“Behold, I am according to thy wish in God’s stead: I also am formed out of the clay. Behold, my terror shall not make thee afraid, neither shall my hand be heavy upon thee.” Job 33:6-7
Among the more mysterious individuals in the book of Job is the young Elihu. He appears in chapter 32, speaks through chapter 37, and is not mentioned again. He is not one of Job’s three friends who came to comfort him in chapter 2, and he does not receive a commendation or rebuke from God at the end of the book. His speech contains criticisms of both Job for his self-righteousness and Job’s friends for their inability to properly answer Job. This anticipates God’s own answer to Job and His friends in declaring His sovereignty immediately after Elihu’s speech. Elihu’s thesis is unique when compared to Job and his friends: “I will answer thee, that God is greater than man. Why dost thou strive against him? For he giveth not account of any of his matters.” Elihu correctly acknowledges God’s sovereignty which we have previously discussed. In short, Elihu’s claim is that Job’s attempts to vindicate himself before God do not adequately account for the infinite wisdom and authority of God. Moreover, Job’s friends’ failed attempts to answer Job with a rigid philosophy, saying that his affliction proved he was guilty of a particular sin, was equally lacking. I am inclined to consider Elihu to be a wise counsellor, and the fact that he claimed to be speaking on God’s behalf (33:6, 37:2) without being rebuked together with Job and his friends is evidence for this position.
However, we do not have to be dogmatic about Elihu’s person and position in the book to acknowledge his claims. What was Elihu’s role according to Elihu? He claimed to be a mortal man speaking on God’s behalf.
This claim is significant and relevant even today. Throughout the Bible, God has committed His word and truth to men. In some cases, those men were inspired and the messages were infallible, such as when God gave the law to Moses or the prophecies to Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the others which became part of the canon of scripture. He gave wisdom to Solomon, psalms to David, and history to Ezra.
More often, though, God has established that His word is published by men who are not given the same degree of inspiration and infallibility. Elihu’s words need not be taken that he is claiming inspiration in the same sense as the prophets, but simply that he is entrusted with God’s truth. Such is the case of the numerous teachers that God sent to Israel in the Old Testament, and such is the case with preachers today. “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it” (Psalm 68:11).
Why are Elihu’s words relevant today? I believe he describes a pattern that still exists when preachers speak to the church. Consider how the Apostle Paul describes the ministry: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (II Corinthians 5:20). Too often, casual observers either overestimate or underestimate the importance and role of gospel preaching. Some understand that the minister’s message works to apply God’s grace and make people born again when they respond in faith. However, the Bible teaches that the natural man cannot receive the things of the spirit (I Corinthians 2:14), making this work impossible for a preacher to perform. Rather, the new birth happens by the direct operation of the Holy Spirit (John 3:8 and Titus 3:5) instead of the work of the preacher.
On the other hand, it is possible to improperly diminish the importance of preaching below what God has established. It is preaching that God has been pleased to use to call His people to repentance from sin and to instruct them in godliness. Paul declares, “It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” It was God’s decision to use preaching as a means to deliver His people from ignorance and all of the destruction that goes with it. Paul has a consistent formula: Jesus accomplishes the work of redemption, while the preacher fills a role as an instructor, counsellor, and comforter. He acknowledges that ministers were not crucified for the atonement of the church (I Corinthians 1:13), but he describes those same preachers as “labourers together with God (I Corinthians 3:9).
Really, Elihu’s presentation of his position is a quite useful description. He does not claim divinity, nor does he claim to be an angel. “I also am made of clay.” The gospel preacher is a messenger who is of the same frame as any other child of God. When God appears directly to man, such as on Mount Sinai or the Mount of Transfiguration or out of the whirlwind, the natural response of man is fear. Even on the joyful occasion of the announcement of the birth of the Lord by angels, the shepherds were “sore afraid” (Luke 2:9). However, God has established that His word would be published by a great company of unassuming, regular people, made of the same clay as everyone else. This is a very practical arrangement, and also very humbling.
On the other hand, Elihu claimed to speak on God’s behalf. This is nothing to be taken lightly! What reverence, what diligence, what gravity should be given to this labor! Consider Paul’s agricultural analogy in I Corinthians 3: “I have planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.” This is the context of our earlier quotation that “we are labourers together with God.” Again, Paul is not claiming that he is on a team with God in accomplishing eternal redemption; the Bible is clear that Jesus did that work “by Himself.” So, in what sense are Paul and Apollos co-laborers with God? They work in a pastoral sense by teaching, counseling, and encouraging God’s people to be fruitful in their conduct.
Any good farmer understands that there are factors both in and out of his control that affect the quality and size of the harvest. He exerts labor in “planting and watering” and other tasks required for tending to the crop. But, the farmer cannot determine the temperature, provide the sunlight, or create the biological processes which cause the plant to grow. God provides those things. Similarly, the preacher does not control the inward or outward circumstances in the lives of his hearers. He cannot touch their hearts. However, just like a farmer who skipped planting time can also expect to skip harvest, a lazy minister who does not diligently engage in ministry of the word should not expect much increase from his labor, or rather lack thereof.
When I read Elihu’s words, I respond with gratefulness, wonder, and conviction. I’m grateful that God has taken care of His people to arrange for their instruction while they walk as pilgrims in this life. I’m grateful for the examples of faithful, diligent servants that God has used to bless His church throughout all generations, and confident that He will continue to supply so that His truth shall be proclaimed to all generations. I wonder at God’s willingness to use a clay vessel to herald spiritual things, and at His mercy in making those announcements so freely available. Truly, wisdom crieth in the gates, in the public places of the city. And I’m convicted to be more watchful and vigilant, to redouble my efforts in study and prayer, and to spend more time teaching these eternal truths with precision and clarity, only with the Lord’s help.
May we consider the Lord’s instruction to His disciples in Matthew 9:37-38: “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.”