Elihu continues

35:2 'my righteousness is more than God's draws on Job in 10:7
35:3 'what advantage ...' draws on Job in 9:22

and so on. Elihu draws heavily on Jobs words in his earlier speeches. Your marginal references and memory will help you notice many more quotations from Job's earlier words.

Job 36

Elihu continues
And now he ventures to be Gods spokesman.
He tells Job that God does listen to and look upon the righteous but will not tolerate the wicked.

35:13 In saying 'surely God will not hear vanity' Elihu is implying that Job was vain. Though notice he does not actually make the accusation. He leaves Job to draw his own conclusions. This is an evil way of speaking. If the words are questions then Elihu could easily say 'you are misunderstanding me.' Do we ever talk like this?

36:6-7 This is not strictly correct. The wicked do prosper and the righteous suffer. Given this error in Elihu's reasoning we have to conclude that even though he claimed to be speaking on behalf of God he was not inspired by God to speak as he did.

35:15 And now Elihu asserts that God is angry with Job. Again we must be careful if we choose to form a judgement about what God thinks about anyone else.

36:2 Having (35:15) claimed to know what God thought about Job Elihu now proceeds to speak as if he is the oracle of God - but his words are his own!

35:14-16 We read in these verses the concluding rebuke of Job by Elihu. How could Job expect God to answer him? and that his charges against God placed him in company of sinners.

Elihu explains the treatment that Yahweh gives to the wicked and the righteous (36:6,7).  The life of the wicked is not saved; they die never to see the light of day again.  However, the poor (humble) (see Matt 5:3) are given that right (privilege).  These righteous will be established forever (Matt 13:43).

35:4  In saying ‘thy companions …’ Elihu is claiming to both answer Job and also his friends – implying that he was of the opinion that they were in error and that he would be able to sort them out as well!

36:3  In saying that he ascribes righteousness to God Elihu is attacking Job who claimed to be righteous himself a number of times in his speeches - Job 9:15 etc:

36:4 Whilst Elihu claims his words ‘shall not be false’ he has already – Job 34:8 – uttered one falsehood.

35:3   “For thou hast said …” shows that Elihu is responding exactly to what Job has said. Whilst we do not see many exact quotations of the words that Job used we realise that Elihu is responding to the sentiments bound up in the words that Job used.

36:7 Elihu concedes that Yahweh is interested in those who are righteous.  And, Yahweh will test the righteous (Psa 11:5).

36:21 Elihu warns Job to accept Yahweh's trial and not to sin.  The sin is to desire death so as to circumvent the trial.  Job wished for death (3:3-5).  He had yet to learn that Yahweh tries those whom He loves (Heb 12:6); and that Yahweh will not try a person beyond his/her ability.  The lessons for Job are also lessons for us.

36:16-18 Elihu seems to be saying that God is capricious and that Job should be careful lest God just punishes him. However God is not capricious. He works by consistent principles so Elihu seems to not correctly understand God.

35:6-7 Elihu’s presumption that Job’s behaviour has no impact upon God is clearly false. God is concerned with what we do.

11:5 for I am rich Hosea 12:8
11:8 in one month Hosea 5:7
11:17 his arms shall be clean dried up 1 Kings 13:4

11:5 'I am rich ...' reflects the thoughts of Ephraim Hosea 5:7 but she did not know that she was 'miserable, poor and naked and' Revelation 3:17 This self delusion which carried on into the captivity separates from God. It can be a problem for ourselves as can be seen from Jesus comment in Revelation 3:17. Spiritual richness is not measured in fleshly terms. Those who are 'rich towards God' demonstrate this richness in their manner of life.

We realise that Matthew quotes part of 11:12 when speaking of the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. However, as the table below shows, the language of this area of Zechariah is very much the basis for the language of Matthew.

The quotation that Matthew makes is not a casual use of Scripture. Rather his is drawing on a theme in Zechariah

The shepherds of v.3 are forces external to Israel (like the shepherds in yesterday's reading).  However, the shepherds of subsequent verses mostly have to do with Israel.  Largely, this chapter is talking about the role of Zechariah as Israel's shepherd in which he mirrors Christ as the shepherd of Israel (both natural and spiritual).  Zechariah was rejected by Israel just as Jesus was.   Zechariah was pushed around by Israel, and his insulting wages (v.12) were the same as a slave who had been pushed around (Exo 21:32).  Jesus was betrayed for the same amount (vs.12,13).  After Zechariah's rejection, Yahweh told him to take on the role of a false shepherd who would bring destruction (vs.15-17).  Zechariah had to dispense with three other leaders of Israel (shepherds v.8) who were not doing their job properly.  Jesus condemned the three leading elements of His day: the Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes. 

11:1 Having spoken of judgment upon Tyre in chapter 9 along with judgment upon others Zechariah now turns to speak of judgment upon Lebanon.

11:17 In speaking of the arms of the idol shepherds being ‘dried up’ Zechariah is alluding to 13:4 when a man who tried to oppose the prophet of God was punished.

11:8  We have seen other links to the earlier prophet Hosea. Here we have another one. The shepherds which were to be ‘cut off in one month’ echoes Hos 5:7.

