Bible Commentaries
Job 35

Introduction

Job Chapter 35

Job 35:1 "Elihu spake moreover, and said,"

Job 35:2 "Thinkest thou this to be right, [that] thou saidst, My righteousness [is] more than God’s?" Now Elihu was speaking directly to Job. It was such a shame that Elihu was accusing Job of saying things he never even thought of saying. Job had never made a statement that this could have even been twisted to mean.

Job 35:3 "For thou saidst, What advantage will it be unto thee? [and], What profit shall I have, [if I be cleansed] from my sin?" Job had said that his righteousness had brought him no special treatment here on the earth. Of course, we know that what Job was speaking of, was this latest attack that had actually come from Satan. Job had no way of knowing that this attack was from Satan. Job had felt that ultimately God would bring him out of this terrible dilemma he was in.

Job 35:4 "I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee." It appears, that Elihu was trying to prove Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar just as wrong as Job. He had to defame them all, if he would take the high position that Job had held. The three friends were no companions of Job. They had accused Job of things that would have easily classified them as his enemies.

Job 35:5 "Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds [which] are higher than thou." Elihu was insinuating that all of them thought they were higher than God in the heavens. God had created the heavens, as well as the earth. He was above it all. The Creator is greater than His creation. Job would agree with that completely. In fact, he stated that, before Elihu did.

Job 35:6 "If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or [if] thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?" Mankind cannot do harm to God. The only way they can hurt Him, is to break His heart. The sins and transgressions of mankind do no real harm to God, except to His heart. To commit sin means disobedience to God. The sin will not alter God’s plan for the world in any way. The sin causes hurt to your own soul.

Job 35:7 "If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?" We cannot do anything directly for God except to love Him. We cannot add to Him by any of our righteous deeds. The easiest way to help God is to help our fellowmen. We read in Matthew what Jesus had to say about this. Matthew 25:40 "And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me."

Job 35:8 "Thy wickedness [may hurt] a man as thou [art]; and thy righteousness [may profit] the son of man." Elihu was actually saying that God would punish the wicked man, and bless the man who did righteousness. This is not necessarily so. To be righteous, so that you could benefit for being righteous, would in itself, keep you from being righteous. We should never go to church, give our offerings, or live righteous to get a reward from God. We should do all these things, because we love God, and want to please Him.

Job 35:9 "By reason of the multitude of oppressions they make [the oppressed] to cry: they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty." Elihu proceeded to tell Job why God had not answered his prayers. In all truth, no one but God knows why God does not answer a certain prayer. The oppressors, who cause people to cry, are generally the people who rule over the oppressed. Rulers must remember that someday they will stand before the Ruler of the entire world, and give an account. God will judge them as they judged others on the earth. Those who oppressed others will be oppressed themselves.

Job 35:10 "But none saith, Where [is] God my maker, who giveth songs in the night;" The oppressed, many times did not know God, and did not call out to Him for help. Some of them were from generations of those who had been oppressed. They had never truly been happy.

Job 35:11 "Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?" God made man in the image of God. Animals, fowls, and fish were all made lower than man. Man has a soul and animals do not. Man was made to rule over the beasts, not to be taught by them.

Job 35:12 "There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the pride of evil men." This was a sharp criticism of Job. Elihu said Job was not answered by God, because he asks from a heart filled with pride. We learned very early in this book of lessons, that Job was truly an humble man. All of the accusations of Elihu were false.

Job 35:13 "Surely God will not hear vanity, neither will the Almighty regard it." This was a true statement, but Job was not guilty of doing this. God listens to, and answers the prayers of the humble.

Job 35:14 "Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him, [yet] judgment [is] before him; therefore trust thou in him." This was very good advice, if you were not suffering as Job had suffered. Sometimes in great distress, we all feel that God is far away. It does not mean that we have any less faith in His ability to answer our prayers. He is the Judge of all the world. Trust in God is one step beyond 162 faith. It is when we know that God is working everything out to our benefit, and we rest in that fact. I believe Job had come to that point. He had moments of weakness, but never stopped trusting in God.

