Job 34:11  For the work of a man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his ways.
12  Yea, surely God will not do wickedly, neither will the Almighty pervert judgment.
13  Who hath given him a charge over the earth? or who hath disposed the whole world?
14  If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath;
15  All flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.
16  If now thou hast understanding, hear this: hearken to the voice of my words.
17  Shall even he that hateth right govern? and wilt thou condemn him that is most just?
18  Is it fit to say to a king, Thou art wicked? and to princes, Ye are ungodly?
19  How much less to him that accepteth not the persons of princes, nor regardeth the rich more than the poor? for they all are the work of his hands.
20  In a moment shall they die, and the people shall be troubled at midnight, and pass away: and the mighty shall be taken away without hand.
21  For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings.
22  There is no darkness, nor shadow of death, where the workers of iniquity may hide themselves.
23  For he will not lay upon man more than right; that he should enter into judgment with God.
24  He shall break in pieces mighty men without number, and set others in their stead.
25  Therefore he knoweth their works, and he overturneth them in the night, so that they are destroyed.
26  He striketh them as wicked men in the open sight of others;
27  Because they turned back from him, and would not consider any of his ways:
28  So that they cause the cry of the poor to come unto him, and he heareth the cry of the afflicted.

In verses 11-15 Elihu correctly stated that God’s character will not allow Him to be unjust. Man has not and cannot give God permission for anything. There are people like the Charismatics who assume that they can tell God what to do. They twist God’s Word and then use that twisted version to demand things of God. That is quite common among men like Joseph Prince or Kenneth Copeland. There are many men in that camp, but they are all frauds. They will be ashamed one day before the Lord and they will also tremble in fear as they hear Jesus say He never knew them. It is dangerous to be so arrogant as to assume that we can make God say things He never says. It is wrong to try to accuse a person of saying something they never said. It is far worse to claim God says something He does not say.
Elihu reminded Job that God can stop the breath of all people in a moment of time. We have witnessed some violent storms south of the border this spring. This is not the result of man-made climate change. It is God directing the weather and He uses the weather to help man to realize his need to know the true God. By God’s mercy, very few were killed in those storms. There was massive damage to buildings and vehicles, etc. God demonstrated that He is in charge and we need to humble ourselves and know Him. Just as He can affect things, He controls the breath of man.
In verse 16 Elihu challenged Job again as to whether he had understanding. Elihu inferred that Job was not that intelligent. Elihu demonstrated his arrogance again. He obviously knew very little about Job. He urged Job to listen to what he had to say. He asked how could an unrighteous person rule? Elihu accused Job of being unrighteous, which he was not. Elihu must not have met men like our P.M. He is an unrighteous man and the functioning of our government since he became P.M. has become increasingly wicked. Even in the Bible, there are many unrighteous men who have ruled. Pharaoh was such as was Nebuchadnezzar. These are just two examples of many others.
Elihu assumed that a person would never accuse a king of being wicked. Jesus Christ called king Herod a fox. It would be good to be able to look up to our leaders, but we certainly do not have such leaders in our governments now. In a democratic system, a leader does not need to be wise. He just needs to know how to manipulate others. He needs to be “good” at deception. He also plays on the ignorance of the people. That is what we are witnessing in many countries today.
In verse 19 Elihu again accused Job of being disrespectful to God. God certainly is not a respecter of persons. God is just in all things. Elihu needed to humble himself and show some respect for his elders. He certainly did not behave as he suggested he would when he began his accusations.
In verse 20 Elihu again reminded Job that man dies in a moment of time. Death comes very suddenly. The lead up to death can take some time, but the moment of death is very sudden. With this fact in mind, it is important for a person to know the true God.
The Bible states that at death man meets God. The saved meet the Lord Jesus Christ at the judgment seat of Christ. The lost go straight to hell and will be resurrected after the millennium to meet the Lord at the great white throne judgment. Death is sudden and it is final. There is no coming back when God says time is up.
No man can hide from God. God is fully aware of everything that every person does. God is also just in His judgment. God is capable of humbling the proud and haughty person. He can replace a mighty man with someone else. He destroyed king Herod with worms in Acts 12. He stopped Sisera in the days of the judges. There are many examples of God removing wicked people in a moment and also not in a pleasant way.
God judges the ungodly as a warning and a reminder to others. Man can choose his way, but he needs to be reminded that choices have consequences. God also hears the cry of the poor and afflicted. He certainly heard the cry of Job. He was aware of everything that had happened to Job. He knew all the affliction he faced from these men. He would soon answer Job and reveal to him the importance of humbly trusting in the Almighty God.
As we have noted before, Elihu made some correct statements regarding God. He was wrong in assuming that Job was guilty of the things he was accusing him of. Job had things to learn, but Elihu was not equipped to teach him.
Today is the Lord’s Day. It is the day to go to a good church and learn of the Lord. Some who read these devotionals are faithful in a true church. Some are not. For those who are not, why do you keep resisting the truth? You cannot escape God’s judgment. Why not prepare to meet the Lord at the judgment seat of Christ, rather than at the great white throne judgment. Salvation is needed. Without salvation nothing will work out well. With God’s salvation in place, He will change you so that you will want to be in a good church to learn of Him and fellowship with other believers. Follow Him and be blessed today.
Pastor Bartel