The Sermon of Elihu – part 2
Job 32-37 (32:11-22)
February 28, 2016
Very early on in the story of redemption
We run into two brothers who are at odds with one another.
• One has pleased the Lord, one has not.
• The one was displeasing rose up and killed the one who was.
To that surviving brother, the Lord asked, where his brother was.
To that Cain asked, “am I my brother’s keeper?”
It’s a really good question.
Do I hold any responsibility at all for my brother?
And Scripture answers that question with a resounding “YES!”
We are all in this thing together.
That is why Paul told Timothy:
2 Timothy 4:2 “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.”
Paul told the Corinthians:
2 Corinthians 1:3-4 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.”
Paul told the Galatians:
Galatians 6:1-2 “Brethren, even if anyone is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; each one looking to yourself, so that you too will not be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.”
He wrote to the Romans:
Romans 12:15 “Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.”
Even Jesus spoke of the intense responsibility
We have toward our brother.
• He wrote in Matthew 18 that if your brother sins you have the responsibility to go and confront your brother and do everything within your power to pull that brother out of sin.
• In Matthew 7 He said that when you go you had better examine yourself first simply so that you will be able to see clearly when you try to remove that speck from your brother’s eye.
We are responsible for our brother.
That means that as the body of Christ
We often find ourselves in this role of counselor/encourager.
As we said this morning life is hard.
Sin has wrecked everything.
Now sickness and tragedy and disease and death
Are real issues that people face.
We all know several people struggling with life right now.
• People who need an encouraging word…
• People who need a reminder of hope…
• People who need a compass of direction…
• People who need some Biblical perspective in their pain…
BEYOND THAT
• Our world lies in the power of the evil one whose sole objective in life is
to “steal, kill, and destroy”
• Peter tells us that our enemy the devil “prowls around like a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour”
And his temptations are everywhere.
Especially in our day of smartphones and internet.
Temptation is real and that only increases the need
For Christian accountability and encouragement.
I am prone to temptation, you are prone to temptation.
And the only way either of us survive this thing
Is when we have the continual encouragement of a brother.
• One who is not afraid to “reprove, rebuke, and exhort”
• One who is not afraid to “go to a sinning brother”
• One who is not afraid to “find that straying sheep and bring them home”
We find ourselves in this role continually.
We find ourselves in need of this role continually.
Now certainly it is possible to look at this thing
Only through the eyes of sovereignty.
We can say,
• “Hey, God has to change the heart” (and that’s true)
• “Hey, God has to convict the soul” (and that’s true)
• “Hey, God has to open the heart” (and that’s true)
• “Hey, God has to call them out” (and that’s true)
But we can never lose sight of the fact that
God uses His church to accomplish these divine purposes.
• He saves sinners and yet He sends evangelists to do it.
• He comforts those who mourn and He sends the compassionate to do it.
• He confronts those who stray and He sends a brother to do it.
Failure to embrace this important role
Is a failure to understand how God seeks to use His church.
You may remember what God had to say to Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 34:1-6 “Then the word of the LORD came to me saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel. Prophesy and say to those shepherds, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD, “Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? “You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. “Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them. “They were scattered for lack of a shepherd, and they became food for every beast of the field and were scattered. “My flock wandered through all the mountains and on every high hill; My flock was scattered over all the surface of the earth, and there was no one to search or seek for them.”‘”
The Lord condemned the wicked leaders of Israel
Because they failed to understand how important it was
For them to shepherd God’s flock.
To this God promised to send a “Good Shepherd” who would gather this flock back together, and Jesus did that very thing.
And certainly we are not ignoring that God does appoint men to
Literally “shepherd” His flock as overseers or pastors.
But there is also a continual reminder that
This is the responsibility of the entire church.
WE ARE IN FACT OUR BROTHER’S KEEPER.
That being the case this life is going to present you with
Plenty of opportunities to be a comforter or encourager or exhorter
Or even a confronter of your brother.
If that is true, then you must certainly understand how to do it well.
And that is where we are here in the book of Job.
We literally suffered through 31 chapters of
Some of the worst counseling that has ever been given.
Job suffered like no man had suffered and instead of giving genuine Biblical encouragement to Job, his friends sought only to condemn him.
