Like a chestnut tree

Nothing on earth is like him,
One made without fear.
He looks on everything that is high;
He is king over all the sons of pride. (vv. 33-34)

They worshiped the dragon who had given authority to the beast, and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast, and who can wage war against it? (Revelation 13:4)

We live on this earth as if we were going to live forever, but our life is limited.

Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not remain with man forever, because he is also flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years. (Genesis 6:3)

As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years,
Or if due to strength, eighty years,
Yet their pride is only trouble and tragedy;
For it quickly passes, and we disappear. (Psalm 90:10)

When Covid struck the world in 2020, I often heard ministers say, “Don’t be afraid. God is in full control.” Others claimed that God was testing their faith. Some churches even defied their local and central governments by gathering to worship on Sundays. If they had understood that God was angry at churches for preaching lies and enslaving people, they would not have done so. Instead, they rebelled against God, refused to repent, and resisted the civil government to which God had given authority.

God is indeed in full control of everything—even the devil. The devil acts only within the bounds of God’s plan. And the end of that plan is the Kingdom of God. The Book of Job addresses many of these deep questions.

Has God created evil? If not, is the devil self-made? And if self-made, does that make the devil another god equal to God? This chapter answers clearly: God created both light and darkness.

Can God be deceived by the devil? No. Everything unfolds exactly as God has planned.

The One forming light and creating darkness, Causing well-being and creating calamity; I am the LORD who does all these. (Isaiah 45:7)

How can God, who is only light and goodness, create evil? This is a philosophical question, and many have spent endless time discussing it in vain. Like children, we simply understand that God created all things for His purpose. We do not argue about it. God will fulfill what He has promised, and we patiently endure by the power of the Spirit.

When we live in darkness, we do not understand light. But when light comes, we then recognize what darkness truly is.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was a formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. (Genesis 1:1-2)

However, there are people who choose to remain in darkness because they do not love the light. This is not something we can persuade them out of. God has appointed some to be saved, while others are not. This is according to His plan. We do not yet know the reason, and it is meaningless to question it. If you love the light, you follow the light. If you hate it, you reject it. The light, as every Christian knows, is Jesus Christ. To know and believe in Him is eternal life and the Kingdom of God.

The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them. (Isaiah 9:2)

In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it. (John 1:4-5)

Adorn yourself with pride and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
Let out your outbursts of anger,
And look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him.
Look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him,
And trample down the wicked where they stand.
Hide them together in the dust;
Imprison them in the hidden place.
Then I will also confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you. (vv. 10-14)

We often act like God, boasting about our knowledge, health, wealth, and more, as if we made ourselves. Yet, we know nothing. Our judgments are full of errors. We only learn when God reveals what we have done wrong—and even then, our arrogant hearts often reject His rebuke. We try to find fault in God, stubbornly resisting Him.

In this chapter, God graciously reminds us of who we truly are—foolish and hypocritical. We rebuke God to make ourselves appear mightier than Him. In our hearts, we dream of rebellion, just as Adam did.

I want you to remember that Adam and Eve sinned before they ate the forbidden fruit. Their fault is not in their deed but in their hearts. They had no trust in God and no love for Him. Our salvation does not depend on our actions. However, theologians and ministers have no understanding. They preach Adam could earn eternal life by external obedience. God never promised Adam eternal life in exchange for obedience to His command. But that is what theologians and ministers preach. Adam’s fall happened naturally because he was not given the knowledge of God’s plan – His plan for the Kingdom through His only begotten Son, which can only be learned through suffering. Adam or Eve did not have the Holy Spirit. Adam and Eve were not like Jesus Christ. However, churches are full of Adam-worshippers. The Renaissance was a movement to praise mankind, not God. The worship of Greek gods and philosophers reveals what truly dwells in our hearts.

In both Adam’s and Job’s cases, calamity came because they needed to be taught. Such knowledge cannot be gained through words alone—it must be learned through suffering. In the same way, we face turmoil in our own lives for the sake of that knowledge. We may wish to avoid suffering, yet the truth remains: knowledge is never given without it. This does not mean we should inflict suffering, but when it comes, we pray to God for the strength to overcome it.

And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise from the dead. And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s purposes, but on man’s.” And He summoned the crowd together with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it benefit a person to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what could a person give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:31-38)

Christ suffered for us not because He lacked knowledge of God, but as our leader, He suffered so that we could endure our own sufferings and come to understand God.

