The Politics of God
Introduction: The Unbribable Judge
We live in an age drowning in injustice. Our courts have become partisan playgrounds, our rulers trade favors for power, and the common man has come to expect that the thumb of the powerful is always on the scale. We see partiality everywhere, from the highest halls of government down to our neighborhood squabbles. And in the middle of our own personal afflictions, when the world seems to be crashing down on us, it is a great temptation to project this same corrupt partiality onto God. Job, in his agony, has come perilously close to doing just that. He has demanded his day in court, convinced that God has dealt with him unjustly.
And now Elihu, the young man who has been silent for thirty-three chapters, steps forward to deliver a fierce, unyielding defense of the character of God. What Elihu says here is not simply a word for Job; it is a foundational lesson in divine political science. He is not trying to explain the mystery of Job's suffering. Rather, he is establishing the non-negotiable axiom upon which all sane thought about God must rest: God is just. Not just in some of His dealings, but in His very nature. To question the justice of God is as nonsensical as questioning whether a circle is round.
Elihu's argument is a direct assault on the victim-mentality that so often accompanies suffering. When we suffer, our temptation is to believe that the rules of logic and theology are suspended for us. We think our pain gives us a special license to accuse the judge. But Elihu will have none of it. He calls Job, and us, to clear-headed thinking. He argues that the very concept of "rule" or "governance" is inextricably bound up with justice. A ruler who hates justice is a contradiction in terms. And if this is true for petty earthly kings, how much more is it true for the Almighty, who created the very concepts of right and wrong?
This passage is a bracing dose of reality. It reminds us that God is not running for office. He does not need our approval. He is not swayed by public opinion, by wealth, or by status. He is the absolute, impartial, and sovereign Judge of all the earth, and the central question we must all face is not whether He will do right, but whether we will submit to what He has already defined as right.
The Text
"But if you have understanding, hear this; Give ear to the sound of my speech. Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One, Who says to a king, ‘Vile one,’ To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’; Who shows no partiality to princes Nor recognizes the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands? In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without a hand."
(Job 34:16-20 LSB)
The Logic of Governance (vv. 16-17)
Elihu begins with a summons to rational thought, not emotional reaction.
"But if you have understanding, hear this; Give ear to the sound of my speech. Shall one who hates justice rule? And will you condemn the righteous mighty One," (Job 34:16-17)
Elihu is telling Job to put his thinking cap on. "If you have understanding, hear this." This is not a time for feeling; it is a time for thinking. The truth of God's character is not something to be determined by the ebb and flow of our circumstances. It is a fixed, logical reality. He then poses a devastating rhetorical question: "Shall one who hates justice rule?" The implied answer is, of course not. It is an absurdity.
The very idea of governance presupposes a standard of justice. A king who despises justice is not a king; he is a predator. A government that hates justice is not a government; it is an organized crime syndicate. Justice is to rule as rails are to a train. Without it, there is no direction, no purpose, only derailment and chaos. To accuse God of hating justice is to say that the Creator of the universe is fundamentally incoherent. It is to accuse the Author of logic of being illogical.
This is the foundation of all Christian political theory. Earthly rulers are given their authority by God for a purpose: to punish evil and to praise good (Rom. 13:3-4). When they begin to hate justice, they forfeit their legitimate authority. They become tyrants. Why would we imagine that God, who establishes this standard for earthly rulers, would Himself be the ultimate tyrant? It is a manifest contradiction.
And so, Elihu drives the point home: "And will you condemn the righteous mighty One?" Notice the two attributes he joins together: righteous and mighty. God's power is not raw, arbitrary force. It is always, and in every instance, righteous power. His might serves His justice; His justice directs His might. To condemn Him is therefore not just to question His actions, but to condemn righteousness itself. It is to put goodness on trial. Job, in his anguish, has been demanding that God show up in court to be cross-examined. Elihu is reminding him who the Judge is and who the defendant is.
The Great Equalizer (vv. 18-19)
Next, Elihu demonstrates God's absolute impartiality. Human courts are notoriously susceptible to the influences of power and wealth, but not God's court.