• They spoke no words of comfort…
• They spoke no words of encouragement…
• They only went on a witch hunt to find sin they couldn’t prove.
• And even though they had absolutely no evidence of any sin on Job’s part, they chose to condemn him anyway.
It was the worst counseling job in the history of the world.
Instead of producing peace and hope and faith in Job,
All they managed to do was push Job towards arrogance, self-pity,
And confusion regarding the plans of God.
By the time we came to the end of chapter 31
The whole situation was in a mess.
Job is walking in the pinnacle of arrogance.
He has actually begun to take his righteousness, compare it to God’s righteousness, and is coming to the conclusion that he has been more just than God.
Job’s friends are sitting off to the side
Having been utterly defeated by Job’s logic and now have nothing else to say.
What is worse, God is on His way,
And the whole situation is about to get REAL!
IN STEPS ELIHU
We don’t know where he came from, we don’t know when he showed up,
BUT HIS ROLE BECOMES CLEAR TO US.
He has come as a herald to make straight the way of the Lord.
God is on his way and Elihu is trying to clean up some of the mess before He arrives.
What we are finding in Elihu is what a true counselor must be.
Over the course of the next 6 chapters
We are going to look at how Elihu carries himself and what he has to say
And learn a great deal about how to be the right kind of counselor or encourager
To our brother in the midst of his trial.
Last week we started looking at the first major point:
#1 HIS CREDENTIALS
Job 32:1-22
This first chapter of the section doesn’t record any of Elihu’s counsel.
It is merely a chapter devoted to why he is speaking.
And as we said this is very important.
Many of us are often caught in that very dilemma.
• Do I speak?
• Do I remain silent?
• Do I answer?
• Do I overlook?
• Who am I to step and offer my two cents?
• Who am I to step up and give advice?
• Who am I to step up and rebuke?
We’ve all been there.
I do hear the statement a lot from a lot of different people.
“I just don’t like confrontation”
Look, if you DO like confrontation then you are sinful.
• Galatians 5 says that “enmities, strife, disputes, dissensions, and
factions” are all deeds of the flesh.
• Titus 3:10-11 “Reject a factious man after a first and second warning, knowing
that such a man is perverted and is sinning, being self-condemned.”
No Spirit-filled individual who is seeking to do God’s will
Is looking for confrontation.
Paul even told us to pray that it won’t have to happen.
1 Timothy 2:1-2 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”
It would be great if we never had to do it.
And that means that I can’t think of a time when the need arises
That there won’t some internal question regarding
“Should I?” or “Shouldn’t I?”
That confusion and internal struggle is going to be there.
What we want to know is: How do I know if I’m the one qualified to handle this situation?
So we are looking at THE CREDENTIALS
We started working through it last week, we saw the first 3 that Elihu had.
1) HOLY ZEAL (1-5)
The phrase is repeated 4 times.
Elihu had BURNING ANGER
The reason was because
• God was being MISREPRESENTED BY JOB’S FRIENDS who sought to condemn a man with no proof.
• And God was being MALIGNED BY JOB who chose to justify himself while accusing God of injustice.
And this reality provoked anger in Elihu.
We likened it to Jesus clearing the temple
Because “Zeal” for God’s house and consumed Him.
Jesus was a meek individual.
• We read passages about how a bruised reed He won’t break or a smoldering wick He wouldn’t snuff out.
And yet He had a fire and burning anger for the hypocrisy of the Pharisees
And for the corruption of the worship they instituted in God’s house.
And we are reminded that a person who does not have
A holy zeal for God makes a terrible counselor.
If you’re only hope is that people will like you better,
Please don’t step into the circle.
We call those types of counselors – ENABLERS
They’ll tell anybody what they want to hear because it makes them more popular.
Elihu had holy zeal
2) SPIRITUAL WISDOM (6-10)
Here we were reminded of perhaps the most important truth of all.
We learned that Elihu actually felt under-qualified to speak up.
The reason was because he was younger than the others.
But then he realized what it is that actually qualifies a person to speak
And that is the indwelling of God’s Spirit.
(8) “But it is the spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives them understanding.”
