Embracing Wisdom from Unexpected Sources in Suffering

 

Summary

In today's exploration of the book of Job, we delved into the unexpected wisdom that can emerge from unlikely sources. We continued our journey through Job, focusing on the character of Elihu, a young man who enters the narrative with a fresh perspective. Elihu, whose name means "He is my God," is introduced as a figure who challenges both Job and his friends. Despite his youth, Elihu brings forth significant insights, questioning Job's assertions about God's silence and justice. He argues that God communicates through dreams and suffering, and that divine justice does not always align with human understanding. Elihu's presence in the story serves as a reminder that wisdom can come from unexpected places, and that we must remain open to truth, regardless of its source.

Elihu's three main indictments against Job are that Job claimed God does not listen, that God is unjust, and that serving God is useless. Elihu counters these claims by emphasizing that God speaks in ways we might not expect, that His justice transcends human logic, and that pride can hinder our ability to hear God. Elihu's role is pivotal as he prepares Job for the direct encounter with God that follows. His presence challenges us to consider how we respond to truth, especially when it comes from sources we might not anticipate or agree with.

This narrative encourages us to embrace discernment, recognizing that all truth is ultimately God's truth. It also invites us to reflect on what we can gain from our suffering, rather than focusing solely on what we lose. As we navigate our own trials, we are reminded to seek wisdom from diverse perspectives and to remain open to the lessons God may be teaching us through unexpected voices.

Key Takeaways:

- Unexpected Sources of Wisdom: Elihu's presence in Job's story highlights the importance of being open to wisdom from unexpected sources. Sometimes, profound truths come from those we least expect, challenging our preconceived notions and broadening our understanding. [32:06]

- God's Communication Through Suffering: Elihu reminds us that God often speaks through our suffering and dreams. While it may seem that God is silent, He is teaching us valuable lessons through our trials, shaping our character and deepening our faith. [41:05]

- Divine Justice vs. Human Understanding: Elihu points out that God's justice does not always align with human logic. We may not understand why God allows certain things to happen, but we are called to trust in His ultimate justice and righteousness. [45:59]

- The Role of Pride in Hearing God: Elihu suggests that pride can hinder our ability to hear God's voice. When we become self-righteous, we may miss the lessons God is trying to teach us, emphasizing the need for humility in our spiritual journey. [49:38]

- Gaining from Suffering: Instead of focusing on what we lose during difficult times, we should consider what we can gain. Our trials can lead to a deeper relationship with God, greater empathy for others, and a more profound understanding of life's complexities. [55:51]

Youtube Chapters:

- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:30] - Introduction and Permission to Rest
- [02:00] - Continuing the Journey in Job
- [04:15] - Wisdom from Unlikely Sources
- [08:00] - Elihu's Introduction
- [12:30] - Elihu's Indictments Against Job
- [18:45] - God Speaks Through Suffering
- [23:00] - Divine Justice and Human Understanding
- [28:15] - The Role of Pride
- [32:00] - Gaining from Suffering
- [36:45] - Elihu's Role in Job's Story
- [41:00] - All Truth is God's Truth
- [45:30] - The Importance of Discernment
- [50:00] - Closing Thoughts and Prayer
- [55:00] - Announcements and Dismissal

Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:
- Job 32:1-9
- Job 33:1-13
- Job 34:5-6

---

Observation Questions:

1. What are the reasons Elihu is introduced into the narrative of Job, and how does his presence differ from that of Job's three friends? [35:37]

2. How does Elihu challenge Job's claim that God does not listen to him? What examples does Elihu provide to counter this claim? [41:05]

3. What are the three main indictments Elihu makes against Job, and how does he respond to each of them? [49:38]

4. How does Elihu's perspective on divine justice differ from Job's understanding of justice? [45:59]

---

Interpretation Questions:

1. Elihu argues that God communicates through dreams and suffering. How might this understanding change the way one perceives personal trials and challenges? [41:05]

2. Elihu suggests that pride can hinder one's ability to hear God's voice. In what ways might pride manifest in a person's spiritual journey, and how can it be addressed? [49:38]

3. Elihu emphasizes that God's justice transcends human logic. How can this perspective help individuals reconcile with situations that seem unjust or unfair? [45:59]