These things I have spoken to you so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world. (John 16:33)

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Because God has made her forget wisdom,
And has not given her a share of understanding. (v.17)

God continues to speak about His knowledge and power in this chapter. We must remember that the main focus of this book is righteousness.

Do you think this is in accordance with justice? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’ (Job 35:2)

While people boast about their good deeds, they commit injustice by thinking their righteousness is greater than God’s. You and I are no exceptions. We judge God every day, thinking, “I would do it differently,” or, “This is unfair. I’d punish those evil people if I were God.”

Indeed, God will punish those who commit injustice at the appointed time. We have no right to judge Him. We are mere creatures who understand little. We judge by what we see, hear, and touch—and even that information is often inaccurate. We form our own judgments according to our limited knowledge and experience. This is why God keeps asking us, “Do you know?” If God wanted to, He could wipe us out right now. But because of His promise and His love for us, God endures our foolishness.

Do you know the time the mountain goats give birth?
Do you observe the calving of the deer? (v. 1)

For God, knowledge is not what we understand. Our knowledge is merely information that humans gather from external sources—He is the Creator of all things. He planned and designed everything.

People often think science is contrary to Christianity, but that is far from the truth. Because of science, we can now grasp concepts that were once beyond our comprehension. It is fascinating to see how invisible organisms act and function in an orderly manner. Even harmful mutations, like cancer cells, still carry out what God has ordained them to do.

So where is boasting? Where does our knowledge come from? How can we claim to be greater than God when we know nothing? We possess knowledge only when God teaches us and gives us understanding through the power of the Holy Spirit.

But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where then is boasting? It has been excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. (Romans 3:21-27)

Only God is righteous—and so are those whom God has made His children. We become righteous through faith in Christ because Christ is the embodiment of God’s knowledge, wisdom, and understanding. Christ is the Word and the Truth. Outside the invisible church, no one is righteous, because God designed it that way. The invisible church is the Kingdom where God rules His people.

This is not a hard science where one must gather information, analyze it, and draw a conclusion. It is a simple message—yet so many do not understand it. Job’s sufferings were necessary for him to grasp this truth: there is no one righteous other than God. We are made righteous because we become one with Him through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Faith is not a tool or a method to become righteous; it is the defining characteristic of the saints. All saints believe in God and in Jesus Christ.

Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. (John 14:1)

Faith is a gift from God. Therefore, no one can say, “I made myself righteous by believing in God.” From the very beginning, humans did not possess faith—not even Adam and Eve. So how can anyone say, “I am saved by my faith”?

If faith is a gift from God (and it is), then it is absurd to claim that anyone has earned it through works. Sinless Adam and Eve did not have faith, so how could a sinful human produce anything good—such as faith—unless it were given by God?

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10).

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,

“Who is this who darkens the divine plan
By words without knowledge? (vv. 1-2)

If anyone thinks they are righteous because of their deeds, they must be silent from now on after reading the words of God in this chapter. Elihu was sent to speak to Job and his friends to prepare them to listen to God. What Elihu said is not different from what God speaks in this chapter.

No one is righteous before God. If anyone is righteous before, that is because God made them righteous. As we all know, we become righteous through Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, who was sent to earth to teach about God. That is what God’s apostles preached – Truth and the Word.

Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it. (John 14:8-14)

Through Jesus Christ, we claim to know God. And to know God is to be one with Him, just as Jesus Christ is. Understanding God’s words through the Holy Spirit and believing in Jesus Christ and the Father leads us to righteousness. Therefore, it is incorrect to say that Adam and Eve were holy and righteous. They were given a certain level of knowledge and wisdom, but they did not understand God. Their treachery reveals this. Adam and Eve were created blameless and without sin; however, that does not make them holy or righteous. Everything is centered around Jesus Christ—that is God’s plan. And the ultimate goal is the Kingdom.

If anyone claims that righteousness comes from the law, they have not understood the Book of Job. Job insists he is more righteous than God. Yet, instead of speaking to him about morally good deeds, God speaks about His creation and knowledge. Therefore, we conclude that righteousness belongs to the Creator alone. Righteousness is about being God. The law was given to reveal who God is and what He had planned before creation.

Therefore the Law has become our guardian to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)

To be equal with God, Job would have needed to be present when God created all things. But Job is merely a creature, planned to be born at a time ordained by God. There is one being who existed when God created all things—Wisdom.