• It is not your education that makes you a good counselor
• It is not your experience that makes you a good counselor
• It is not a degree in social psychology that makes you a good counselor
THERE HAS ONLY EVER BEEN ONE COUNSELOR
That is the Holy Spirit
John 14:16-17 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.”
He is the PARACLETOS – “one who comes beside to help”
• NASB translates it “Helper”
• KJV translates it “Comforter”
• NIV translates it “Counselor”
However you slice it, the job of comforting and counseling
And confronting is the job of the Holy Spirit.
That means that the only truly qualified people to counsel
Are those who are filled with the Spirit of God.
Only they have the divine perception and spiritual discernment
To rightly divide the truth and accurately address the situation.
You may be young
You may be inexperienced
But it is the Spirit of God that qualifies a person
To step into the role of counselor.
We saw his Holy Zeal, We saw his Spiritual Wisdom
3) GENUINE HUMILITY (11-14)
And this of course is the most necessary balance
To the holy zeal we talked about.
• Elihu was right to have that burning anger, after all God was being maligned.
• Elihu was right to know that he had every right to speak up.
And yet we initially find him sitting in patience,
Attentiveness, discernment and humility.
“I waited for your words, I listened to your reasonings…I even paid close attention to you”
In other words Elihu wasn’t so arrogant as to assume that
He was the only person qualified to speak.
He was humble enough to sit by in silence and give way to those
Who should have been good counselors.
The problem was that they were not good counselors
And this thrust Elihu into action.
BUT WE DID LEARN THAT HUMILITY IS IMPORTANT.
One thing WE DIDN’T MENTION that I would also add tonight
Is the importance of humility as it pertains to obedience to God’s plan.
God is clear about things like going to your brother, encouraging your brother, exhorting your brother, even disciplining your brother.
Those who refuse to do that (even under the banner of just being compassionate) are actually revealing arrogance.
Let me give you an example:
• 1 Corinthians 5 tells us about that sinning brother who was sleeping with his
father’s wife.
1 Corinthians 5:1-2 “It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife. You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.”
Paul said their refusal to address the situation was actually arrogance.
WHY?
It was arrogant to think that they could handle the situation
Apart from God’s divine instruction.
Paul assured them that this little bit of leaven would leaven the whole lump
And they would not be able to contain it.
The point is, humility is vitally important in this role of counselor.
• There must be enough humility to understand that God can use whomever,
however He likes.
• And there must be enough humility to realize that God’s plan must take
precedent over human plans.
So we saw the first three credentials of Elihu.
Holy Zeal, Spiritual Wisdom, Genuine Humility
4) DEEP CONVICTION (15-20)
This actually runs very similar to the holy zeal we saw earlier.
WITH ONE DIFFERENCE.
• Holy Zeal implies the anger in regard to how God is treated.
• Deep Conviction implies knowing the truth regarding how to address it.
If you have zeal, but no wisdom or conviction
You still find yourself in a difficult scenario.
There must be zeal, but there must also be a conviction of
WHAT IS RIGHT, WHY IT’S RIGHT, and WHAT TO SAY.
Elihu certainly had that.
(15-20) “They are dismayed, they no longer answer; Words have failed them. “Shall I wait, because they do not speak, Because they stop and no longer answer? “I too will answer my share, I also will tell my opinion. “For I am full of words; The spirit within me constrains me. “Behold, my belly is like unvented wine, Like new wineskins it is about to burst. “Let me speak that I may get relief; Let me open my lips and answer.”
Not only did Elihu have a burning desire to speak,
But he knew exactly what to say.
He was “full of words”
And he had to speak the truth.
We have seen this mentality before from a very famous prophet.
Jeremiah 20:8-9 “For each time I speak, I cry aloud; I proclaim violence and destruction, Because for me the word of the LORD has resulted In reproach and derision all day long. But if I say, “I will not remember Him Or speak anymore in His name,” Then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire Shut up in my bones; And I am weary of holding it in, And I cannot endure it.”
Every time Jeremiah opened his mouth it caused more trouble for him.
This reality caused him to decide to quit speaking.
But there was a problem.
He had “the word of the LORD”
That is to say, he knew what was right, he knew what to say.
And when he tried to sit quiet he sounded just like Elihu.
That truth burned a hole in my heart and forced its way out of my mouth.
