What did he utter over and over? I'm holy...I'm righteous...etc, etc. A mature believer would never brag of his performance because he knows he is not measuring up to God's agape love...never!



He didn't rebuke Elihu! Why? Elihu hit the nail right on the head!

And where did God rebuke Job of self-righteousness? WHERE?

Gerry

The issue of the book is the suffering of the righteous. Job's "friends" believe that he must be a great sinner because of his great suffering. Therefore it only makes sense that Job would protest his innocence. He is not saying he's never sinned but rather that he is not a wicked man. And God confirms this. Job is not a wicked but a rightous man.

It's not a question in the instance of Job of whether he is measuring up to an absolute standard of righteousness. Job is not trying to earn salvation or earn God's favor. Job has a faith-based relationship with God.

Job isn't bragging! Job is agonizing under the unfair attacks of so-called friends who are supposed to be comforting him but who are in reality taking the side of Satan in accusing him of disloyalty to God.

But he wasn't innocent. He was self-righteous and the only way God could get his attention was to partially abandon him.

Rob

Through Elihu....That's why the first question God asks Job is,
"Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: 'Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?'"

Had God counseled Job? Yes, through Elihu!

You guys have the evidence, but because of your traditional, legalistic mindset you refuse to advance in the light of truth. So be it.

Rob

Your are right Rob. And I thank you for so clearly laying it out. I have been blessed seeing it straight from the Word of God. Most have been presented with the traditional SDA approach so it is hard to switch beliefs when presented with the Word. But you have done a great job and I thank you. I've learned much from your clear presentations. Thank you.

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Using the argument from silence, i.e. God not rebuking Elihu is a dangerous proposition!

God did not rebuke Job's 3 friends because they spoke falsely ABOUT Job; but rather for speaking falsely ABOUT GOD. Here is God's testimony:

"...the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite: "My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering tor yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." Job 42:7,8 ESV.

So why was Elihu not rebuked? Not because he spoke the truth about Job, but because he made no foolish accusations that God was punishing Job for some secret sin.

Again, where did God rebuke Job for the sin of self-righteousness? By using Elihu? Why then did he not tell Job to go to Elihu and offer sacrifices for his sin and ask Elihu to pray for him the way He told Job's 3 friends to do?

Sin is a very very serious matter. When God rebukes someone of sin in the Bible, it is pointed and very explicit. Look at David. He sends Nathan the prophet to tell him, "You are the man!" He sends Samuel to Saul to tell him, "you have done foolishly."

Again, I say you are threading on dangerous ground by attributing sin to God's saint where God had made none and in fact clearly declared to be "blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil."

Gerry

Bingo!



Yes, He sent Nathan. With Job He sent Elihu!



This is fear bating in an attempt to silence me. I reject your scare tactics, Gerry.

Rob

True, Elihu didn't make the same accusation as the other three, but he did charge Job with justifying himself before God, which is the same as being self-righteous.

"So these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, became very angry with Job for justifying himself rather than God." [Job 32:1, 2 NIV]

Where did Elihu get this idea?

Job 13:18 Behold now, I have set my cause in order; I know that I am righteous. 19 Who is He that will contend with me? [RSV]

1. If Job was guilty of sin, then his friends were correct. He is deserving of what he got and there would be no point to the story whatsoever.

2. Job was the one being falsely accused of sin, so it is natural that he would justify himself. If you were accused of a murder [I'm not saying that was his sin] you did not commit, you would be justifying yourself too.

3. Again I ask, where is Job's acknowledgment of the sin of self-righteousness?

4. Where is he asked to go to Elihu and offer a sacrifice and to have Elihu pray for him? Where?

Gerry