"Who says to a king, ‘Vile one,’ To nobles, ‘Wicked ones’; Who shows no partiality to princes Nor recognizes the rich above the poor, For they all are the work of His hands?" (Job 34:18-19 LSB)
This is a staggering statement. God is not intimidated by earthly authority. He does not bow to kings or flatter nobles. He speaks truth to power because He is the source of all power. When a king is vile, God calls him a "Vile one." When nobles are wicked, God calls them "Wicked ones." He is not a court chaplain who is paid to bless the regime. He is the King over all kings, and they are all accountable to His law.
This is a direct rebuke to any doctrine that would place a ruler above the law. All authority is delegated authority, and every ruler, from the emperor down to the dogcatcher, will give an account to God for how he wielded it. God is utterly unimpressed with crowns, scepters, and motorcades.
And why is this? Elihu gives the reason in the second half of verse 19: "For they all are the work of His hands." This is the great doctrine of creation, and it is the ultimate leveler of all human pretensions. Before the infinite Creator, the distinction between a prince and a pauper is infinitesimally small. Both are creatures. Both were formed from the dust. Both draw their every breath by His leave. The king in his castle and the beggar at his gate are equally dependent, equally accountable, and equally creatures. God is not partial because He sees them for what they are: the work of His hands. To show partiality would be for the potter to favor one clay pot over another based on the station it imagines for itself.
This is the principle that the apostle James would later apply to the church. "My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory" (James 2:1). The church is to be a living demonstration of God's impartial kingdom. We are not to give the rich man the best seat and tell the poor man to stand in the back. Why? Because God does not do that. He recognizes no one based on their wealth or status, but only on their standing before His Son.
Sovereign and Sudden Judgment (v. 20)
Finally, Elihu describes the swift and effortless nature of God's ultimate judgment on the mighty of this world.
"In a moment they die, and at midnight People are shaken and pass away, And the mighty are taken away without a hand." (Job 34:20 LSB)
The security of the powerful is an illusion. The tyrants who imagine their kingdoms will last forever are fools. God can bring it all to an end "in a moment." Judgment comes suddenly, "at midnight," when they least expect it. Think of Belshazzar, feasting in his palace, when the handwriting appears on the wall. His kingdom was numbered, weighed, and finished that very night (Daniel 5).
This is a profound word of comfort for the afflicted and a terrifying word of warning for the oppressor. Do not be dismayed when the wicked prosper. Do not lose heart when it seems that injustice will reign forever. Their footing is on slippery ground. Their breath is in God's hand. He can remove them with breathtaking speed.
And notice how it happens: "the mighty are taken away without a hand." This means God does not need a human army, a political revolution, or a conspiracy to accomplish His purposes. He can act directly, supernaturally, and irresistibly. Think of the angel of the Lord striking down 185,000 Assyrians in one night (2 Kings 19:35). Think of Herod Agrippa, accepting the worship of the people, being struck by an angel and eaten by worms (Acts 12:21-23). God does not need our help to execute His justice. The most powerful man on earth is utterly helpless before the God who made him.
Conclusion: Trust the Judge
Elihu's argument boils down to this: God, by definition, is just. His rule is righteous, His judgment is impartial, and His power is absolute. Therefore, the correct response to suffering is not to put God in the dock, but to bow before His throne. Our feelings of being wronged, no matter how intense, do not have the authority to overturn the reality of God's perfect character.
This has two profound applications for us. First, in our personal trials, we must refuse the temptation to condemn the righteous mighty One. We must trust His character even when we cannot trace His hand. Faith is not demanding that God explain Himself to our satisfaction. Faith is believing that He is good and just even when all the circumstances scream the opposite. We must preach Elihu's sermon to our own souls: "Shall one who hates justice rule? Of course not. Therefore, God is not hating justice in my life right now, no matter how it feels."
Second, this truth should give us a profound sense of stability in a world of political turmoil and corruption. The arrogant rulers of our day, who show partiality to their friends and oppress the poor, are not getting away with anything. They are accountable to a Judge who cannot be bribed, fooled, or overthrown. Their end can come "in a moment," and "without a hand." Our ultimate hope is not in a political victory or a Supreme Court decision. Our ultimate hope is in the perfect and final government of the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of Kings, who has already won the decisive victory and who will one day return to make every wrong right, forever.