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Summary
Elihu lectures Job on the case between God and Job. He offered some great insights on God. We know later his judgement on his friend is wrong.
Job 35:1,3-16
1 It is not right, Job, for you to say that you are innocent in God’s sight,
[3]or to ask God, “How does my sin affect you? What have I gained by not sinning?”
[4]I am going to answer you and your friends too.
[5]Look at the sky! See how high the clouds are!
[6]If you sin, that does no harm to God. If you do wrong many times, does that affect him?
[7]Do you help God by being so righteous? There is nothing God needs from you.
[8]Others suffer from your sins, and the good you do helps them.
[9]When people are oppressed, they groan; they cry for someone to save them.
[10]But they don’t turn to God, their Creator, who gives them hope in their darkest hours.
[11]They don’t turn to God, who makes us wise, wiser than any animal or bird.
[12]They cry for help, but God doesn’t answer, for they are proud and evil.
[13]It is useless for them to cry out; Almighty God does not see or hear them.
[14]Job, you say you can’t see God; but wait patiently — your case is before him.
[15]You think that God does not punish, that he pays little attention to sin.
[16]It is useless for you to go on talking; it is clear you don’t know what you are saying.
Job 36:1,3-33
1 Be patient and listen a little longer to what I am saying on God’s behalf.
[3]My knowledge is wide; I will use what I know to show that God, my Creator, is just.
[4]Nothing I say to you is false; you see before you a truly wise man.
[5]How strong God is! He despises no one; there is nothing he doesn’t understand.
[6]He does not let sinners live on, and he always treats the poor with justice.
[7]He protects those who are righteous; he allows them to rule like kings and lets them be honoured for ever.
[8]But if people are bound in chains, suffering for what they have done,
[9]God shows them their sins and their pride.
[10]He makes them listen to his warning to turn away from evil.
[11]If they obey God and serve him, they live out their lives in peace and prosperity.
[12]But if not, they will die in ignorance and cross the stream into the world of the dead.
[13]Those who are godless keep on being angry, and even when punished, they don’t pray for help.
[14]They die while they are still young, worn out by a life of disgrace.
[15]But God teaches people through suffering and uses distress to open their eyes.
[16]God brought you out of trouble, and let you enjoy security; your table was piled high with food.
[17]But now you are being punished as you deserve.
[18]Be careful not to let bribes deceive you, or riches lead you astray.
[19]It will do you no good to cry out for help; all your strength can’t help you now.
[20]Don’t wish for night to come, the time when nations will perish.
[21]Be careful not to turn to evil; your suffering was sent to keep you from it.
[22]Remember how great is God’s power; he is the greatest teacher of all.
[23]No one can tell God what to do or accuse him of doing evil.
[24]He has always been praised for what he does; you also must praise him.
[25]Everyone has seen what he has done; but we can only watch from a distance.
[26]We cannot fully know his greatness or count the number of his years.
[27]It is God who takes water from the earth and turns it into drops of rain.
[28]He lets the rain pour from the clouds in showers for the whole human race.
[29]No one knows how the clouds move or how the thunder roars through the sky, where God dwells.
[30]He sends lightning through all the sky, but the depths of the sea remain dark.
[31]This is how he feeds the people and provides an abundance of food.
[32]He seizes the lightning with his hands and commands it to hit the mark.
[33]Thunder announces the approaching storm, and the cattle know it is coming.