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Sep 30, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
As Elihu winds down his theodicy presented to the destitute Job, he condenses his presentation to two truths. We find these in verses 22 and 23: “Behold, God is exalted in power; … and who has said, ‘You have done wrong?’” God is all powerful and nothing can hinder his accomplishing his will. God is perfectly just, so that the will he accomplishes is an expression of justice. In verses 19-21, Elihu mentions three refuges that sinners seek in order to avoid reconciliation with God’s holy wrath.
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Aug 26, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
Elihu interacts with Job on the mystery of God’s ways with a sinful world, its sinful people, his wrath, and his way of bringing people to repentance and obedience. The righteous are always under the protective eyes of God (7). In a prophetic word about the exalted position of the righteous, Elihu tells Job that they are exalted and seated with kings on the throne.
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Aug 26, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
After Elihu has given a lengthy defense of the justice of God in light of Job’s protests that he has not been allowed to present his case (Job 34, 35), he reprimanded Job for seemingly challenging God as his equal and concludes, “Job opens his mouth in empty talk; he multiplies words without knowledge” (35:16) God uses this same accusation against Job (38:2).
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Jul 30, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
Elihu continues to uncover the faulty thinking of Job about his righteousness and its relationship to God’s process of purifying him. He argues that Job wants God to bend to his perceptions of sin, justice, and righteousness to meet his own (1-8). “Do you think this to be just?” Elihu implies that Job exalts his standard of righteousness above God’s. Job has responded to this trial, in some sense, by implying that his life should have gained him merit before God.
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Jul 6, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
Elihu has challenged Job to listen to him in light of the failure of Zophar, Eliphaz, and Bildad. He invited Job to answer him as he had answered the other three interlocutors. Having rebuked Job for apparent self-righteousness (32:2; 33:9), and introduced the possibility that divine revelation is needed for certainty in these matters (33:13-16), Elihu has given a compelling notice of the advantage of a mediator who can ransom a man from the pit of righteous punishment.
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May 22, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
To Preserve a Man from the Pit: God’s Mercy in RevelationJob 33:1-18Now, a young man, Elihu, possibly the author of this book, felt compelled to speak (chapter 32). He has held his peace until this final word from Job was done. He has seen Bildad falter and Zophar refuse to continue the engagement (32:15). He has listened to Job’s remarks, which silenced the arguments of the three friends (32:12).
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Apr 2, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
Job claims honesty in all his dealings with others (31:5-8). Job now begins a series of possible conditions that would justly bring about divine judgment on him – “If I have walked with falsehood . . . If my step has turned aside from the way.” About seventeen sections begin with “If I have . . .” Sometimes, these “If” clauses contain more than one conceived action. They are followed by what Job would consider a just consequence of retribution.
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Mar 26, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
by | Mar 26, 2024 | Old Testament, Practical TheologyHere in the finale of Job’s last appeal for a hearing with God, he lays out his case that he is willing to plead with this all-powerful being that seems to be his adversary. He laments the loss of former days of favor with God and man (Job 29:1-11) He was an oracle of wisdom and a power for righteousness and justice (29:12-17).
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Mar 18, 2024 | 
christoverall.com | Tom Nettles
This longform highlights the way in which confessions of faith embody and thus express the vital elements of the Christian faith. At the genesis of the Christian life both mental consent and heart engagement are present—“Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord; believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead” (Rom. 10:9).
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Feb 8, 2024 | 
cbtseminary.org | Jonathan Edwards |Andrew Fuller |Tom Nettles
Finally, in the effort to smash Job with a submission of conscience to hypocrisy, guilt, and divine retribution, Bildad issues his final speech (25). Some suggest that the shortness and apparent inconsequential nature of this speech indicates that text has been lost in the transmission. It is more probable that the text is intact, but Bildad is not. He utters truisms but has run out of any ability or nerve to seek to make headway with Job.
