Daily Devotional | Elihu: Compelled to Speak

Many today mourn the loss of our ability to have energetic but respectful conversations about difficult topics. When a controversial conversation begins, we find it almost impossible to assert our opinion without resorting to personal attacks. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem.

We’ve been listening to Job’s three friends giving their opinions on his suffering. In Job 32, we hear from Elihu, a younger man who had been listening to their dialogue. We are not sure when Elihu arrived, but it seems he had listened to the conversation from the beginning.

Elihu had a few good qualities. Initially, he was respectful to his elders. He stated, “I am young in years, and you are old; that is why I was fearful, not daring to tell you what I know” (v. 6). Next, he listened well. He said, “I waited while you spoke, I listened to your reasoning; while you were searching for words, I gave you my full attention” (vv. 11–12). Finally, he was analytical. He realized that the friends had failed to prove Job wrong: “But not one of you has proved Job wrong; none of you has answered his arguments” (v. 12). “But Job has not marshalled his words against me, and I will not answer him with your arguments” (v. 14).

Although Elihu made his own accusations against Job, it is refreshing to see that he was very respectful in his initial response. Unfortunately, we also learn that Elihu was angry (v. 5). The book of James instructs us, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19–20). In a world where few listen, but many have something to say, Elihu is a good reminder that we should seek to listen before we speak.