Moved by God’s Spirit to Speak

Job 32:1-22 

    1 So these three men ceased answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. 2 Then the wrath of Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, was aroused against Job; his wrath was aroused because he justified himself rather than God. 3 Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.

    4 Now because they were years older than he, Elihu had waited to speak to Job. 5 When Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of these three men, his wrath was aroused.

    6 So Elihu, the son of Barachel the Buzite, answered and said:

"I am young in years, and you are very old;
Therefore I was afraid,
And dared not declare my opinion to you.

7 I said, 'Age should speak,
And multitude of years should teach wisdom.'

8 But there is a spirit in man,
And the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding.

9 Great men are not always wise,
Nor do the aged always understand justice.

10 "Therefore I say, 'Listen to me,
I also will declare my opinion.'

11 Indeed I waited for your words,
I listened to your reasonings, while you searched out what to say.

12 I paid close attention to you;
And surely not one of you convinced Job,
Or answered his words—

13 Lest you say,
'We have found wisdom';
God will vanquish him, not man.

14 Now he has not directed his words against me;
So I will not answer him with your words.

15 "They are dismayed and answer no more;
Words escape them.

16 And I have waited, because they did not speak,
Because they stood still and answered no more.
17 I also will answer my part,
I too will declare my opinion.

18 For I am full of words;
The spirit within me compels me.
19 Indeed my belly is like wine that has no vent;
It is ready to burst like new wineskins.
20 I will speak, that I may find relief;
I must open my lips and answer.

21 Let me not, I pray, show partiality to anyone;
Nor let me flatter any man.
22 For I do not know how to flatter,
Else my Maker would soon take me away.

Elihu, a younger man, had stood by silently as Job’s friends gave unwise counsel without a solution or even accurate assessment of Job’s adversity with severe suffering.  The three counselors had determined that Job was self-righteous, and therefore stopped speaking to him and reasoning with their suffering friend.  They themselves were not right in jumping to conclusions and throwing accusations at a situation which they knew little to nothing about.  Elihu then showed his anger against these three because they offered no help to Job, having condemned him with no concrete reasons in their bad assumptions.  He also was angry at Job because he was justifying himself and his own actions instead of glorifying God and justifying His work and assessment of uprightness in His servant.  In this way, Job was proven to be righteous in his own eyes (Proverbs 3:7, 1 Corinthians 3:19-21), boasting in himself instead of humbly leaning on the LORD for his righteousness.  Elihu then began to speak his turn after the older ones had finished.  He respected the elders as having the first say, but God moved him with wisdom also, since his elders had not been able to answer or assist Job with any wise counsel.  He pointed out that God gives wisdom, it does not originate in man’s reasoning.  He had carefully attended to the words of those three, and let them know that they did not even answer Job’s questions, let alone convinced him of their assessments of him and the reason for his suffering such adversity.  They were no help to their friend.  Since those three had ignored the presence of Elihu and had not spoken against him, he felt free to speak what God had revealed to him, but not with their arguments, which had eventually come to the nothingness of silence.  Elihu was so moved by God’s Spirit that he could not hold back any longer.  He was compelled to speak as led by the LORD, feeling as if he would explode if he held the words in any longer.  He had to speak being so led and moved to find relief from holding back what he needed to say in this matter according to God’s word.  Elihu did not want to show partiality or flatter Job, but desired to speak sincerely to honor and please God above all (1 Thessalonians 2:5) in speaking truth to Job.  We also may find ourselves needing to speak in a situation, as I have often in group studies, allowing God’s wisdom from His word drive our lips to bring a word of wisdom when required.  As Paul counseled his son in the faith in 1 Timothy 4:12, youth in physical (or even spiritual) age should not stop wisdom as given by the grace and gift of God to remain unspoken.  Not all elders have wisdom or sound assessment of a situation over their own assumptions, but they must be given the first opportunity to speak out of respect.  That does not mean age of any kind makes one always right, nor does it preclude the younger from speaking as God moves to bring clarity in a sound answer and wise counsel with the right assessment, free of assumptions and founded on God’s word with the mind of Christ.  If we are moved by God’s Spirit to speak, let it be wisely and in turn, yielding to allow others to be used by Christ as well (1 Peter 4:11, 1 Corinthians 14:29-30), prophesying understanding and explanation of God’s work and will in these matters.  He knows the minds and hearts, along with the spiritual struggles in heavenly places which we cannot see, just as Job with the adversary’s attacks spoken in God’s presence and unknown to men on earth like the friends of Job.  We then ought to exercise humility and not neglect the gifts of God nor His words of wisdom given as He pleases when we are moved by God’s Spirit to speak.