A person's age is often a benchmark for the trust others place in them. The older a person is, the wiser and more experienced he or she is perceived to be. Today we see that wisdom and discernment often do not always coincide with one's age. Rather, it is based on a person's willingness to process and rely on God in his life.
Our reading this time features a new character in the midst of the dialogue that took place between Job and his friends. His name is Elihu, someone who appears to be younger than Job and his friends. Eventually Elihu had to speak up and appear in the midst of the loud debate. His appearance was motivated by unrest over Job's self-righteousness and Job's three friends who gave up trying to convince Job. Elihu's position was largely the same as Job's friends in that he was convinced that Job was not righteous/just before God. The suffering that Job was experiencing was a warning to abandon his pride.
Elihu appeared and expressed his opinion in a straightforward and formal manner as usual in teaching and discussion. He was intent on building an incisive discourse. The motivation for his courage was similar to that of Job's friends, an honesty of heart and unrest at Job's errant behavior. Elihu's basis for starting the discussion was the equality between himself and Job because after all, God had both formed them from clay.
Elihu had listened carefully to Job's words and used them as accusations. Repeatedly Job proclaimed himself innocent, clean, and pure and placed God as the one who was always watching him and as if he was hostile to him. Elihu could not accept these arguments. According to Elihu, God cannot be portrayed as someone who is hostile to others or looking for ways to trouble them. God is far above His creatures and should not be blamed. Philosophically and theologically, Elihu's opinion is acceptable, but he overlooks the fact that Job's expressions were part of his way of coping with being hit by almost unbearable suffering. In the end Elihu was simply repeating the same pattern that had been used by Job's friends.
The courage and opportunity to speak does not depend on one's age. Nonetheless, one must cultivate his words well and deliver them with wisdom and humility. Without both, our words can lead to one-sided judgment and hurtful, heart-stabbing words like Elihu. So ask God for His wisdom to guide us to speak with wisdom and be a blessing to others.
