As he finishes his speech, Elihu continues the hymn he began to the greatness and wisdom of the Creator (vv. 1-24). At first glance it may seem that it is no different from similar doxologies already pronounced by Job himself and by his friends. But Elihu ends his speech by mentioning God's righteousness, His just judgment, and the fact that God oppresses no one (v. 23). The wise in heart, Elihu says, experience "fear" before God, that sacred awe of which the ancient sages said that it is the source of true wisdom (v. 24). It would seem that there is nothing special in these words of Elihu; he is merely repeating what by his time had long since become commonplace in discussions of wisdom. But in essence, when Elihu recalls the fear of God as the foundation of true wisdom, he has in mind something quite different from what the ancients spoke about. Speaking of the fear of God, or sacred awe, they meant above all the state that overtakes a person who has met God face to face. It was caused precisely by the awareness that something incredible was happening, that a person had found himself in immediate nearness to the One who is, in essence, infinitely far from human beings.
Such an experience is supernatural at its root; it is connected with the awareness of the incredibility of what is happening, with the reality of the miracle that every step God takes toward a person is. It is no wonder that the reality of the impossible, which becomes possible because of God's direct intervention in a person's life, gives that person reverence before God and sacred awe before Him. Elihu, however, is speaking of something else. He means the entirely natural feeling of admiration that seizes a person at the sight of the greatness and beauty of God's world. Of course, the wisdom and power of the Creator truly are manifested in this beauty. But there is nothing supernatural in the experience that overtakes a person at the sight of the beauty of creation. Naturally, a believer understands perfectly well to whom the world owes its beauty, greatness, and harmony. But he also understands that the world is no more than a mirror reflecting its Creator. One can admire the reflection of the Creator, which is beautiful insofar as the One reflected is beautiful. But it would hardly occur to anyone to experience sacred awe before the reflection of the One who inspires that awe. Elihu, however, calls Job to be content with the reflection and not to lay claim to anything more.
