Scroll to the bottom for thoughts/discussion questions!
One-sentence summary: Elihu continues his speech of praising God through nature and warning Job of the dangers of judging Him.
Elihu finishes his speech before God Himself steps in. Many scholars of the Bible have wondered why God does not include Elihu among Job's friends when he reprimands them, and some believe that Elihu was acting as a messenger of God for Job, preparing Job to hear from God Himself when He later speaks to Job in the whirlwind.
The theme of Elihu's speech seems to be the wonder and awe of God and His majesty. He praises God for making man wiser than the animals. He tells Job that although Job can't always see God, he should be confident that justice is always before Him and exhorts him to wait for God. He says again that Job's words are without knowledge.
He tells Job to bear with him and that is he speaking on God's behalf. He says that although God is mighty, He despises no one, contradicting Job's claims that God must oppress people because He has the power to do so. (We can forgive Job for this; pain can cause someone temporary insanity.) Elihu says God is mighty not only in strength but also in understanding and that He gives justice to the oppressed. He says that if the righteous are afflicted, He tells them their transgressions and opens their ears to instruction. He seems to imply that if Job had simply cried out to God for help and asked God to show him where he had sinned (rather than justifying himself), God would have quickly answered his prayer.
(What makes one righteous seems to be a mystery to Job and his friends. Job claims that he was righteous, then also says that no one really can be. Now, we know that God calls people righteous who live by faith, and Job did that.)
Elihu warns Job and tells him to be careful of being so rash to speak to God, because God could "take [him] away in one blow." He says Job has chosen iniquity over affliction and chastisement and that no one can rightfully tell God that He has done any wrong.
He ends his speech by praising God for making the rain, snow, and ice. He says God sends the lightning and that HIs voice roars in the thunder. God does great things which man cannot comprehend. Having read Native American poetry, which many who grew up in America have, I can see many similarities. You don't often hear modern westerners praise God in such a poetic way, but it can be seen in cultures more connected to the land and to nature. It is a good reminder for us to worship and marvel at God and His works through nature. Elihu ends by praising God who is "excellent in power, judgment, and abundant justice." He says God is fair and that because He does not oppress, we should be in awe of Him.
Thoughts/Questions:
How have we, as a culture, lost the art of praising God through his wonderful creation? We see this more in primitive and ancient cultures than we do now. How has this disconnected us from God and ourselves?