Do you have any examples you can share of legitimate questions re Elihu that Elihu fans were not willing to answer?
Sure. Thank you for the question. There are unanswered questions and at times a lack of acknowledgement of basic facts in the story that I have encountered from others. I'll share some here:
1. Have you noticed that Elihu is the only one who affirms Elihu? God explicitly affirms Job, both at the beginning and the end of this story, but where is there any explicit affirmation of Elihu by anyone?
2. It clearly says four times that Elihu is burning with anger. This is what launches him into his speeches. If Elihu is there to "help" Job, how does delivering his speech while burning with anger going to benefit Job? How is his burning anger supposed to be helpful?
3. In Job 34:37 Elihu accuses Job of adding rebellion to his sin. He is accusing Job of being rebellious *in addition* to his sin. What is the sin Elihu is accusing Job of?
4. In Job 34:36, Elihu is wishing punishment on Job. How does this comport if Elihu is there to be some kind of mediator?
5. Have you noticed that the way Elihu speaks to Job is completely different than how God speaks to Job? Elihu's speeches toward Job are dominated by harsh statements and accusations. His words are full of harsh judgment and criticism. Comparatively, the majority of the way God speaks to Job is in the form of questions. Did you notice that?
6. In Job 35:2 Elihu accuses Job of saying that his righteousness is more than God's. Where does Job say this? I do read in chapter 9 where Job explicitly says the exact opposite of this accusation, but can you point to where Job says what Elihu is claiming?
7. In Job 36:4 Elihu says that one who is "perfect in knowledge" is with them, referring to himself. Then in Job 37:16 Elihu refers to God as perfect in knowledge. So Elihu is equating himself with God here. Did you notice that? Does that sound right to you? Isn't it strange that even Jesus Christ Himself when He walked the earth "did not consider equality with God something to be grasped" as it states in Philippians 2. Do you support this claim of Elihu about himself?
8. Elihu claims that he will teach Job wisdom. Can you explain what wisdom Elihu has to offer that Job does not already have? Did you know that the chiastic structure of Hebrew poetry puts the most important part of its text in the middle? In this case that is chapter 28 and is attributed to Job. The final line in that chapter is the bullet point for the entire story, namely, "Behold, the fear of the Lord, that
is wisdom; and to depart from evil
is understanding." So, again, what wisdom does Elihu have that he needs to teach Job, as he claims?
I have more but I'll tie pause here. Thanks again for the question.