Sep. 16, 2026

"TRIED & TESTED" "ELIHU REBUKES JOB"

JOB 33:1-37

Elihu begins by giving Job a sense of perspective regarding his

lecturer's words: He now singles Job out, and urges him to listen carefully and weigh every word:

Job 33:1-2 “But please, Job, hear my speech, And listen to all my words. 2Now, I open my mouth; My tongue speaks in my mouth.”

Elihu claims to speak from a pure heart:

Job 33:3-4 “My words come from my upright heart; My lips utter pure knowledge. 4The Spirit of God has made me, And the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

Genesis 2:7 “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.”

Job 33:5-7 “If you can answer me, Set your words in order before me; Take your stand. 6Truly I am as your spokesman before God;
I also have been formed out of clay. 7Surely no fear of me will terrify you, Nor will my hand be heavy on you.”

vs.5- What can prevent confusion and chaos? Only one thing, the authority of the Word of God, the Bible!

*Elihu’s Argument With Job- Job 33:8-11

Job 33:8-11 “Surely you have spoken in my hearing, And I have heard the sound of your words, saying, 9‘I am pure, without transgression; I am innocent, and there is no iniquity in me. 10Yet He finds occasions against me, He counts me as His enemy; 11He puts my feet in the stocks, He watches all my paths.”

Elihu begins his argument by quoting Job in verses 9-11.

*Elihu’s Analysis of God-Job 33:12-33

Job 33:12-13 “Look, in this you are not righteous. I will answer you, For God is greater than man. 13Why do you contend with Him? For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.”

Elihu certainly had things calculated. God is sovereign.

*Elihu’s Arguments Detail God’s Communication With Men:

Job 33:14-16 “For God may speak in one way, or in another, Yet man does not perceive it. 15In a dream, in a vision of the night, When deep sleep falls upon men, While slumbering on their beds,
16Then He opens the ears of men, And seals their instruction.”

In verses 15-16, Elihu describes how God speaks in unusual ways:

God speaks in different ways and is not bound by what we may find convenient or comfortable. In these next verses, Elihu outlines four different ways that God communicates to man.

1. God Speaks Through the Supernatural- Job 33:17-18

Job 33:17-18 “In order to turn man from his deed, And conceal pride from man, 18He keeps back his soul from the Pit, And his life from perishing by the sword.”

2.   God Speaks Through Suffering- Job 33:19-22

Job 33:19-22 “Man is also chastened with pain on his bed, And with strong pain in many of his bones, 20So that his life abhors bread, And his soul succulent food. 21His flesh wastes away from sight, And his bones stick out which once were not seen. 22Yes, his soul draws near the Pit, And his life to the executioners.”

Pain is God's megaphone to arouse a deaf world!

3. God Speaks Through His Son- Job 33:23-24

Job 33:23-24 “If there is a messenger for him, A mediator, one among a thousand, To show man His uprightness, 24Then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.”

He says that God sometimes speaks through His Son, who is Jesus Christ. 

1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 6who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”

This Mediator is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He is both the Mediator and the ransom.

There is only one God and one Mediator between God and man, and that One is Jesus Christ.

4. God Speaks Through Salvation- Job 33:25-30

Job 33:25-30 “His flesh shall be young like a child’s, He shall return to the days of his youth. 26He shall pray to God, and He will delight in him, He shall see His face with joy, For He restores to man His righteousness. 27Then he looks at men and says, ‘I have sinned, and perverted what was right, And it did not profit me.28He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, And his life shall see the light. 29“Behold, God works all these things, Twice, in fact, three times with a man, 30To bring back his soul from the Pit, That he may be enlightened with the light of life.”

As we come to the end of chapter 33, Job is going to be told what the Gospel is by Elihu.

• Here Is Repentance (Job 33:27)
  Repentance is seen in verse 27: "I have sinned and perverted what was right, and it did not profit me." 
• Here Is Redemption (Job 33:28)
  Verse 28 says, "He will redeem his soul from going down to the Pit, and his life shall see the light." 
• Here Is Rebirth (Job 33:25)
  Verse 25 gives us a picture of what it is like to be born again: "His flesh shall be young like a child's, he shall return to the days of his youth.”
•  Here Is Restoration (Job 33:26)

Elihu then says in verse 26 that God "restores to man His righteousness.”

*After Elihu finishes his speech, he literally admonishes Job to listen to the words that he just offered- Job 33:31-33

Job 33:31-33 “Give ear, Job, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will speak. 32If you have anything to say, answer me; Speak, for I desire to justify you. 33If not, listen to me; Hold your peace, and I will teach you wisdom.”

There is a very critical word in this passage that we need to go back and examine. It is the word "Pit," and it is used five times in chapter 33. "Pit" is an Old Testament word for “death."

2 Peter 3:9

The only work that God ever acknowledges is the work of His own Son when He died on the cross and paid the penalty for our sin. 

John 14:6