Job 36

Elihu continues his discourse, asserting God's mighty power, wisdom, and impartial justice. He explains that God preserves the righteous, but chastens them in affliction to prompt repentance, while the wicked and hypocrites face destruction. Elihu admonishes Job, suggesting his suffering is due to choosing iniquity over affliction, and warns against God's inescapable wrath. He concludes by extolling God's incomparable greatness, seen in His control over nature, from the water cycle to the clouds and light.

Elihu commences his final address, affirming God's omnipotence, wisdom, and righteous judgment, stating that God despises no one but deals justly with all. He elaborates that God preserves the righteous and exalts them, yet when they are afflicted, it is to reveal their transgressions and call them to repentance. Obedience leads to prosperity, while disobedience results in perishing. Conversely, hypocrites accumulate wrath and die prematurely. Elihu then directly addresses Job, implying that God would have delivered him to prosperity had he not chosen iniquity. He warns Job against God's wrath, which cannot be appeased by wealth or strength, and urges him to forsake sin. Elihu concludes by emphasizing God's unparalleled power and unsearchable wisdom, evident in His control over the natural world, from the formation of rain to the vastness of the clouds and the depths of the sea, demonstrating His judgment and provision.

Elihu proceeds with his discourse, asserting his perfect knowledge and intention to ascribe righteousness to God, who is mighty in strength and wisdom and despises none. He explains God's justice: He does not preserve the wicked but grants rights to the poor and watches over the righteous, even exalting them to thrones. When the righteous face affliction, God uses it to reveal their transgressions and open their ears to discipline, commanding them to turn from iniquity. Elihu states that obedience leads to days of prosperity and pleasure, but disobedience results in perishing without knowledge. He contrasts this with hypocrites who heap up wrath, dying young and living among the unclean, while God delivers the poor in their affliction. Elihu then directly addresses Job, suggesting that God would have removed him from his distress to a place of abundance, but Job has instead fulfilled the judgment of the wicked. He sternly warns Job to beware of God's wrath, from which no great ransom or riches can deliver, and advises him not to desire death. Elihu admonishes Job to take heed and not regard iniquity, for he has chosen it rather than affliction. He then shifts to extolling God's supreme power, asking who teaches like Him or can command His way or accuse Him of wrongdoing. Elihu urges Job to magnify God's work, which is visible to all men, acknowledging God's unsearchable greatness and eternal nature. He illustrates God's power through His control over the water cycle, making small drops of water, pouring down rain from vapor, and clouds distilling abundantly upon man. Elihu questions who can understand the spreadings of the clouds or the noise of His tabernacle, noting how God spreads light and covers the sea's bottom. Through these natural phenomena, God judges people and provides sustenance, covering light with clouds and commanding its shining. The noise of His thunder and the cattle's reaction to the vapor further attest to His majestic power.