Job 32:6 - Meaning and Application

Elihu here appears as a man of real modesty and humility. Though he was young and gifted, he was not pushy, overconfident, or arrogant. His face shone, and like Moses, he did not know it, which only made it shine more brightly.

Let this be noticed by everyone, especially by young people, as an example worth following. He was very unsure of himself and of his own judgment, as Job 32:6 says: “I am young, so I was afraid, and did not dare to show you my opinion.” He had paid close attention to everything that was said, and he had thought deeply about it. He did not ignore the matter as something outside his concern, and he did not avoid it because it was hard. Still, however clear it seemed to him, he was afraid to speak because he was younger than the others and thought he might be wrong or act in a way that did not suit him.

This teaches us to be cautious about our own judgment in unclear debates. We should be quick to listen to others and slow to speak our own thoughts, especially when we disagree with people we respect for their learning and godliness. Elihu also showed great respect for his elders, and he expected much from them, as Job 32:7 says: “Days should speak.” Age and experience give a person a great advantage in judging things. They provide more material for thought, and they also mature the mind’s ability to use it.

That is a good reason for older people to keep learning and to teach others. Otherwise, the gifts that come with age become a shame to them. It is also a good thing for younger people to listen to their instruction. Elihu’s humility showed in the patient attention he gave to what his seniors said, as Job 32:11-12 shows. He waited for their words as someone who expected much from them, because he regarded them as serious men. He listened carefully to their reasons so that he could understand their meaning, the aim of their speech, and the strength of their arguments.

He did this with diligence, even though they were slow and spent a great deal of time searching for what to say. They often had to look for both thoughts and words, and they paused and hesitated. Still, he did not let that distract him, because if their reasons were truly convincing, they would not be less true because of a weak delivery. He also listened even though they were wandering and saying little of value, since none of them answered Job’s words in a way that really settled the matter. Yet he kept listening, hoping they would eventually come to the point.

We often have to be willing to hear what we do not like, or else we cannot test everything rightly. Elihu uses his patient listening as a reason why he now had the right to speak in return and ask for their attention. He had listened, so he could speak. Those who have heard may speak, and those who have learned may teach. He also uses it as the basis for judging what they had said. He had seen where they were trying to go, and so he knew what to answer.

We should understand our brothers’ views well before we criticize them. Anyone who answers a matter before hearing it, or after hearing only part of it, is acting foolishly and shamefully. Such a person is both out of place and overbearing.

Elihu also appears as a man of good sense and courage, someone who knew when to speak and when to stay silent. He was respectful enough not to interrupt his friends, but he was also faithful enough to truth and justice not to betray them by silence. He boldly says that human beings are rational creatures, and therefore each person has a mind able to judge, and each one should be allowed to speak in turn. He means the same thing Job meant when he said, “I have understanding as well as you” (Job 12:3), but Elihu says it more modestly: “There is a spirit in man” (Job 32:8).

If he meant that he had special revelation, as some understand it, he would have needed to prove that. But if he meant only that he had reason as well as they did, they could not deny it. That is the honor of every person, and it is no arrogance to claim it. So he concludes, “Therefore listen to me” (Job 32:10). From this we learn, first, that the soul is a spirit, not made of matter itself and not dependent on matter. It is able to deal with spiritual things, which are not seen by the senses.

Second, the soul is an understanding spirit. It can discover and receive truth, think and reason about it, and then guide life by it. Third, this understanding spirit is in every person. It is the light that gives light to everyone (John 1:9). Fourth, this understanding spirit comes from the breath of the Almighty, because he is the Father of spirits and the source of understanding (Genesis 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12:7; Zechariah 12:1).

Elihu also teaches that those who rise above others in rank and dignity do not always rise above them in wisdom, as Job 32:9 says: “Great men are not always wise.” It would be a blessing if they were, because then their greatness would never be used to do harm, and their wisdom would do even more good because of their position. People should be chosen for wisdom, and those who have honor and power need wisdom most and have the best chance to grow in it. Still, it does not follow that great men are always wise, and so it is foolish to accept everything they say without question.

The aged do not always understand what is right and fair. Even they can be mistaken. So they must not expect every thought to bow to them, and they should not take correction as an insult. Instead, they should receive it as help from those younger than themselves. That is why Elihu says, “Therefore I said, listen to me” (Job 32:10). We should be ready to hear good sense from people who are in every way below us and yield to it when it is true. A person with clear sight can see farther on level ground than someone with poor eyesight can see from the top of a mountain. Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king (Ecclesiastes 4:13).

Something needed to be said to clear up this dispute, which had only become more tangled by everything said so far (Job 32:13). Elihu is saying, “I must speak, or else you may think you have found wisdom and fully settled the case against Job. You may think Job cannot be corrected or humbled except by your argument that God has brought him low, not man. From his severe suffering, you conclude that God is against him, and therefore he must be a wicked man. I need to show you that this is a false idea, and that Job can be corrected without accepting it.”

Or Elihu may mean, “I must speak, or else you may think you have found the best way: stop arguing with Job and leave it to God to strike him down.” It is time to speak when false ideas are being advanced and defended, especially when people claim they are defending God by using them. It is also time to speak when people use God’s judgments to feed their own pride, anger, or unfair and unkind criticism of others. Then we must speak up for God’s honor.

Elihu also says he has something new to say, and that he will handle the dispute better than it has been handled so far (v. 14). He expects to be heard kindly for two reasons. First, he will not answer Job’s claims of innocence, because he accepts them. So he is not coming against Job as an enemy. Job has not spoken directly against him. He has nothing to object to in the main point of Job’s speech, and he does not disagree with Job’s basic beliefs. He only wants to give Job a gentle rebuke for his angry words.

Second, he will not simply repeat the arguments already used, nor will he follow the same line of thought. He says, “I will not answer him with your speeches.” He means, not with the same ideas, because if he only repeated what had already been said, he would rightly be dismissed as unnecessary. He means also, not in the same spirit, because he does not want to show the same irritation toward Job that he sees in them. A wise person will leave a dispute alone once it has been fully discussed, unless he can improve it in some way. There is no point in doing again what has already been done.