When He established the heavens, I was there;
When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
When He made firm the skies above,
When the springs of the deep became fixed,
When He set a boundary for the sea
So that the water would not violate His command,
When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
And I was His delight daily,
Rejoicing always before Him,
Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
And having my delight in the sons of mankind. (Proverbs 8:27-31)

Wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are not physical beings—we cannot see or touch them. Yet they are alive in human form: Jesus Christ.

… but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24)

It is no surprise that the Book of Job is one of the wisdom books of the Bible. Although it does not speak about Jesus Christ directly, the entire book ultimately points to how we are saved through Him.

Jesus spoke these things; and raising His eyes to heaven, He said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, so that the Son may glorify You, just as You gave Him authority over all mankind, so that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do. And now You, Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world existed. (John 17:1-5)

Churches around the world have become deeply corrupt. They focus only on external deeds and cling to the teachings of heretics. They preach Covenant Theology and the Active Obedience of Christ, essentially suggesting that people can be saved without Jesus Christ. They only want a tool to wipe away their sins, believing they are as good as Adam and Eve before the fall. Then they claim they can achieve righteousness through the works of the law. In their hearts, there is no love for God—they regard Jesus Christ as nothing more than a tool. These heretics cannot even explain why we receive eternal life, so they invented the idea that Christ kept the law on our behalf to earn it for us. How ridiculous!

Isn’t it just that God pours out wrath on earth and brings the Kingdom of the righteous?

Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed, so as not to go naked and be shamefully exposed. (Revelation 16:15)

Listen to this, Job;
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His clouds to shine?
Do you know about the hovering of the clouds,
The wonders of One who is perfect in knowledge (vv. 14-16)

Many of us wonder what Elihu is talking about. Half of the book is about Job’s suffering despite his good deeds. Job claims he is righteous and believes he is being treated unfairly by God. He wants justice. Now Elihu speaks about God’s knowledge—knowledge that no one can fully comprehend. What is the connection between righteousness and knowledge? And why is this important for understanding the true meaning of righteousness?

People often think righteousness has to do with the law. However, sin existed even before the law was given.

… for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. (Romans 5:13)

If the knowledge that God possesses is true righteousness, then not knowing God is unrighteousness. Jesus Christ came as the wisdom of God, possessing knowledge and understanding. He is the exact representation of the Father. Therefore, anyone who denies Jesus Christ is unrighteous.

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, to the extent that He has inherited a more excellent name than they. (Hebrews 1:3-4)

Understanding the works of Jesus Christ is the knowledge granted to every saint. Therefore, establishing and declaring the common knowledge of God and His works lies at the center of the Christian faith. Despite the many corruptions and evil deeds committed by churches on earth, God has been educating His people through the invisible Church. The invisible Church has no building or visible form; it is a group of the chosen, united by the Holy Spirit.

Understanding righteousness solely within the framework of the law is a serious mistake. It is like seeing only a portion of a picture of an elephant for the first time and trying to guess what it looks like.

God’s righteousness flows from His knowledge. If anyone possessed more knowledge than God, they might be in a position to judge His righteousness. But all knowledge comes from God. We cannot even walk, eat, hear, or speak without His permission. He is our Father. Yet here, Job speaks as if his righteousness is greater than God’s.

The Almighty—we cannot find Him;
He is exalted in power
And He will not violate justice and abundant righteousness.
Therefore people fear Him;
He does not regard any who are wise of heart. (vv. 23-24)

Do you think this is in accordance with justice?
Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
For you say, ‘What advantage will it be to You?
What benefit will I have, more than if I had sinned? (vv. 2-3)

This chapter reveals Job’s struggles and explains why God has allowed these disasters to befall him. It emphasises that these events are not punishments but lessons. Elihu poses similar questions to the readers.

As Christians, we often fall into the delusion that our actions for God entitle us to rewards. When faced with undesired outcomes, we swiftly blame God and accuse Him of injustice. In truth, we are like wayward children. However, God understands our limited knowledge and lack of understanding.

If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against Him?
And if your wrongdoings are many, what do you do to Him?
If you are righteous, what do you give to Him,
Or what does He receive from your hand?
Your wickedness is for a man like yourself,
And your righteousness is for a son of man. (vv. 6-8)

In some cases, a gentle reminder is enough to show someone that they are nothing. When hardship strikes, they quickly turn to God and pray for mercy. God gives them a humble heart to repent and helps them follow Him wholeheartedly. However, more severe trials are sometimes necessary for headstrong children who believe they are greater than their Father.

