Leaders set high standards for those under their direction that can often seem overbearing. What the superiors intend for discipline and growth can seem like punishment in the process. Only after enduring and succeeding do the team members recognize the purpose of the difficulty.
Elihu was frustrated by Job’s dialogue with his friends. Their inability to come to a consensus was one problem. A bigger problem was their diminished view of God in the conversation. Elihu feared that if Job continued down that pathway, he would lower his standards and allow himself to make unrighteous choices and find comfort in sin (Job 36:21).
Job had been saying all along that he revered God and had not made any sinful choices that required the punishment he was experiencing, but his friends had pointed out times they knew he had made mistakes and been ungodly. Job would not have denied those things. He would also likely have agreed with Elihu. The last thing he wanted was to wander from God.
The solution for sin and suffering, in Elihu’s view, was to magnify God. He was the one who makes water drops evaporate and distills the rain into mist (Job 36:27-28). His ways are higher than man’s, so He can be at work in the roughest of storms to bring His glory and His people’s growth.
Elihu said the thought of God’s majesty and power made his heart pound in his chest (Job 37:1). When was the last time the majesty of God truly filled you with awe? Pray for His glory to give you confidence in His ways.
Pray for His glory to give you confidence in His ways. Let the majesty of God fill you with awe and inspire your faithfulness to Him.