Job 35:15 "But now, because [it is] not [so], he hath visited in his anger; yet he knoweth [it] not in great extremity:" Elihu still believed that the anger of God brought this trouble to Job. Elihu was even saying that God had gone easy on Job. Elihu would not have felt that way, if he had the same problems.

Job 35:16 "Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain; he multiplieth words without knowledge." This judgement, as all the others that Elihu had made, was in error. Elihu was in a sense, saying that God had turned His back on Job. He said Job spoke without knowledge, and God would not hear him. He could speak mountains of words, and God would still not hear. Elihu had made a terrible mistake, in saying all of this.

Job 35 Questions

1. What did Elihu accuse Job of saying in Job 35:2?

2. Had Job said that?

3. In Job 35:3, what did Elihu say Job had said?

4. What had he really said?

5. Who had Job’s attack come from?

6. Who did he believe it came from?

7. In Job 35:4, who was Elihu trying to prove wrong along with Job?

8. What did Elihu tell them to look to heaven to see?

9. What was Elihu insinuating?

10. The Creator is greater than His _________.

11. How is the only way man hurts God?

12. What is the only thing we can do for God directly?

13. Quote Matthew 25:40.

14. What was Elihu actually saying in Job 35:8?

15. We should never go to church, give our offerings, or live righteous to _____ a _______ from God.

16. Why should we do all of these things?

17. Why did the oppressed not call on God?

18. God made _____ in the image of God.

19. How do men and animals differ?

20. Elihu was calling Job a __________ man.

21. Job 35:13 was a ________ statement.

22. Sometimes in __________ distress, we all feel that God is far away.

23. _______ in God is one step beyond faith?

24. Why did Elihu say that God would not hear Job?

25. What had Elihu done in saying all of this to Job?

Verses 1-8

Job 35:1-8

Job 35

MORE OF THE SAME FROM ELIHU:

ELIHU’S REPLY TO JOB’S ALLEGED CONTENTION THAT THERE

IS THERE NO ADVANTAGE IN RIGHTEOUS CONDUCT

Job 35:1-8

"Moreover Elihu answered and said,

Thinkest thou this to be thy right,

Or sayest thou, My righteousness is more than God’s,

That thou sayest, What advantage will it be unto thee?

And what profit shall I have, more than if

I had sinned?

I will answer thee,

And thy companions with thee.

Look unto the heavens, and see;

And behold thy skies which are higher than thou.

If thou hast sinned, what effectest thou against him?

And if thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou unto him?

If thou be righteous, what givest thou unto him?

Or what receivest thee of thy hand?

Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art,

Or thy righteousness may profit a son of man."

Back in Job 34:9, Elihu had mentioned a third accusation against Job, namely, that he had declared faithfulness to God as affording no profit; and here Elihu proposes to answer that alleged claim of Job. Elihu here ignored altogether the real point of whether or not there is profit in serving God in this life, focusing his attack against Job on whether or not Job had any right to complain.

This whole paragraph affirms the proposition that neither man’s righteousness nor his wickedness affects God. "Transgressions do not diminish God, nor do pious acts give him anything." We are stunned and amazed at this ridiculous position of Elihu. "He comes very close here to viewing God as so far removed from human life, that he cannot be known or loved at all." Against this colossal error, there stand the glorious facts: the Cross of Jesus Christ, God’s love of the whole world, and the willingness of the Son of God to die for human redemption. Elihu’s position here, as more fully expressed in the following paragraph, is that God is no more concerned with human prayer than he might be with the cry of a screaming rabbit in the clutches of a hawk.

E.M. Zerr:

Job 35:1-2. Elihu represented Job as saying he was more righteous than God. Not that Job actually made the claim in so many words, but that his refusal to acknowledge his sins in the face of his afflictions meant that.

Job 35:3. Here was another false statement. Elihu made as if Job asked what advantage there would be in his being righteous instead of sinful.

