Job 36:17-33 Click here for Bible Verses
Hi GAMErs,
Today’s passage is Job 36:17-33. Let’s go!
Job 36:17 (NIV)
17 But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked; judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
On verse 17: Much like Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar before him, Elihu accuses Job of being wicked, saying that the difficulty that has beset Job is Job’s punishment for being wicked (v17). Praise God that when others betray us, wrongly accuse us or unfairly speak ill of us, Jesus stands at our side to support us. As 2 Timothy 4:17 says, “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength…I was delivered from the lion’s mouth.”
Job 36:18-21 (NIV)
18 Be careful that no one entices you by riches; do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
19 Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?
20 Do not long for the night, to drag people away from their homes.
21 Beware of turning to evil, which you seem to prefer to affliction.
On verses 18-21: Elihu warns Job not to put his hope in four things:
- his wealth (v18)
- his own efforts (v19)
- “the night” (meaning the day that he dies) (v20)
- doing evil (v21)
It is true that Job did express a longing for “the night”, that is, his own death (for example, Job 6:8-9). Job also spoke a lot about his “mighty efforts” to do good in Job 31. But you would be hard pressed to find any evidence that Job was tempted to put his hope in wealth or in doing evil.
Still, what we can take from these verses is that everyone puts their hope in something. Some people put their hope in money, thinking that more will satisfy them and solve their problems. Some people put their hope in their own efforts, thinking “God should let me into heaven because of all the good things I have done”. Some people put their hope in “the night” and consider suicide as their solution. Some people put their hope in doing evil. Today may we not put our hope in any of these things, but “put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.” (Psalm 130:7) As Psalm 20:7-8, “Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God. They are brought to their knees and fall, but we rise up and stand firm.”
Job 36:22-23 (NIV)
22 “God is exalted in his power. Who is a teacher like him?
23 Who has prescribed his ways for him, or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?
On verses 22-23: There is no one like our God. He is both powerful (“exalted in his power”) and wise (“who is a teacher like Him?”) (v22). He isn’t a copy of someone else; He’s totally original (“Who has prescribed his ways for him”). He is just (“or said to him ‘You have done wrong’”).
Job 36:24-25 (NIV)
24 Remember to extol his work, which men have praised in song.
25 All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar.
On verses 24-25: What is “his work” which Elihu tells Job to remember, which Elihu says men have praised in song, and which all mankind have seen and gaze on from afar? I believe “his work” is referring to God’s work in creation, since in the upcoming chapters Elihu and later God Himself will speak at length about how awesome is God’s creation. But when I think about “his work” here, I also think about Jesus’ finished work on the cross. The cross is one of the most universally recognized symbols in the world. It represents Jesus’ finished work of sacrificing his life for our sins.
About creation and about the cross you can say the same thing: “All mankind has seen it; men gaze on it from afar.” The question is: having seen it, do people recognize it to be God’s work? Whenever we see His work in our lives, let’s remember to praise it (“extol it”) and the Artist who created it.
Job 36:26-33 (NIV)
26 How great is God–beyond our understanding! The number of his years is past finding out.
27 “He draws up the drops of water, which distill as rain to the streams;
28 the clouds pour down their moisture and abundant showers fall on mankind.
29 Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds, how he thunders from his pavilion?
30 See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea.
31 This is the way he governs the nations and provides food in abundance.
32 He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.
33 His thunder announces the coming storm; even the cattle make known its approach.
On verses 26-33: Rain (v27), clouds (v28), thunder (v29) and lightning (v30) – Elihu is talking about a storm. But Elihu is not so much impressed by the storm as he is in awe of the God behind the storm. What can we learn from this? Don’t just focus on the storm. Look to the Lord behind the storm. Remember that He is present and greater than the storm you are facing. With a word Jesus calmed a storm in an instant. Perhaps you’re in a storm today. Know that God could still the storm with a single word if He wanted to. But if He allows the storm, it’s not because He doesn’t care, but because God is going to use the storm to write a greater story with your life.
Heavenly Father, thank You for all the lessons I could learn from Your Word today. Be the One I hope in today – not my plans, not my desires, not my own strength, not people, but You, the One who is greater than the storm, the One so mighty in power and wisdom, the One whose work is beyond compare, the One whose greatness is beyond understanding, and the One who still stands by my side in support. You are my hope today. In Jesus’ name, AMEN!
