Job 36:21  Take heed, regard not iniquity: for this hast thou chosen rather than affliction.
22  Behold, God exalteth by his power: who teacheth like him?
23  Who hath enjoined him his way? or who can say, Thou hast wrought iniquity?
24  Remember that thou magnify his work, which men behold.
25  Every man may see it; man may behold it afar off.
26  Behold, God is great, and we know him not, neither can the number of his years be searched out.
27  For he maketh small the drops of water: they pour down rain according to the vapour thereof:
28  Which the clouds do drop and distil upon man abundantly.
29  Also can any understand the spreadings of the clouds, or the noise of his tabernacle?
30  Behold, he spreadeth his light upon it, and covereth the bottom of the sea.
31  For by them judgeth he the people; he giveth meat in abundance.
32  With clouds he covereth the light; and commandeth it not to shine by the cloud that cometh betwixt.
33  The noise thereof sheweth concerning it, the cattle also concerning the vapour.

For those who watch the news, it should be quite obvious that we are in big trouble. The United States of America, which used to be known as the “super power” of the world, has a senile man as the “president”. It is clear that he is not in charge of what takes place there. He makes some very foolish comments and is clued out as to what he should be doing. Yet, they have sent him to Ireland to represent the U.S.
In Canada, the evidence revealing that our elections are fraudulent, keeps building. We have known for years already that the elections are not really elections, in either Canada or the U.S. The sad fact is that too many people are still trusting in these failed human institutions like democracy, and not trusting in God.
The book of Job, as does all of the Bible, reveals facts about God that are important to pay attention to. The very first verse in the Bible declares that there is a God Who is an active God. He is not like the U.S. president who does not know where he is. He is not like our P.M. who does not know what truth is. The God of Creation, before Whom all people must stand one day, knows everything and He has been so kind as to declare His truth to man. He has revealed Who He is. He shows us that we can and should trust in Him.
God took care of Job and He blessed him in his early days. At some point in his life, after his children were grown, trouble came upon Job. We are told that this trouble was the result of Satan seeking to hurt God’s character. Satan is a wilful fool. He is a fallen angel who decided that he was greater than God. He proved his foolishness by trying to usurp God’s place. God is supreme. No one will ever dethrone Him. It is important to know Him and serve Him.
In the book of Job, God introduced us to four men who assumed that they knew Him, but did not. These four men tried to overthrow the faith of one true man, Job. They came at him from different angles. They used false accusations. They used false representation of Who God is. They tried hard to make it seem as though they actually believed in God, but their God was a false god. Their god had many characteristics of the true God, but then they ruined that by making false applications to how God operates.
God gave us many chapters in the book of Job to reveal the nature of false teachers. As we have noted before, Job was a contemporary of Abraham. We are introduced to Abram (Abraham) in Genesis 11. This is early on in the record of the Bible. We know that since the fall, all people are born as lost sinners and most people choose to remain in that lost state until death. Due to that wrong choice, most people will spend eternity in the lake of fire. This is not God’s desire, but the loving God of Creation must judge sin.
The few who turn to God in repentance and trust in His Word are blessed with His peace in this life and have the hope of eternal life in heaven at death.
As we see in the book of Job, there are more false teachers than there are true teachers. Job shows us that those who walk in the fear of the Lord cannot be led astray to the point where they lose their faith in God. Those who do not know God may pretend to know Him for a time, but those who do know God will always be given enough light to be able to see the folly of the false teachers.
As we close out this current chapter of the book of Job, Elihu continued to make some true statements about God, but he also continued to make false application regarding God and Job. He proved that he knew very little about God and Job but he certainly assumed that he knew all about them. He joined the other three men in accusing Job of being a hypocrite and of ignoring God’s way. He accused Job of harbouring sin in his life.
Elihu knew the right language at times, but he did not know the right theology. He was as Paul wrote:

II Timothy 3:1  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
2  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
4  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
5  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
6  For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,
7  Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

Paul wrote these words to Timothy, who was a younger man that Paul was training in the ministry. Paul stated that things would be bad in the last days. That is where we live today. However, the roots of this evil nature has been there since the fall. We know there were many false prophets in the Old Testament. The priesthood was corrupted not long after God chose Aaron as the first high priest. Aaron was guilty of leading the nation of Israel into idolatry. He joined his sister Miriam to attack God’s chosen leader – Moses.
We need to pay attention to what these men were saying in the book of Job. We need to ask God to examine our hearts to see if we are guilty of taking some truths regarding Himself, and then making false application with that truth. We need to be careful that we are not guilty of having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof.
As we will see in the closing chapters of the book of Job, there is great blessing in trusting in the Lord. Job suffered for a time. He did not appreciate that suffering at the time. He did not understand that suffering at the time either. However, God showed him some important facts that helped him to better understand God and to better appreciate God. It is worth the time and effort to get to know the true God. Don’t settle for the false teaching that is so prevalent. Don’t push God away as He seeks to draw you to Himself. The truth will always be available. Those who resist God, will not be able to use any excuses for that when the stand before the Lord. God is gracious and has given us His Word and we can know the truth. The truth will make you free.
Pastor Bartel