Introductory Considerations
1. I could not believe it had happened. One minute everything seemed alright and the next minute everything had changed. They had just been married a year before. I had the joy of performing the wedding. Just a few months ago they had found out that she was expecting. A young couple with all of life and its hopes stood before them.
2. And then - just like that - suddenly and without warning it all fell apart. She collapsed and was rushed to hospital where she died within minutes. All because of a small yet powerful blood clot.
3. Her husband had been starting to go to church but was not really a believer. As I waited for him to come over to talk to me about the funeral, I was overwhelmed with what to say to him
4. He needed comfort. He wanted answers. He needed some way of keeping his life together.
Teaching
1. One of hardest things we have to do is to relate and minister and care for those who suffer - whether illness, loss, marriage breakup or other. What do we say to someone who does not understand why this had to happen to her? How do we respond to the man who is angry at God? How do we help someone through tragedy?
2. A few weeks ago we looked at Job and his tragic circumstances. We looked at his three friends and how they cared for him and yet failed at being able to minister to him.
a. Their shortcomings were of two sorts: what they said and how they ministered.
b. We saw how they said that suffering was always God’s judgement upon sin. The idea being that the more one sins, the more they suffer.
c. But we know that God said later that they had not spoken of Him that which was right
d. Second, as we saw, they failed in their method of ministry. They became more heartless as they spoke. They came across as arrogant - we are better since you are suffering more than us. They became argumentative and they failed to prove their case.
3. At this point we may argue that one should care for those who suffer and that we do not need to try and speak the truth about why. Suffering and the ways of God are beyond our ability to understand. That is the way many of as Christians view suffering. We may say that we believe God rules the world and that He is just and wise. Things seem unfair and arbitrary but we know they will be made right when we get to heaven.
a. And this way of faith is not a bad way to live. It means trusting in God through all the unknowns, but the writer of Job lets us know that we do not have to settle for this way of living.
God does not hide all His ways. We may see more of God’s purpose in suffering than we might think and so we he tells us about another friend of Job, one that we have not met before.
b. Elihu has been listening to Job and his friends arguing and he is angry at all of them. And so he says he must speak, the words are just bursting out of him.
c. While Elihu gives good insight as to why God brings or allows suffering to occur, that is not what we will focus on this evening. Instead we consider how E. was able to minister more effectively so that we also may be more effective in our ministry as well.
4. Before we do that I just want to give reason why the writer of Job shows that Elihu’s words and methods represent the truth of God’s word and God’s way of presenting them. I acknowledge John Piper’s sermon on this passage as giving most of these reasons, as well as other insights.
a. 1st - discussion between Job and friends have ended. Ch. 32 begins with prose showing a clear break with that which had been said before. The friends gave up because job was still righteous in his own eyes. E. was angry at friends for failing to find an answer and he was angry at Job because Job had been trying to justify himself rather than God.
b. 2nd - the three friends speeches got shorter and shorter because they were losing the argument. Six chapters are devoted to Elihu’s words and they seem to form a bridge between that of 3 friends and that of God Himself.
c. 3rd - Job does not argue with Elihu because he also could see the truth of what E was saying. In fact in 42:6 Job even repents over some of the very things that Elihu said.
d. 4th - God does not rebuke Elihu as He does the other three.
e. 5th - as we will see another time, E does offer new and fresh insights.
5. We now look at how E was able to minister effectively.
6. Elihu is convinced that he is speaking the will of God as inspired by the HS (Job 32:8).
7. Yet he does not hold forth the truth in arrogance but with humility. He held back in speaking. He dared not say what he knew because he was younger than the others. Out of respect he let them all speak until they has exhausted their words.
8. In jiob 32:6-7, E. says he is just like Job. I’m a sinner just like you, no better. When I was a young Christian sometimes afraid to admit struggles to minister or elders. They had it together and I felt like failure. It is easier to share with one and listen to one who has also gone through struggle and who understands what I’m going through.
9. And so he is gentle. "And so my hand should not be heavy upon you." "You don’t have to be afraid of me." He does not belittle Job or speak harshly to Him. It is easy to get personal. When one is struggling, we can make person feel bad for struggle.
a. They start worrying more about why they can’t accept struggle or understand it than struggle itself. Like person who worries about worrying, afraid of fear they have etc.
10. Though answer easy, seeing it and accepting it and applying it is not. In Job 36:2, E says Bear with me. He does not make process seem easier than it is.
11. He does not take it personal. So easy to make it OUR mission to help person. If not helped, we take as personal failure. Easy as pastor. I learned for most part that I can only do my part - then it is up to God and person in need. In Job 33:22, E. says if you have anything to say - agree, disagree, want me to stop, want to argue. Say it and I will be quiet.
12. When we talk and person doesn’t want to listen what is point of talking. Seen it - person says something - response "I don’t hear you". Gets louder and louder - each time "I don’t hear you". To get someone to listen not a matter of talking louder or longer, but a matter of permission and trust.
a. Or seen other case - one goes on and on and finally other person say, I agreed with you ten minutes ago but you didn’t give me a chance to let you know that I agreed.
b. At same time E shows he is willing to listen to Job. How easy to not listen to another’s point of view or questions when we think we have it all figured out.
c. E. shows he has been listening well all along. He restates Job’s complaints (Job 33:8-11,13) He replies to say that God does speak and that in fact while he speaks in dreams or warnings, but that God is speaks through our misfortunes as well. Problem not God’s but that we don’t hear Him or understand Him (33:14)
d. It helps to restate the problem - to affirm what are we really dealing with. It is easy to get so lost in problems that we loose perspective of what the problem really is. ie. Man with bad temper wonders why every dislike him. He sees problem as belonging to others while really his own problem. As people able to, we must help them gain perspective and take ownership of problems. Listening not just hearing words but understanding the struggle within the person.
13. Job’s friends repeated same argument. E did not repeat over and over - strategy to what is said. Again, because he had listened carefully to Job.
14. We must make sure person understands why we are trying to help them. E. wants Job cleared (Job33:31). Not to win argument but to help person. Not to prove them wrong but to get rid of suffering. Do people see that motive in us? Do we tell them? Is that really our motive?
15. When helping others we must also help them to not seem like helpless victims who cannot get out of suffering by themselves. Not a pity party. Takes effort on sufferers part. Job 34:4 - lets works on this together. Seen those who love to help others and not let them help themselves. They need to be helpers.
a. To the needy, we can give food or seeds so can grow own food.. They would never give seed for then they would no longer be needed.
16. They have to work out answers. (Job 34:33). E. knows Job must decide for self. "Job - you must decide if you need to repent and not I." "You tell me what you know."
a. Job did repent but that does not always happen. Job was righteous but still needed to repent and he did.
b. If person does not, perhaps he or she need more time. Perhaps not righteous and will never repent. Des not mean we fail - we just need to speak as we feel we must.
17. We need to speak or confront with the truth. Two aspects. Truth in general - how God acts, whether He is just, etc., but also personal aspect. E. brings both aspects forth - truth about Job seen in Job 34:35-36.
a. E. does not say Job is a wicked man but he answers "like a wicked man"
18. Good to talk about current problem not past. Rather than what was wrong with you that caused this - what is wrong with you now. Pride - READ Job 33:17, 35:12, 36:9.
a. Job 33:8-12 - as good as Job was he was wrong - still sinner.
b. Last week - Princess Diana’s death. Easy to blame on her lifestyle. I felt somewhat judgemental. This was spiritual pride - Job’s problem and ours. But that’s a different message.
19. What have we learned? - jumped around a bit. How to help those in pain overcome struggle - help to see what God is saying. To know truth but how to apply it in love.