4. Elihu's role in the story is to prepare Job for a direct encounter with God. What does this suggest about the importance of being open to unexpected sources of wisdom in one's spiritual growth? [53:04]

---

Application Questions:

1. Reflect on a time when you received wisdom from an unexpected source. How did it challenge your preconceived notions, and what did you learn from the experience? [32:06]

2. Consider a current trial or challenge you are facing. How might viewing it as an opportunity for God to communicate with you change your approach to the situation? [41:05]

3. Identify an area in your life where pride might be preventing you from hearing God's voice. What steps can you take to cultivate humility and openness to God's guidance? [49:38]

4. Think about a situation where you felt God's justice was not aligned with your understanding. How can you practice trusting in God's ultimate justice and righteousness in similar situations? [45:59]

5. Elihu's presence in Job's story highlights the importance of discernment. How can you develop discernment to recognize truth, regardless of its source, in your daily life? [55:51]

6. Reflect on a recent experience of suffering. What have you gained from it, and how can you use this newfound understanding to support others in similar situations? [55:51]

7. Elihu's role was to prepare Job for a direct encounter with God. How can you remain open to the lessons God may be teaching you through unexpected voices or circumstances in your life? [53:04]

Devotional

Day 1: Wisdom from Unlikely Sources
In the story of Job, Elihu emerges as a surprising source of wisdom, challenging both Job and his friends with fresh insights. Despite his youth, Elihu's perspective is profound, reminding us that wisdom can come from unexpected places. His presence in the narrative encourages us to remain open to truth, regardless of its source, and to challenge our preconceived notions. Elihu's insights serve as a reminder that God can use anyone to convey His wisdom, and we must be willing to listen and learn from those we might not initially consider wise. [32:06]

Job 32:6-9 (ESV): "And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said: 'I am young in years, and you are aged; therefore I was timid and afraid to declare my opinion to you. I said, "Let days speak, and many years teach wisdom." But it is the spirit in man, the breath of the Almighty, that makes him understand. It is not the old who are wise, nor the aged who understand what is right.'"

Reflection: Think of someone in your life who you might have overlooked as a source of wisdom. How can you open yourself to learning from them today?


Day 2: God's Communication Through Suffering
Elihu challenges Job's perception of God's silence, suggesting that God often communicates through suffering and dreams. While it may seem that God is silent during our trials, He is, in fact, teaching us valuable lessons and shaping our character. This perspective invites us to view our suffering not as a sign of God's absence but as an opportunity for growth and deeper faith. By embracing this view, we can find meaning in our struggles and recognize the ways God is speaking to us through them. [41:05]

Job 33:14-18 (ESV): "For God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, while they slumber on their beds, then he opens the ears of men and terrifies them with warnings, that he may turn man aside from his deed and conceal pride from a man; he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword."

Reflection: Reflect on a recent challenge or period of suffering in your life. What might God be trying to communicate to you through this experience?


Day 3: Divine Justice vs. Human Understanding
Elihu points out that God's justice does not always align with human logic. We may not understand why God allows certain things to happen, but we are called to trust in His ultimate justice and righteousness. This calls us to surrender our need for understanding and to trust in God's greater plan, even when it defies our logic. By doing so, we can find peace in the assurance that God's justice is perfect, even when it is beyond our comprehension. [45:59]

Isaiah 55:8-9 (ESV): "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Reflection: Consider a situation where you struggle to understand God's justice. How can you practice trusting in His greater plan today?


Day 4: The Role of Pride in Hearing God
Elihu suggests that pride can hinder our ability to hear God's voice. When we become self-righteous, we may miss the lessons God is trying to teach us. This highlights the importance of humility in our spiritual journey, as it opens us to God's guidance and wisdom. By setting aside our pride, we can better discern God's voice and grow in our relationship with Him. [49:38]

Proverbs 11:2 (ESV): "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."

Reflection: Identify an area in your life where pride might be blocking you from hearing God's voice. What steps can you take to cultivate humility in this area?


