“Then Elihu…burned with anger.  He burned with anger at Job because he justified himself rather than God.  He burned with anger also at Job’s three friends  because they found no answer, although they had declared Job to be in the wrong.  Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job because they were older than he…and Elihu…answered and said, ‘But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, the makes him to understand.'”  Job 32:2-4, 8 ESV

After many years of walking with the Lord the one thing I know is He Himself, and beyond that I don’t know very much!  God keeps us on a “need to know” basis more often than most religious types can bear to admit.  That was the exact problem with Job and his three “good” friends.

Working with God requires that we learn the lesson Elihu taught them, or we just might be tempted to throw in the towel when we run out of explanations for the most difficult circumstances in life.  Job was a true man of God, but stubbornly refused to admit that he didn’t know everything about spiritual matters.  This led him to justify himself at the expense of honoring God.  His friends were lower than Job on the spiritual foundational ladder yet refused to admit their divine ignorance.

All of these guys were guilty of being subtle hypocrites or what is commonly referred to a “religious!”  This happens when a Christian doesn’t know what he or she doesn’t know but keeps acting like they do anyway!  The best thing is to always be honest with God, others, and most demanding, yourself.  Because neither Job nor his three friends knew anything about Satan’s legal maneuverings in the unseen realm of the spirit (Job 1:6-12), they were ill equipped to deal with the consequences playing out in their own back yard!

We have access to the Bible which forewarns us Satan is the “accuser of the brethren” (Revelation 12:10).  They didn’t have that revelation.  The result was they attacked God and accused each other until a “less wise” young man with an understanding of the spirit, spoke up.  So, the lesson for us in not to be a a hard-headed know-it-all.  Trust that Jesus discerns all things and will work it all out for your good…no matter what.  If not you may never see Him coming!!

*this is an excerpt from Rocky’s book, “Everyday Preparation for Jesus’ Return”