Job, part III

So after several chapters of Job's self-righteous stubbornness ("Bear with me that I may speak; and after I have spoken, keep mocking," 21:3) and his friends' inability to figure out that they are saying,' on one hand no one can be righteous before God, and on the other if Job was really righteous he wouldn't be in this mess', we finally get to Elihu. He cuts to the core of the problem ("His wrath was aroused because ((Job)) justified himself rather than God. Also against his three friends his wrath was aroused, because they had found no answer and yet condemned Job." 32:2-3) But the smartest thing Elihu says at the start applies to us, when things go wrong and we complain to God and He doesn't answer. We say, God, how can you do this to me? and demand an answer, and get pissed when we get silence in return. But Elihu knew why that was.

"And now, because He has not punished in His anger, nor taken much notice of folly, Therefore Job opens his mouth in vain; he multiplies words without knowledge." 35:15-16

What is he saying? 1. As Forest Gump taught us, shit happens. Not because God's punishing us, or is mad at us, or is being unfair as Job implied. It just happens. 2. Since none of those things is happening to us, except in our minds, God doesn't reply to such comments. 3. Arguing such a case is foolishness, and God doesn't pay attention to foolishness. Thus, 4. Job, and ourselves, won't get answered when we whine. As we find out a few chapters later, to get answered, we need to acknowledge who is God and who isn't; realize that God, being smarter than us, has reasons for things that we don't understand; and accept that God has more important things to do than pick on us- and is doing them.