, to describe how the LORD will speak in dreams, or even opening ears to hear His voice. I cannot wish to hear from God. I need to engage Him in conversation. I need to pray! A lot more often than the end of my daily journaling. I need to pray a lot more often that at night with my kids, or before dinner. Then, in vv. 17 and 18, Elihu described the instruction and benefit of the words of God, which sounds an awful lot like the Bible itself. I cannot neglect the fact that God is speaking directly to me, to my life and circumstances, every time I read the Bible. I need to approach the Word with that level of reverence and respect, and respond accordingly. God is constantly trying to speak to me, and I need to ensure that I'm constantly trying to listen.
P) Father, Your goodness and faithfulness are humbling. I confess that I have not been listening. I haven't been listening as well as I should, or as often as I need. I want to know Your ways, because they hold life. I want to know Your words, because they bring joy and peace, even before they ever teach hard direction or dutiful instruction. You don't have to be a God full of lovingkindness, but You are. You don't have to be a God who loves mercy, but You do. I need Your wisdom for my own life. I need Your wisdom to correctly lead my wife and family. I need Your wisdom to counsel friends. My own wisdom, logic, and advice are useless, futile, and negligent. They are negligent of what truly matters - what You say. Only Your will should prevail. Let Your will be done in my life, in the lives of my family, and in the lives of my friends. In Jesus's name I pray. Amen.
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