Day 30

Tuesday, March 23
Job 32-33

As long as humans live on earth (and probably when they start living on Mars) younger generations will believe themselves smarter than older generations. If you’ve ever thought, heard, or said the phrase “OK, boomer” you know what I’m talking about. There is a specific sort of arrogance that comes with youth, and naturally, we are unable to recognize it in ourselves until we have aged.  

Elihu is nailing that youthful angst in today’s reading. While he certainly could have been more respectful to his elders, he offers an interesting take on Job’s suffering.

Much like Job’s other friends, Elihu is not able to tell Job or us why Job is experiencing so much suffering. If he could have pointed to a moment in time, a choice Job had made, or a truth about the world to explain it all Elihu would have earned the right to be a bit cocky.

Instead, Elihu does the thing we have to try to do for each other in hard times. He tells the truth about God. In what are surely the standout verses from today’s reading he says:

“Surely there’s a messenger for this person,
a mediator, one out of a thousand
to declare one’s integrity to another
so that God has compassion on that person and says,
‘Rescue this one from going down to the pit;
I have found a ransom.’”
Job 33:23-24

Jesus was still a long way from coming, but even in one of the most difficult books of the Bible he is present.

Elihu may not have had all of the answers. Some of his ideas and guesses about Job’s situation might have been completely wrong. He couldn’t fix things. He couldn’t remove Job’s pain.

He pointed to a savior. In the face of unexplainable suffering, may we do the same.

Reflection by Denee Bowers