Job 35:4. Although the whole thing was false, Elihu pretended that Job had asked the question and then he proposed to answer it for the benefit of him and his friends.

Job 35:5-7. Job was told to observe the wonders of creation above him. These things are not affected by the conduct of man, whether good or bad.

Job 35:8. No, the conduct of man will not have any effect on creation; but it will have effect on the sinner and upon his fellow man.

Verses 9-16

Job 35:9-16

Job 35:9-16

MORE OF ELIHU’S VAIN REASONING

"By reason of a multitude of oppressions they cry out;

They cry for help by reason of the arm of the Almighty.

But none saith, Where is God my Maker?

Who giveth songs in the night,

Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth,

And maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?

There they cry, but none giveth answer,

Because of the pride of evil men.

Surely God will not hear an empty cry,

Neither will the Almighty regard it.

How much less when thou sayest thou beholdest him not,

The cause is before him, and thou waitest for him!

But now, because he hath not visited in his anger,

Neither doth he greatly regard arrogance;

Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vanity;

He multiplieth words without knowledge."

"They cry for help by reason of the arm of the Almighty" (Job 35:9). "What Elihu is saying here is that when men do pray (as Job has been doing) it is merely because of their suffering, and not because of any true desire for God."

"None saith, Where is God my Maker" (Job 35:10)? "This means that they do not pray with that trust in their prayers which is pleasing to God." The plurals here should not mislead us. Elihu is accusing Job.

"Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth. and maketh us wiser than the birds of the heavens?" (Job 35:11). We appreciate Pope’s rendition of this: "Teaches us BY the beasts of the field ... BY the birds of the heavens." The allegation here is that the type of prayer Job has been praying, due to pain only, "Does not raise man any higher than the animal creation."

"There they cry, but none giveth answer" (Job 35:12). Here is the problem of unanswered prayer; and Elihu has the glib answer ready, the wrong one, of course.

"It is because of the pride of men" (Job 35:13). The plurals here are misleading; Elihu is accusing Job. When God finally interrupted this devil-originated speech of Elihu. he did not accuse Job of pride, thus revealing Elihu’s cocksure answer here as the wild guess of an ignorant man. But Elihu even had another answer.

"Surely God will not hear an empty cry" (Job 35:13). "Elihu thought that when prayer was not answered, it was because the prayer was empty"; but he did not explain what he meant by that. The New Testament reveals two great reasons why prayers are not answered. (1) "Ye have not, because ye ask not" (James 4:2). A far greater tragedy than unanswered prayer is the tragedy of unoffered prayer. (2) "Ye ask, and receive not; because ye ask amiss, that ye may spend it in your pleasures" (James 4:3).

"Thou sayest thou beholdest him not" (Job 35:14). Job indeed had complained of his inability to find God; and Barnes believed that here, "Elihu says that, although God is invisible, yet this should not be regarded as a reason why Job should not confide in him."

" Job 35:15 conveys no intelligible idea."

"Job opens his mouth in vanity ... multiplies words without knowledge" (Job 35:16). As our version has it, Elihu here is charging Job with all of his irresponsible talk as being able so to speak because God has overlooked his arrogance (Job 35:15). However, it was not Job, but Elihu who was, "Darkening counsel by words without knowledge," (Job 38:2), according to the verdict of Almighty God Himself.

E.M. Zerr:

Job 35:9. A specific instance was cited to show the evil effect of sin. The oppressed are made to cry out in their oppression.

Job 35:10-11. Elihu intimated that Job was ignoring God, who is the source of true knowledge. This was such a groundless charge that no further attention was given it; it did not deserve the dignity of a reply.

Job 35:12. There refers to the creatures which God made. They are not the source from which to expect knowledge. If one cries to them instead of to God then will be brought to pass the thought expressed in the words none giveth answer.

Job 35:13-14. This was another false insinuation. Job never denied having to meet God, but rather rejoiced at the thought of seeing him. (Job 19:25-27.)

Job 35:15-16. Because the judgment of God was not realized by Job, he had given himself over to words contrary to knowledge.