NOTES for Job 33:1-33
Addressing Job, Elihu wants to defend God. His words contain much that is true and reasonable, against which one does not wish to object. He too seems to accuse Job, yet the words spoken almost in passing, I desire to justify you, distinguish him substantially from the previous speakers. Elihu certainly accuses, but accusation is neither a passion nor an end in itself for him.
But is Elihu free from self-exaltation, and does he have the right to speak on God’s behalf? Doing so is tantamount to putting oneself in His place. Yet can a human being say anything on behalf of Him whose ways and thoughts are not ours? And even with the greatest zeal, can one suppose that sincerity of conviction is by itself equivalent to truth?
Elihu’s words and thoughts are another step toward the truth, but they are not yet the truth itself. Attempts to speak on God’s behalf are too risky and may lead one away from Him.