Who is Elihu?

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PennEd

PennEd

Senior Member
#1
Apr 22, 2013
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#1
Elihu introduces himself as the youngest of those talking to Job. Beyond that, we don't know much about this guy.

The Lord in chapter 42 doesn't say anything good or bad about him, like He does to Job and his 3 friends. He just kinda disappears.

Elihu says some apparent good things, but there might be some little hints that maybe something is amiss with him. I have heard some say that he is Satan, and I've heard others say he is a Christophany (appearance of Christ in O.T.)

I honestly don't know what to think about him, but I suspect he is very important. I'd be interested to hear what others think about him.
 
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Godsgirl83

Guest
#2
#2
Interesting that you bring this up.
I do not have an answer to give you; however,
(I wish I could remember where) I heard this somewhere a few days ago........
I can not remember what I was listening to, but the same point was made about neither good or bad was said, he was there and then "disappears".
Just think that's interesting that something/someone so seemingly small, overlooked and missed by many would come up 2x's within a short time period for me.
This will be interesting........................
 
Dino246

Dino246

Senior Member
#3
Jun 30, 2015
25,470
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#3
I'd suggest starting with the meaning of his name, and then examining his speech to see if it lines up with the truth about God as revealed elsewhere. :)
 
Mii

Mii

Well-known member
#4
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
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#4
I actually just heard someone mention this on a radio Q/A show last week I think...they called in and mentioned it offhandedly and the hosts (who usually have on point answers to everything just sort of ignored it). Possibly the main question was more important.

@Godsgirl83 some CSN broadcast is where I heard it.

There are few "mystery characters" that I wonder about in the word. I consider these "side quests" of a sort. Not pivotal to our mission here generally speaking but specifically it could matter a lot to an individual believer depending on what the Lord has called them to.

I am now curious enough to read all of Job. I'm not sure if I ever have to be honest, even though prior to this post I would have been pretty confident I had read through it. I tried at one point recently but I kept skipping the other people during the responses because they seemed like "wise men" to me and the Lord's response at the end is like...well why allow something clearly in error into my mind?

There's more to it though so ty for bringing it back up.
 
G

Godsgirl83

Guest
#5
#5
Mii said:
@Godsgirl83 some CSN broadcast is where I heard it.
Click to expand...
interesting......
I haven't had the tv on in a while, so it wouldn't have been there that I heard it......
I was listening to a christian teaching on youtube....... I just can't remember which one, it was an older sermon :unsure:.....
 
Lanolin

Lanolin

Well-known member
#6
Dec 15, 2018
23,460
7,188
113
#6
PennEd said:
Elihu introduces himself as the youngest of those talking to Job. Beyond that, we don't know much about this guy.

The Lord in chapter 42 doesn't say anything good or bad about him, like He does to Job and his 3 friends. He just kinda disappears.

Elihu says some apparent good things, but there might be some little hints that maybe something is amiss with him. I have heard some say that he is Satan, and I've heard others say he is a Christophany (appearance of Christ in O.T.)

I honestly don't know what to think about him, but I suspect he is very important. I'd be interested to hear what others think about him.
Click to expand...
The only one that was straight up with Job and told him he was being self righteous.

Yep. Sometimes people need someone like that.
 
Nehemiah6

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
#7
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
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#7
PennEd said:
Elihu says some apparent good things, but there might be some little hints that maybe something is amiss with him.
Click to expand...
None of Job's friends really understood why God brought all those calamities on Job. The reasonable assumption for their time was that God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous. It is only in the New Testament that we see that the righteous suffer greatly, while the wicked enjoy life.

Elihu was clearly upholding the greatness, the righteousness and the justice of God. But at the same time he was falsely accusing Job of wickedness. However Job admitted his ignorance about God and His ways, and that was the truth.

God had already called Job a righteous man, so when his friends assumed that Job was devastated because he was wicked, they made false accusations. But Elihu is just Elihu, neither Satan nor Christ. And Noah, Daniel, and Job are singled out by God in Ezekiel as the three truly righteous men who would escape divine judgment.
 
