One of the (several!) “problems” with the book of Job is that in the dialogues, as well as in Elihu’s speech, you can’t be exactly sure of the “truth” value of what is being said. The “friends” seem to espouse orthodox theology, and yet they are condemned in chapter 42; Job, who flirts with blasphemy, is commended for speaking “what is right” about God (Job 42:7-8).
And what about Elihu? He is satisfied neither with Job’s protestations of innocence, nor with the accusations hurled by the “friends” (Job 32:2-3). In the closing passage of his long soliloquy, comprised of chapters 36-37, it comes clear (to me, anyway!) what his function is … or at least, might be.
(Commentators vary dramatically on their assessment of Elihu’s contribution to the book. Some find the poetry here not up to the same standard as the rest of the dialogues, and the thought derivative and banal. Some find the poetry exquisite and the idea coherent with that of the “Yahweh” speeches to follow. Add to this the observation that Elihu is mentioned nowhere else in the book — and especially not in the “epilogue” in chapter 42….)
As the dialogues come to their rather fractured conclusion at the end of chapter 27, Job himself has become the focus of debate, and so he remains in the final Job speech of chapters 29-31. With Elihu’s intervention, the focus swings away from Job, and the problem of human morality, slowly but surely. In our chapters (36-37), attention is urged on God and on his righteousness as the grounds of certainty. The key phrase in chapter 36 seems to be v. 21: suffering (“affliction”) can turn one to God, or equally it can turn one away from God. It reveals what is in the depths of the human heart.
At 36:22, Elihu urges attention to God, for with God is the ground of certainty and hope (see 36:3b, 5a, 23b). The key observation here seems to be in 37:13, which provides the culmination to the reflection on God’s power and involvement in human affairs. The fixation on Job’s status has led to the disregard of God’s status and character. So Elihu concludes:
23 The Almighty—we cannot find him;
he is great in power;
justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.
24 Therefore men fear him;
he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.
Elihu hasn’t quite hit the bullseye yet. But he has effectively refocussed a debate that had gone awry, and astray. With Elihu’s invitation to “stop and consider the wondrous works of God” (37:14), the stage is set for what Job least expected….
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I notice, too, that in M’Cheyne’s diary of readings, this passage is partnered with 2 Corinthians 7, where in vv. 5-13a, Paul considers much the same dynamic as Elihu: that suffering can incline one to God or away from him. “For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death” (v. 10).