Through the Book of Job, we learn about true righteousness. God’s righteousness is not defined by the law—He is the law. His law is unchangeable, for God does not change as people do. Yet His law is not static, because God is the living God who reigns forever. Whatever proceeds from His mouth becomes law.

To understand God’s law, one must first understand why God created the world. Only God can establish the law and fulfill it. The law’s requirements are not merely external actions, but a deep understanding of its purpose. There is only one who can truly fulfill the law—Jesus Christ—for the law was made for the Kingdom of God through Him.

Do not presume that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. (Matthew 5:17)

Theologians and ministers often interpret the Bible chronologically, overlooking the fact that the world was made to be destroyed and renewed. They fail to understand that Revelation was planned before Genesis. They frequently cite those they call “great thinkers” and quote Greek philosophers who never knew God. They also reference Luther and Calvin, sometimes inventing stories around them. Luther and Calvin were given specific insights necessary for the Reformation, but we now begin to see the errors and limitations they carried.

The Book of Job may be the most important book for a third Reformation. True righteousness belongs to God alone. Being God is righteousness. To be righteous, we must have the Holy Spirit and become one with God. What people often define as perfect law-keeping is not sufficient to fulfill the law. It seems many theologians and ministers do not understand the difference between keeping the law and fulfilling it.

If Christ had to keep the law to fulfill it merely to meet the conditions of the Old Testament as a representative of humanity, then our righteousness would still be earthly and bound to the flesh. A single violation of the law would condemn us to hell—that is the essence of the Old Testament. But our righteousness must be greater than that. It must be unchangeable and eternal.

To be eternally righteous, our sins must be forgiven, and our status must be transformed from slaves to children of God. Covenant theologians insist that we will keep the law perfectly forever in the Kingdom of God, implying that we will still be bound to the written code. But that is not the Kingdom God has promised us.

“Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a NEW covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. “For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their sin I will no longer remember.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34)

Therefore, listen to me, you men of understanding.
Far be it from God to do evil,
And from the Almighty to do wrong.
For He repays a person for his work,
And lets things happen in correspondence to a man’s behavior.
God certainly will not act wickedly,
And the Almighty will not pervert justice.
Who gave Him authority over the earth?
And who has placed the whole world on Him?
If He were to determine to do so,
If He were to gather His spirit and His breath to Himself,
Humanity would perish together,
And mankind would return to dust. (vv. 10-15)

We humans judge people by their actions. We trust our eyes and ears. It is easy to fool others by doing “good deeds”. We even judge God by what we see and hear. However, God judges according to the person’s knowledge. One’s actions are a reflection of what they know. God knows everything about a person. He does not judge as we judge others. We remain blind unless God gives us wisdom.

Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now that you maintain, ‘We see,’ your sin remains. (John 9:41)

And that is why the Book of Job is one of the wisdom books. The Hebrew word, Emet (Truth), consists of the first, the middle, and the last letter of the Hebrew alphabet. Truth is Jesus Christ because He is one with God. He is the Son of God in flesh to tell us about the Father. He is wisdom of God.

… but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Corinthians 1:24)

Elihu rebukes Job for his hypocricy. Job says he is not sinless and yet, says God is unrighteous and he is righteous. Elihu rebukes Job for his unrighteousness. But that is not what Elihu is trying to teach Job. We are not competing with God over righteousness. There is vast difference between Job and God. God knows everything inside and out. Job knows only what he sees and hears. Even that knowledge is crooked because Job judges with limited knowledge and wisdom. Job thinks he is righteous based on his own judgments of himself.

God knows who are not His people. Though they may do many outwardly good deeds, their hearts are corrupt. Their “good deeds” may appear good, and God may even move their hearts to do them, but in the end, they are not credited to them—because the actions originate from God, not from a regenerated heart. True transformation—a new heart and new flesh—is the very essence of the resurrection. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are born again by the Holy Spirit.

The saints in the Old Testament were saved by believing in the promise of the coming Savior. This promise was declared from the very beginning.

And I will make enemies
Of you and the woman,
And of your offspring and her Descendant;
He shall bruise you on the head,
And you shall bruise Him on the heel. (Genesis 3:15)

I see many injustices around me and in the world. But God will judge when the appointed time comes. We cannot say that God is unjust. Everything will unfold according to His will and perfect timing.

