Bird's-eye view
We come now to the tail end of this particular volley from Elihu. Remember the situation. Job's three friends have shot their bolt. They came with their tidy theological systems, saw a man in profound suffering, and concluded that two plus two must equal four. Great suffering must mean great sin. Their problem was not that they were entirely wrong in principle, the Bible does teach that you reap what you sow, but rather that they were wrong woodenly. They tried to jam the reality of Job's situation into their pre-fab syllogisms and wound up condemning a righteous man. Job, for his part, has been defending himself, but in the process has sailed perilously close to justifying himself rather than God. He has demanded an audience with the Almighty, as though he were the plaintiff and God the defendant.
Into this stalemate steps the young man Elihu. His wrath is kindled against both parties, against the friends for finding no real answer, and against Job for his self-righteousness. Elihu's purpose is not to be just another counselor; his purpose is to justify God. Here, in these concluding verses of the chapter, he brings his discourse to a sharp point. He is laying down the terms of engagement. He is calling for Job's full attention, demanding that Job adopt a posture of humility, which is the necessary prerequisite for receiving any kind of true wisdom. This is a summons to stop talking and to start listening.
Outline
- 1. The Summons to Attention (v. 31)
- a. The Call to Pay Attention (v. 31a)
- b. The Command to Be Silent (v. 31b)
- c. The Promise of a Word (v. 31c)
- 2. The Offer of a Hearing (v. 32)
- a. An Invitation for Rebuttal (v. 32a)
- b. The Stated Desire for Justification (v. 32b)
- 3. The Alternative: Receive Wisdom (v. 33)
- a. The Condition of Silence (v. 33a)
- b. The Promise of Instruction (v. 33b)
Job 33:31
Pay attention, O Job, listen to me; Keep silent, and I will speak.
Elihu begins with a direct, sharp summons. "Pay attention, O Job, listen to me." This is not the language of a peer asking for a turn in the conversation. This is the language of a man who has seized the floor because he has something of immense importance to say. Job has been talking a great deal. His friends have been talking a great deal. And the result of all this talk has been a great deal of confusion, smoke, and accusation. The air is thick with human words, and none of it has brought any light. Elihu cuts through the noise. The first step toward wisdom is recognizing that your own talking has gotten you nowhere. Before you can be taught, you must first stop teaching.
Then comes the critical command: "Keep silent, and I will speak." Silence is a spiritual discipline, and it is one that is sorely needed in our noisy, self-assertive age. It is particularly needed when a man is in the midst of trials. The temptation is to talk, to complain, to justify, to explain, to vent. Job has done all of this, and at length. Elihu tells him that the time for that is over. If wisdom is to be imparted, a space must be cleared for it. The cacophony of Job's own heart and mind must be stilled. This is the posture every sinner must take before God. We must put a hand over our mouth, as Job eventually does, and listen. For God to speak, we must be silent. Elihu, speaking as a messenger of this principle, demands what God Himself will soon demand.
Job 33:32
Then if you have any speech, respond to me; Speak, for I desire to prove you righteous.
Now, this is fascinating. Elihu is not a tyrant. He commands silence, but then he immediately gives Job an opportunity to speak. "Then if you have any speech, respond to me." It is a conditional statement. The silence is for the purpose of hearing Elihu out. But if, after hearing, Job has a substantive response, the floor is his. This is a formal, almost legal, challenge. Elihu is saying, "I am about to present my case. If you can refute it, then by all means, do so."
And what is Elihu's stated motive? "Speak, for I desire to prove you righteous." Or, as some translations have it, "I desire your justification." This is a world away from the carping of his three friends. They desired to prove him a sinner. Their whole project was aimed at wringing a confession out of him to validate their theological system. Elihu says his desire is the opposite. He wants to see Job vindicated. But here is the crucial difference: Job has been seeking to establish his own righteousness. Elihu is interested in Job's actual righteousness, a righteousness that can stand before God. He is inviting Job to present a case that might actually work. Of course, we know that no man can do this on his own terms. Elihu's desire for Job's justification points us down the road to the only true justification there is, which is by faith in the righteous one, Jesus Christ. Elihu is, in a sense, showing Job that his own attempts at self-justification are bankrupt and that he needs a different advocate, a different righteousness altogether.
Job 33:33
If not, listen to me; Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom.
Here is the alternative. "If not, listen to me." If you have no valid response, if you cannot articulate a righteousness that holds up, then the only other option is to receive instruction. The choice is stark: either refute me with a righteousness of your own, or be silent and learn about the wisdom of God. This is the fundamental choice presented to every man. You can either stand on your own two feet and present your case to God based on your own merits, a case which will invariably be blown away like chaff in the whirlwind. Or, you can be silent, acknowledge your bankruptcy, and listen to the wisdom that comes down from above.
"Keep silent, and I will teach you wisdom." The command to be silent is repeated, emphasizing its importance. And the promise is not more platitudes, not more faulty syllogisms, but wisdom. What is this wisdom? It is the very thing the book of Job is about. It is the fear of the Lord. It is the humble acceptance of God's absolute sovereignty, even when His ways are inscrutable. It is a wisdom that does not demand answers but trusts the one who holds all the answers. The three friends thought they had wisdom, but it was just a rigid, predictable formula. Job thought he could attain wisdom by arguing his case. Elihu is preparing the ground for the real thing. He is setting the stage for God Himself, who is the only one who can truly teach this kind of wisdom. Elihu is the usher, telling everyone in the theater to be quiet because the main performance is about to begin.
Application
The posture Elihu demands of Job is the posture the gospel demands of us all. We come to God with our mouths full of arguments, excuses, and self-justifications. We want to explain our situation, to plead our case, to show that we are not as bad as all that. And the first word of the gospel to us is "Be silent." Be silent, and hear a word from another. Be silent, and consider a righteousness that is not your own.
Elihu's desire to see Job justified is a dim reflection of God's desire to see sinners justified. But God does not do it by accepting our flawed arguments. He does it by providing the argument Himself, in the person of His Son. Christ is our wisdom, and He is our righteousness. When we are silent, when we cease from our own works and our own words, we are then in a position to hear the good news that Christ has spoken the decisive word for us. He has lived the perfect life for us. He has died the substitutionary death for us.
Therefore, when you are in the midst of your own trial on the ash heap, the first order of business is to stop talking. Stop demanding answers from God. Stop defending your own honor. Be silent. Listen. God has spoken in His Son. He has provided a righteousness that actually works. And in that silence, you will be taught a wisdom that the world cannot give, a peace that passes all understanding, even in the midst of the whirlwind.