Why Do You Either Support or Reject Elihu in the Book of Job?

[CMNYC]

Author Victor Hugo (Les Miserables) is quoted as saying “Tomorrow, if all literature were to be destroyed and it was left to me to retain one work only, I would save Job.” Another poet, Lord Tennyson is also quoted as saying “The greatest poem, whether of ancient or modern literature, is the book of Job.” These are wonderful quotes, but I believe what ultimately makes the Book of Job superb is that it is the inspired Word of God.

Working through understanding this masterpiece, I found the character of Elihu to be particularly interesting. What I have also found are wildly different opinions about his character and the role he plays in this story. This thread is intended to allow your view of Elihu and your reasons either for or against him to be shared with the aim to help better understand the Book of Job as a whole. It seems to me that if Elihu is not understood, then understanding the entire story is severely limited.

Please feel free to share your opinion here of Elihu and your reasons. Perhaps there is a deeper revelation in store for us as we discuss :)

Blessings!

CM
Christopher

 

[soberxp]

Book of Job
5:7 Yet man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.

5:8 I would seek unto God, and unto God would I commit my cause:

I like this quote very much.



Book of Job 35:8
Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

 

[Rockerduck]

Elihu is a Christ like character, that shows the mediator role between God and man. Elihu shows up out of nowhere and speaks. I'll take any of the Gospels over the book of Job.

 

[CMNYC]

Elihu is a Christ like character, that shows the mediator role between God and man. Elihu shows up out of nowhere and speaks. I'll take any of the Gospels over the book of Job.

Do you see the Gospel at all in the book of Job?

 

[Rockerduck]

Do you see the Gospel at all in the book of Job?

Yes, in Elihu. It shows the need for a redeemer, mediator between God and man, foreshadowing Jesus Christ, our mediator between us and God.

 

[soberxp]

No one wants to face what Job faced,

Job faced God gaves troubles and blessings.

But what about us? How would we feel if we faced adversity?

God, why don't you bless me?

God, are you not fair and just?

We may not encounter such great tribulations in our lives as Job's, but we may encounter smaller ones.

But why do we think that we will not encounter great tribulation?

So Job is a lesson that we have to learn and we have to remember.

The Gospel of Matthew 10:22
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

The Gospel of Mark 13:13
And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.

The Gospel of Matthew
24:10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.

24:11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.

24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

24:13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.


Revelation. 13:10
He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity: he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword. Here is the patience and the faith of the saints.

 

[CMNYC]

Yes, in Elihu. It shows the need for a redeemer, mediator between God and man, foreshadowing Jesus Christ, our mediator between us and God.

Did you notice that Job has already mentioned the mediator or "daysman" in 9:33? And then in 19:25 Job proclaims he knows his Redeemer lives and one day He will stand on the earth. Job says these things before Elihu speaks. (By the way, have you ever noticed how many other ideas Elihu recycles from Job and his friends?) Finally, God Himself reveals Himself and speaks to Job directly, so what need is there then for Elihu to "mediate"?

 

[Rockerduck]

Did you notice that Job has already mentioned the mediator or "daysman" in 9:33? And then in 19:25 Job proclaims he knows his Redeemer lives and one day He will stand on the earth. Job says these things before Elihu speaks. (By the way, have you ever noticed how many other ideas Elihu recycles from Job and his friends?) Finally, God Himself reveals Himself and speaks to Job directly, so what need is there then for Elihu to "mediate"?

Starting in Job 33:23, Elihu gives a decertation on the need for a mediator, a type of Christ. Job describes it too. I can only guess the writer of Job wanted it that way.

 

[CMNYC]

Starting in Job 33:23, Elihu gives a decertation on the need for a mediator, a type of Christ. Job describes it too. I can only guess the writer of Job wanted it that way.

The reason I point this out is because many people in support of Elihu praise him for these words, but they seem to forget or ignore that this idea is not new within this story. It's already been stated by Job. On top of that, Elihu incessantly rails against Job as if every single thing Job has said is wrong. Elihu even accuses Job of speaking "in vain". How is Elihu not contradicting himself?