Then the angel whom I saw standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and the things in it, and the earth and the things in it, and the sea and the things in it, that there will no longer be a delay, but in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he is about to sound, then the mystery of God is finished, as He announced to His servants the prophets. (Revelation 10:5-7)

If there is an interceding angel for him,
One out of a thousand,
To remind a person of what is right for him,
And he is gracious to him, and says,
‘Free him from going down to the pit,
I have found a ransom’;
Let his flesh become fresher than in youth,
Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor;
Then he will pray to God, and He will accept him,
So that he may see His face with joy,
And He will restore His righteousness to that person.
He will sing to people and say,
‘I have sinned and perverted what is right,
And it is not proper for me.
He has redeemed my soul from going to the pit,
And my life will see the light. (vv. 23-28)

Elihu speaks as any other human does, but he speaks with wisdom. People without knowledge often boast about themselves and their possessions. They think they are morally good and righteous.

Possessions + Delusions = Hypocrisy.

The hypocrites constantly require possessions to feed their delusions.

Many people who call themselves a Christian judges others based on their interpretations of the law and what they see and hear. They act as if they are gods. About this, Calvin wrote in the first chapter of his book, The Institutes of Christian Religion. People are not afraid of judging God. In fact, Jesus Christ was judged by people and was put to death.

But can God be judged? No, He cannot. Only God is righteous. To be God is to be righteous. No creature can be more righteous than God. If a creature is righteous, it must be declared so by the only righteous being—God. Can God prove that He is righteous? The question itself is flawed, for no creature stands above the Creator. God does not need the approval of His creation.

When God created the first humans, there was a vast difference between them and Him. They were blameless and full of wisdom, yet they were corruptible. They did not know God as the Son does. God made them that way, for they needed to undergo suffering in order to know and understand Him and wait for the Mediator. No creature can become a child of God and see Him face to face—unless God Himself makes it possible. And He did. He planned this before the foundation of the world.

Today, we speak to God directly through prayer because of the blood of Jesus Christ. When His Kingdom comes, we will see Him face to face. God gives us this much because He loves us.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

There will no longer be any curse; and the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and His bond-servants will serve Him; they will see His face, and His name will be on their foreheads. And there will no longer be any night; and they will not have need of the light of a lamp nor the light of the sun, because the Lord God will illuminate them; and they will reign forever and ever. (Revelation 22:3-5)

Then these three men stopped answering Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes. But the anger of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram, burned against Job; his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends because they had found no answer, yet they had condemned Job. Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were years older than he. But when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth of the three men, his anger burned. (Job 32:1-5)

Elihu means ‘He is My God.’ There are different interpretations of Elihu’s character. Some say he is no different from Job’s three friends, but God did not rebuke Elihu in the end. I see him as a man filled with the Holy Spirit.

It came about after the LORD had spoken these words to Job, that the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My wrath is kindled against you and against your two friends, because you have not spoken of Me what is trustworthy, as My servant Job has. (Job 42:7)

Elihu is a unique character who speaks on behalf of God, much like a prophet. Perhaps he is even a manifestation of God in human form. He appeared before God’s direct rebuke, much like Jesus Christ. Elihu knows God and proclaims, “He is my God.”

In this chapter, Elihu expresses his anger toward Job and his three friends. Job considered himself righteous and accused God of being unjust. His three friends tried to rebuke him, but they failed to explain why only God is truly righteous. Neither Job nor his friends understood God’s plan for His Kingdom. They were narrow-sighted and refused to consider anything beyond this earthly life. They believed in righteousness through works.

Two reformations have passed, yet many churches still emphasize performing good deeds before others. Churches often preach lies instead of the truth. They no longer believe in or proclaim Sola Gratia. As works of the law have taken precedence over faith, people now judge others based on outward actions. It is easy to deceive others with smooth words and charitable acts. Like the Pharisees, people prefer the praise of others over speaking truth that may offend. Today, churches have become a comfortable place for hypocrites. Hypocrites run the churches. The blind lead the blind. Speaking the truth in church often brings isolation and requires boldness and deep conviction. It is not born of self-will or self-righteousness. It is the Holy Spirit who opens our mouths to speak.

Let me be partial to no one,
Nor flatter any man.
For I do not know how to flatter,
Otherwise my Maker would quickly take me away. (vv. 21-22)

This is why a true Christian often undergoes much suffering—because there are few who truly understand. Consider the life and legacy of Athanasius of Alexandria. He was exiled five times because the emperor was aligned with the heretic Arius. Despite intense pressure from all sides, Athanasius did not deny the truth.

But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. For it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking in you. (Matthew 10:19-20)