The David Spoon Experience 8-28-23 Part 2

1) As Chapter 34 comes to a close, and as we head into Job, chapter 35, Elihu's strong presence continues. He starts with a powerful message: why don't people just admit their sins and stop doing wrong? God doesn't want us to dwell in guilt and mire but to acknowledge our failures and be fully honest. Pretending to be righteous won't impress Him; genuine honesty is what He seeks.

2) Elihu then addresses those who fail to understand God's justice due to their pride and arrogance. Must God bend His justice to suit our demands? Of course not. Our limited human perspective can't grasp true justice. God is not interested in our version of what's right because humanity, without God, struggles to discern true righteousness. Man wouldn’t know righteousness from a brown paper bag. 

3) In the introduction to chapter 35, Elihu takes the argument even further. He asks Job if it is right for him to claim that he is righteous before God. Elihu's response is not one that most of the older men would have anticipated. He says that if you do some form of righteousness, it doesn't matter because you're not helping God. If you do some form of unrighteousness, it doesn't matter because you're not hurting God. Elihu makes it clear that what we do, good or bad, does not affect God but rather affects the people around us.