This chapter is primarily talking about the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar in the 6th. Century BC.  Then, there can be a secondary prophetic application.

V.1 The temple is being referred to hear and not the country of Lebanon. Cedars from Lebanon were brought down to construct the temple (1Kin 5:10; 6:9).  The destruction of the temple is figuratively portrayed by Ezekiel (Eze 17:3).

V.17 This is an end time prophecy concerning the false prophet who opposes the Truth.  He and his apostate system of worship will be destroyed by the Lord Jesus when He returns (2Thess 2:3,4; Rev 16:13;19:20; 20:10).

12:3 The use of 'dragon' catches the way that the Old Testament speaks of nations as dragons. Babylon Jeremiah 51:34 and Egypt Ezekiel 29:3 are both styled as dragons. This dragon catches the evil of mankind in its opposition to God. Indeed by calling the dragon 'the old serpent Revelation 12:7 we are taken back to the garden of Eden and the original lie which opposed God.

So even if we cannot actually identify the dragon of this chapter we know the sort of things it does and so can avoid association with it.

13:1-2 This terrible beast which John saw is a composite of the beasts which Daniel saw Daniel 7:3-8. We know from Daniel that those beasts represent the four kingdoms of Daniel 2.

Here we have an interesting linking of three Old Testament passages. Exodus 1 is the birth of Moses. Isaiah 66 Jesus and Psalm 2 the work of Jesus in the kingdom.

Following our comment in June we notice this link with the image which Nebuchadnessar had set up. Whilst Daniel worshipped God the advisors sought to cause him to fall by seeking to cause him to compromise his worship of his God.

The quotation from Genesis 3 shows, that despite all the pomp and power of the nations they are in reality just the seed of the serpent and so will be destroyed by Christ at his return.

So we are back with the image which Nebuchadnezzar set up. A pattern of the kingdom of men.

12:11 In saying that some "loved not their lives unto death" Jesus quotes his own words (Luke 14:26) as an encouragement to those who had to live through the period this chapter speaks of.

13 The repeated quotations from Daniel 7 shown above highlight that Revelation is concerned with a power which bore the characteristics of those nations spoken of in Daniel. Revelation 13 speaks of a composite of the nations alluded to in Daniel 7.

12:5 The woman flees into the wilderness pursued by the red dragon. A woman is seen coming out of the wilderness riding a scarlet coloured beast – Rev 17:3. What is the relationship between these two women?

13:9  ‘If any man have an ear …’ is a challenge that Jesus made during his ministry Matt 11:13  etc: The challenge of the book of Revelation is no different from the rest of Scripture. It is a call to repentance and a taking heed to the words of God.

13:17  We should not confine our thinking to commercial trading when we read of buying and selling. Prov 23:23 speaks of the ‘truth’ in terms of buying and selling. Isa 55:1 speaks of buying ‘without price’ clearly speaking of the message of salvation. Here in Revelation we see a situation where the promulgation of the gospel is controlled by men – as the Roman Catholic Church has, in the past, told it’s adherents that they should not read the Bible.

13:7    In making war and overcoming the saints the language of Dan 7:21is echoed. The context in Daniel  is that at this time the ‘Ancient of days’ will stand to deliver the saints.

12:10 The deliverance from the powers of the previous verse bringing salvation is based upon the destruction of the power of sin through the works of the seed of the woman as outlined in Genesis 3.

IV. Wrested passages used to try and prove that the devil, Satan = supernatural fallen angel:

     A. Rev 12:7-9 

           1. Compare 1:1 - things SHORTLY to come to pass   2. Why is the disclosure of the devil's true identity reserved for the last book of the Bible? And why is it used in such a symbolic setting (verses 1-6)?   3. Verse 9 says serpent, devil, Satan = great red dragon, having seven heads, ten horns, seven crowns on his head. This sounds figurative, not literal.   4. In the Lord's prayer, it says "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven." If God's will is always done in heaven, then how could there be an actual rebellion of angels, and some cast out? Heavens here are symbolic - Isa 1:2,10;Deut 31:30;32:1   5. When this happens (verses 7-9), then verse 10 says that it brings about the kingdom of God and power of His Christ. How does this fit something that supposedly happened before creation?

     B. Isaiah 14

          1. A proverb of the king of Babylon (verse 14) i.e. Assyria-Babylon (verse 25)   2. Verse 13 - he wanted to ascend into heaven, to exalt his throne above the stars - the fallen angel was supposedly already in heaven   3. Verse 13 - "I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the North". The king of Babylon-Assyria wanted to take Jerusalem - Psa 48:2; Isaiah 36 & 37 may be historical fulfillment - see especially Isa 37:37-38.   4. Verse 16 "Is this the MAN...?"

     C. Luke 10:17-18

          1. Jesus saw it. How could it then refer to something before creation?   2. The passage does not say that Satan fell from heaven. It says that his fall was swift as lightening falling from heaven. It refers to demons being in subjection to the seventy disciples (see verses 17,19).

13:18 The numbered beast is contrasted with the lamb of the next chapter. (Rev 14:1) .