Day 5: Gaining from Suffering
Instead of focusing on what we lose during difficult times, we should consider what we can gain. Our trials can lead to a deeper relationship with God, greater empathy for others, and a more profound understanding of life's complexities. By shifting our perspective, we can find purpose in our suffering and allow it to transform us in positive ways. This approach encourages us to seek the lessons and growth opportunities that come from our challenges. [55:51]

James 1:2-4 (ESV): "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."

Reflection: Think of a recent trial you have faced. What have you gained from this experience, and how can it shape your future actions and attitudes?

Quotes

Truth is extremely important no matter where it comes from. If there is a sock commercial that has a profound truth that impacts you for years, praise the Lord. Who cares that it was a sock commercial? It was truth. We sometimes get truth from crazy places. [00:31:47]

How comfortable are you when you hear something that is extremely truthful and wise, but it comes from the mouth of someone that you disagree with? We just got out of a political season. What if the opposition party of how you vote said something that is profoundly true? [00:32:18]

What if you are missing some very godly wisdom and truth coming from an unexpected person that you may not agree with? Today, we're going to look at the next act in the book of Job. And it involves a young man named Elihu. [00:32:51]

Elihu, who is now going to tell me his opinion and how much he knows. And that's why wisdom can sometimes come from unexpected sources. And that's my point today is that what we need to hear may come from someone unlikely. [00:55:51]

We need to accept all truth as God's truth. All truth is ultimately God's truth and this is the first of the conflicts I want us to work through today because some of us that makes us really uncomfortable makes me uncomfortable if it's truthful if it is rooted in biblical things then all truth is genuinely God's truth. [00:58:28]