Mii

Mii

Well-known member
#8
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
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#8
Godsgirl83 said:
interesting......
I haven't had the tv on in a while, so it wouldn't have been there that I heard it......
I was listening to a christian teaching on youtube....... I just can't remember which one, it was an older sermon :unsure:.....
Click to expand...
Radio...I don't watch TV :p

I didn't realize they did a TV thing :(
 
Nehemiah6

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
#9
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
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#9
Lanolin said:
The only one that was straight up with Job and told him he was being self righteous.
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Since God called Job righteous, it is obvious that he was NOT self-righteous. Had you suffered what Job suffered, you might has said some things which should not have been spoken. But Job was truly puzzled by his tremendous calamities for absolutely no reason. And many of us would be in similar circumstances.
 
Mii

Mii

Well-known member
#10
Mar 23, 2019
2,082
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#10
Nehemiah6 said:
God had already called Job a righteous man, so when his friends assumed that Job was devastated because he was wicked, they made false accusations. But Elihu is just Elihu, neither Satan nor Christ. And Noah, Daniel, and Job are singled out by God in Ezekiel as the three truly righteous men who would escape divine judgment.
Click to expand...
What does that last sentence even mean? This concept has run away with me to some really "curious" places.

I do agree with your second post though. People don't always understand the depths that the Lord will take some people to because they haven't ever been there. This kind of thing allows me to trust in his sovereignty more than anything else as the God who sees. It just gets confusing when you focus on it too much. My life follows like that sometimes and it just doesn't make any sense. It's something I'm not really prepared to speak about yet. Essentially, there are allowances based off the situation that you are in...Cursing the Lord is clearly off the table (Ty Job :) ) Other than that? I've gone through so many mental places some shake my trust. Some cause me to question my faith. They don't seem to last very long but it does grow me and cause me to dig into scripture in a way I can't see how I would if they didn't occur. I praise him for that.

Sorry if that was a tad vague.
 
G

Godsgirl83

Guest
#12
#12
Mii said:
Radio...I don't watch TV :p

I didn't realize they did a TV thing :(
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dunno if they do...... i mostly read and watch/listen to stuff online
Got me curious enough to go back and check y history and relisten to everything from the past week, lol but that will take A LOT of time........
 
Prognostic

Prognostic

Junior Member
#13
Jan 5, 2018
102
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#13
Sometimes some things are just mysteries to us no matter how hard and how much we research them (the mysteries of life).

One day we'll know in full though, just like we are known in full now.

Until that day comes, just embrace it!
 
Nehemiah6

Nehemiah6

Senior Member
#14
Jul 18, 2017
26,074
13,774
113
#14
Mii said:
What does that last sentence even mean? This concept has run away with me to some really "curious" places.
Click to expand...
I did not really want to get into this in detail, but kindly read and study Ezekiel 14:12-20. The context is the wickedness of Israel and God's judgments which would follow.

Thanks for sharing your personal experiences. I generally avoid that.
 
JamOn

JamOn

Banned
#15
Jun 10, 2019
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#15
Who ever he was, it seems he showed Job he wasn’t an enemy because of affliction.
 
longtrekker

longtrekker

Senior Member
#18
Sep 23, 2014
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#18
jimd

jimd

Member
#19
Dec 9, 2017
124
20
18
#19
PennEd said:
Elihu introduces himself as the youngest of those talking to Job. Beyond that, we don't know much about this guy.

The Lord in chapter 42 doesn't say anything good or bad about him, like He does to Job and his 3 friends. He just kinda disappears.

Elihu says some apparent good things, but there might be some little hints that maybe something is amiss with him. I have heard some say that he is Satan, and I've heard others say he is a Christophany (appearance of Christ in O.T.)

I honestly don't know what to think about him, but I suspect he is very important. I'd be interested to hear what others think about him.
Click to expand...
First and foremost we should realize God counts all who have faith and trust in Him righteous, even though we all have many and varied faults. Job was righteous the same way we are, through the mercy and grace of God. The proof that Elihu had the discernment to identify Job and his three friends problems is the fact God did not require repentance from him as He did from the others.
 
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garee

Banned
#20
Mar 28, 2016
15,954
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#20
I would offer . It reminds me of the son of man walking in the cleansing fire with three others in the book of Daniel .

God agreed with Elihu's interpretation as two walking together in perfect harmony and then Elihu disappears. Lesson in humility for Job.
 
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