I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Today, I am reading and commenting on Job 34-37.

I wrote yesterday, but it is important to repeat it, Elihu is the only person who speaks in the Book of Job whom God does not reprimand for what he says.  In today’s passage he points out that Job is wrong to say that he has not sinned because everyone has sinned.  However, unlike Job’s other friends, Elihu does not attempt to identify Job’s sins as the cause of his suffering.  He does, however, point out where Job had said things which were wrong.  He challenges Job for saying that God has taken away his rights, has denied him justice.

Elihu’s statements in defense of God carry more weight and are more important than his challenge to Job’s claim of innocence.  First, he tells us that God does not sin and can do no wrong.  God pays no more attention to the rich than to the poor.  He sees everything that everyone does and judges them accordingly.  However, for what is going on in the world today the most important thing he says is in verse 17 of chapter 34.  The New Living Translation translates it as “Could God govern if he hated justice?”  But the New International Version translates that sentence in a more general fashion, “Can someone who hates justice govern?”  Elihu’s main argument is that since God does govern the world, we know that he must embrace justice.  However, we also see that anyone who wishes to govern even a small portion of this world must embrace justice.

I could stop there, but there is one more thing which Elihu says which is relevant to this.  Elihu asks why people do not say one of two things to God.

• “I have sinned, but I will sin no more.”
• “I do not know what evil I have done.  Tell me and I will stop at once.”

In order to stop injustice we must first stop sinning ourselves and if we do not know what sins we have committed, ask God to show us.