“Be assured that my words are not false; one who has perfect knowledge is with you.”
Jobs’ young friend Elihu gives us a lesson on how not to treat those who are suffering. He gets on a roll, and talks himself past the truth. As I’ve said before, bad theology usually comes from one of two areas… either the wrong view of God - or the wrong view of ourselves. And Elihu suffers from the latter. He is a little too sure of his intellect.
Elihu‘s statement claiming “perfect knowledge” is followed by some scripturally accurate observations. However, he goes too far and draws inaccurate conclusions. Elihu proclaims that if men obey and serve God “they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.” Thus, he assumes that Job’s suffering has been caused by Job’s sin.
While scripture teaches us that righteous living can shield us from the consequences of sin, it also is clear that all men face suffering in this broken world… Even patriarchs like Abraham, Moses, and David suffered. But Elihu’s erroneous assumptions supported his arrogance and self-righteousness, so he goes with it.
What we can learn here is that we have the propensity to do what Elihu did. We can “cherry-pick” truths to exalt ourselves and support the judgement of others. This comes when we lack poorness in spirit. It happens when we have an elevated view of our own righteousness. I’ve got to keep that in mind when I counsel others, especially those who are hurting. I have a close relationship with God. I trust His Word. But I cannot let that blind me to the fact that I am a sinful man who has limited knowledge of the circumstances in any given situation. I should be God-assured, but not so self-assured.
If I can’t give advice based on scripture, in context, then I shouldn’t give advice. Elihu needs more poorness of spirit. He needs to humbly offer guidance with the realization that he doesn’t see the whole picture. When we help the wounded, we need to have empathy. Never water down truth but our advice must be scriptural and should be offered humbly and carefully and always delivered with a “sore eye” and a “limp”. (Matthew 7:5 & Genesis 32:31).
“The poor in spirit are deeply aware of being God-made and God-sufficient.”
- Eugene H. Peterson
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