Ultimately all truth is going to go back to God. I have a ball of yarn here and I have like an end here and some of you may have had this frustration before with a ball of twine or something like oh well there's the end so this this must be oh wait that wasn't it it didn't lead back to the rest of the yarn okay well I got another one here so we're going to just follow this one and okay that was a dead end or it didn't end where I thought it was going to now we come across you know the third one and oh wait there it is there's the rest of this this leads back to the rest of the ball of yarn when we are evaluating what is true and what is not ultimately if we hear a statement that somebody says this is true we should be able to follow the logic we should be able to follow the truth all the way back to God's word if we can't then it's no different than those if all of a sudden it's rooted in humanistic thinking or something that is totally opposed to scripture then it is no longer true but the beauty is is when I hear a true statement even from an unlikely source it's amazing how I can find things rooted in scripture more than the person that said them even knew at times all truth is God's truth those of you that are in high school and school middle school intermediate school learn the difference between truth and a lie now God's word is ultimately the root of it all if you can't find it in there then it isn't true when it comes to things such as some of the things I know you're being taught in the school systems today always ask is this true according to God's word now just so you know if you find out it's not that doesn't give you permission to not do your homework okay that's not gonna fly parents I'm doing that one for you you can pay me later but you need to do your best to see is this God's truth okay second thing that is gonna be a wrestle for some of us is we need outside perspectives to gain a wider perspective all of us have blind spots we have our opinions but our opinions may not be well -rounded they may not be perfect and this is why yes from time to time we need to hear some uncomfortable words from people who see things differently or see a bigger picture because they may give us a better perspective on ourselves and our beliefs than we knew it's uncomfortable for me to hear criticisms of the church from people that have nothing to do with the church but from time to time some of those criticisms I've heard have been true I just am uncomfortable with them and it gives me a bigger perspective of what do we as the church need to work on and I can't say well they aren't Christian they don't just understand if it is true then I should listen and the Holy Spirit will guide I know some people are uncomfortable with this the Holy Spirit will give you a wrestle if it isn't true God's word will absolutely give you a wrestle if it is not true we need outside perspective to get a bigger picture on things the last thing that I just want to add in today because as I read through Elihu one thing that came to my mind is what are we going to gain out of our suffering what will you gain out of your suffering we oftentimes think about what we lose in our suffering and what we no longer have in our suffering but a perspective change for us is what are we going to gain out of this Elihu spoke some truth into the life of Job whether he wanted to listen to him or not it didn't matter Job heard it and Job had the opportunity to gain something greater out of his suffering than he even imagined from the get -go and Elihu spoke into his life and gave him something that he could gain from and for you and I it's this what am I going to come on the other side of this time and period of trial and tribulation with that I did not have before is it a closer relationship with the Lord possible is a greater understanding of suffering possible is it how I can help other people going through difficulty that's possible what am I going to gain from this and focus on that more so than what you are losing and it will change a perspective within you let's have a word of prayer father I thank you for the words of Elihu this young man who chose to he'd had enough and he had to speak up and so he did and father even as we wrestle with this thing of truth we know your word is truth it is your word we know that you give us the Holy Spirit as someone who counsels us and directs us and guide us guides us and Lord if we haven't listened to the Holy Spirit enough I ask that you would awaken him within us that we would listen awaken our hearing to hear him when we are hearing things that are not of you and we would be okay with walking away but Lord also help us to be open to what you are saying through unlikely circumstances and unlikely voices I think of the truth that was spoken to Balaam through an animal if you can speak through an animal you can speak through other humans and so father give us the courage give us the discernment give us the wisdom to gain from other voices around us Lord and I ask that you would always ultimately steer us back to your word and a love of your word that we can put full confidence in it and Lord I ask for anyone that is continuing to try to see you in their suffering right now I ask that you would help them to switch their view from not what they have lost or are losing but Lord what they are going to gain out of this experience that will be used by you in their life and the lives of others do not let them be defeated let them be grounded in you and God that they would rejoice in what they have gained even while it is still difficult that they would see your hand in it all just as Job would at the end of his life we ask all of this in the name of Jesus amen I don't know if the Lord has stirred something in you this morning but if you would like someone to pray with maybe it's something going on before you got here today I don't know but we are going to have a member of our prayer team up here we want you to come up and they you tell them as little as much as you want and they will pray with you for your needs it's a great encouragement to have people praying over us and we want to be a church of prayer speaking of that one of the best ways to let us know prayer requests in your life is on your connect card your connect card we ask and encourage you to drop it in the offering boxes either in the back by the sound booth or right up here please put those down so we can be praying for one another also with that is giving and giving is always a great way to support the ministry here thank you so much for your faithful giving I say it every week but I mean it it was cool for us to be able to send off the DR team early early my word Saturday morning good night I didn't know 2 a .m. existed so we got them there I got text messages last night when they land it was a balmy 95 degrees for those of you that love 95 which is better than the last time we went that was 130 so I'm envious of them but they are going to be they're actually in church this morning a Spanish speaking church so they're going to see what it's like to be somebody who doesn't speak the native language and they're going to be visiting some of the Haitian battees over the next few days and ministering there with another church from Nashville North Carolina be a prayer for them it's a long week we had some health issues there at the very end so please be praying for their health their energy and more importantly that God uses them and changes them for the rest of their life when they come back so this impacts them for the rest of their days so be a prayer for them giving though that is part of that it goes towards supporting the ministry here and everything that we do as a church so apart from that that's all we have I appreciate you all being here if you're a guest hey come up say hi if I'm talking to someone just pull me by the arm and yank just don't dislocate anything so I would love to say hi to you and just get to know and see what brought you here so Easter season is coming last encouragement who are you inviting this Easter season who are you inviting this Easter season God gives us this opportunity to introduce people to his son Jesus and what he did for us what are we going to do with that think about that you're dismissed have a great week [01:00:58]

Elihu reminds us that God often speaks through our suffering and dreams. While it may seem that God is silent, He is teaching us valuable lessons through our trials, shaping our character and deepening our faith. [00:42:56]

Elihu points out that God's justice does not always align with human logic. We may not understand why God allows certain things to happen, but we are called to trust in His ultimate justice and righteousness. [00:46:38]

Elihu suggests that pride can hinder our ability to hear God's voice. When we become self-righteous, we may miss the lessons God is trying to teach us, emphasizing the need for humility in our spiritual journey. [00:50:16]

Instead of focusing on what we lose during difficult times, we should consider what we can gain. Our trials can lead to a deeper relationship with God, greater empathy for others, and a more profound understanding of life's complexities. [00:56:01]

Chatbot

  • I'm an AI bot trained specifically on the sermon from Mar 10, 2025. Do you have any questions about it?

Transcript
What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?
Were there any personal stories shared?