Job 36:1-4, Perfect in knowledge
Elihu continued:
"Bear with me a little longer
and I will show you that there is more to be said in God's behalf.
I get my knowledge from afar;
I will ascribe justice to my Maker.
Be assured that my words are not false;
one perfect in knowledge is with you.
Elihu urges Job to listen to him, to listen to one "perfect in knowledge." (This is the claim by a man accusing Job of pride and arrogance!)
Job 36:5-12, Accurate universal retribution for actions
"God is mighty, but does not despise men;
he is mighty, and firm in his purpose.
He does not keep the wicked alive
but gives the afflicted their rights.
He does not take his eyes off the righteous;
he enthrones them with kings and exalts them forever.
But if men are bound in chains,
held fast by cords of affliction,
he tells them what they have done--
that they have sinned arrogantly.
He makes them listen to correction
and commands them to repent of their evil.
If they obey and serve him,
they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity
and their years in contentment.
But if they do not listen,
they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge.
Here the Axiom of Retribution is stated quite clearly. God enthrones the righteous as kings; if they are suffering, He explains why and gives them a chance to repent. Obedience leads to prosperity, disobedience is met by death.
Elihu is directly opposing Job's complaint that the righteous suffer while the wicked grow old and increase in power (Job 21: 7.)
Job 36:13-15, Refusing to cry for help
"The godless in heart harbor resentment;
even when he fetters them, they do not cry for help.
They die in their youth,
among male prostitutes of the shrines.
But those who suffer he delivers in their suffering;
he speaks to them in their affliction.
The reason for the punishment of the godless is their stubborn refusal to cry for help. They die among the male prostitutes in the idolatrous temples.
Job 36:16-21, He is wooing you
"He is wooing you from the jaws of distress
to a spacious place free from restriction,
to the comfort of your table laden with choice food.
But now you are laden with the judgment due the wicked;
judgment and justice have taken hold of you.
Be careful that no one entices you by riches;
do not let a large bribe turn you aside.
Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you
so you would not be in distress?
Do not long for the night,
to drag people away from their homes.
Beware of turning to evil,
which you seem to prefer to affliction.
Yet, says Elihu, if you pay attention, God will woo you back from your distress. (But you have to repent and change.)
Job 36:22-26, Beyond teaching
"God is exalted in his power.
Who is a teacher like him?
Who has prescribed his ways for him,
or said to him, `You have done wrong'?
Remember to extol his work,
which men have praised in song.
All mankind has seen it;
men gaze on it from afar.
How great is God--beyond our understanding!
The number of his years is past finding out.
Clearly God is beyond teaching! No one should accuse Him of wrongdoing. Job is told to praise God's work instead of complaining. (Can one do both? In my experience it is hard to praise God when one is in pain.)
Wisdom in the ANE was equated with age. Beyond any age is God's age ... indeed His age must be infinite! (Psalm 102: 25-27.) And therefore His wisdom is beyond our understanding or challenge.
Job 36:27-28, Abundant showers.
"He draws up the drops of water,
which distill as rain to the streams;
the clouds pour down their moisture
and abundant showers fall on mankind.
God brings the rain, the clouds, the abundant showers. (This is such a rich reward in the desert land of the ANE.)
Indeed, maybe we can see a thunder storm coming....
Job 36:29-33, Storm coming
Who can understand how he spreads out the clouds,
how he thunders from his pavilion?
See how he scatters his lightning about him,
bathing the depths of the sea.
This is the way he governs the nations
and provides food in abundance.
He fills his hands with lightning
and commands it to strike its mark.
His thunder announces the coming storm;
even the cattle make known its approach.
This praise to God describes the power of a thunderstorm. In the next few chapters, there is reason to believe that the description of a storm is not mere poetry but may be the result of God approaching Job and his companions.
The image of God striding on clouds occurs throughout the Old Testament, from the cloud of Exodus (Exodus 13: 21-22) through later passages like Isaiah 19: 1 and Nahum 1: 3.
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