Amos said:
Amos 3:7-8 “Surely the Lord GOD does nothing Unless He reveals His secret counsel To His servants the prophets. A lion has roared! Who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken! Who can but prophesy?”
And that was Elihu.
It was more than just a fire, it was a conviction.
He knew the truth, he had studied the truth,
And he knew that what he was hearing from Job and his friends
Was not the truth.
HE HAD TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT.
And this is why it is so important that you and I have a knowledge of the truth before we step into the role of counselor.
ZEAL is good, COMPASSION is good, HUMILITY is good,
But if you don’t know the truth how can you possible give the right kind of encouragement?
1 Timothy 4:7-10 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.”
2 Timothy 2:14-18 “Remind them of these things, and solemnly charge them in the presence of God not to wrangle about words, which is useless and leads to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness, and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”
And again:
2 Timothy 3:14-17 “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
Have the zeal, have the compassion, have the humility,
But you had better also have the truth.
How do you expect to give Godly counsel without it?
It is a necessary credential, and one that Elihu had.
Holy Zeal, Spiritual Wisdom, Genuine Humility, Deep Conviction
5) ABSOLUTE IMPARTIALITY (21-22)
Elihu lets it be known right from the outset
That he has NO ULTERIOR MOTIVE HERE.
“Let me now be partial to no one, nor flatter any man. For I do not know how to flatter, else my Maker would soon take me away.”
What Elihu is talking about is the human inclination
To bend the truth or the counsel based on the recipient.
If you will remember James came down very heavy on this issue.
James 2:1-4 “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and you say to the poor man, “You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool,” have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?”
James spoke of having “evil motives”
• It is naturally easy for us to come down hard on people we don’t value or don’t like or who can’t do anything to us in return.
• Conversely it is much more difficult to come down hard on people we do like, or do value, or who can make life much more difficult for us.
It is called favoritism and those who have it
Cannot be effective counselors.
Think of John the Baptist here.
It made no difference to John who you were.
Chief priest, Roman Centurion, or common Jew didn’t matter.
John addressed them all with the absolute same counsel.
Luke 3:10-14 “And the crowds were questioning him, saying, “Then what shall we do?” And he would answer and say to them, “The man who has two tunics is to share with him who has none; and he who has food is to do likewise.” And some tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Collect no more than what you have been ordered to.” Some soldiers were questioning him, saying, “And what about us, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not take money from anyone by force, or accuse anyone falsely, and be content with your wages.”
Later in the chapter he reprimands Herod the tetrarch for his immorality.
He was impartial, and he should have been.
Romans 2:11 “For there is no partiality with God.”
The question at its core is:
WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO PLEASE?
Those who flatter and show partiality do so in order to please themselves.
Flattery is a means of deception intended to make you like me more.
Those who refuse flattery and partiality do so in order to please God.
It may make them hate you, but that is not the primary concern.
If you seek to be an effective counselor who is usable to others in their life
Then partiality cannot be a part of your makeup.
It wasn’t for Elihu.
So there you have the first real point to being a counselor.
We look at the CREDENTIALS
Counselors are sorely needed in our world,
But they must meet a certain criteria.
They must have HOLY ZEAL (a love for God)
They must have SPIRITUAL WISDOM (be filled with God’s Spirit)
They must have GENUINE HUMILITY (to allow God to work in His way)
They must have DEEP CONVICTION (a knowledge of God’s truth)
They must have ABSOLUTE IMPARTIALITY (with a desire only for God to be pleased)
If that is you, then please, by all means step up to the plate
This world is in need of people who will reach out
And step into their situation with them.
• The sickly need to be strengthened
• The diseased need to be healed
• The broken need to be bound up
• The scattered need to be brought back
• The lost need to be sought
• The unruly need to be confronted
The ministry of the Lord requires counselors who will do such things.
If these qualities are not yours then I encourage you to take the necessary steps to become qualified.
And the main fix is that you fill yourself with the word of God.
• This is the means of being filled with the Spirit,
• Which will also change your passions
• And gives you a zeal for truth.
• It will create humility in you
• As well as drive you away from flattery.
Fill yourself with God’s word so that you may be useable in all situations.
There are the credentials, when we come together next time
We’ll begin to listen to exactly what Elihu has to say.
