Job 33:14–18

He had completely failed in the reverence due to God. He had entirely forgotten the infinite distance between God and man, and the majesty of God. So instead of finding fault with himself for falling so far short, he found fault with God. He did not understand His ways fully. Now he ought to have trusted them, though he did not understand them.

God does not speak only once to a man. He speaks "twice, in fact three times," because we are poor listeners. God cares deeply that souls should be brought back from the Pit. That means rescue from the negative horror of being without God, and instead the positive blessing of being enlightened with the light of life.

It seems to be part of God's ways to warn twice. Then, if no one listens, He strikes the third time without any warning. Later on we do get the word, "God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it" (Job 33:14). Elihu's words proved true here.

He has learned the lesson well, that "power belongs to God." God had spoken it once, but Jesus had heard it twice. He heard it with a full witness of its truth; so wide did He open His ear to divine instruction morning by morning (Isa. 50:4). Man is a duller scholar. (See Job 33:14)

His object is to correct wrong thoughts and actions. It is to withdraw man from "mischief," or his own purpose, and to hide pride from man (geber, the hero or mighty man). This goes deeper than action, for pride lurks in the heart, and God would hide it from man — hinder its control over him. "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins" (Ps. 19:13).

The same truth holds with even fuller force now. We do not need a revelation by dreams and visions; we have it in the written word of God. He who spoke in many ways — dreams among the rest — has now given us the full revelation of Himself in His Son. That revelation, the entire word of God, we have in the Scriptures.

"He keeps back his soul from the pit" — such is the merciful object of God's intervention — "and his life from perishing by the sword." Here is more than a dream of the night or a passing vision. Here are corrective ways, as well as glimpses of God's light — or of His judgment, which the man was despising.

You have heard the voice of God. He has spoken and you have not paid attention. Perhaps twice this very day you have heard the voice of God through His Word... You have heard the Word of God but you have not perceived it. You have let it go by you unheeded. Some of us who know the Lord can look back and remember how many times He spoke to us, and we did not listen... But has He given you up, given up His pursuit of your soul? No.

Not only was Job judging God, but he was also not subject to Him. There was a lack of submission in his heart. If God was dealing with him, why did he not ask Him, instead of murmuring?

Since God is invisible, He speaks to man in ways that do not show Him personally, but ways that awaken man's serious attention... Though man may not perceive that it is God speaking to him, yet often God does so "in a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men." At such a time God has a captive audience, whether man wants to listen or not. God spoke to Pilate's wife this way (Matthew 27:19), though sadly Pilate did not act on her advice. He had already trapped himself by his weak indecision.

When all is quiet at last, God can speak... So insomnia, or sleeplessness, can sometimes be a hidden blessing. It is always a good habit, when we cannot sleep, to praise and pray.

The word for deep sleep, tardemah, is never used of natural sleep. It is used of sleep that is either supernatural, sent for a special purpose (Gen. 2:21; Gen. 15:12; Job 4:13; Job 33:15), or spiritual, part of God's dealings in governing man (Prov. 19:15; Isa. 29:10).

When the light of nature is withdrawn, when all is silent, He speaks in "a still small voice" and makes known His mind. So instruction is sealed on the heart of man. His purpose is to correct wrong thoughts and actions, to withdraw man from "mischief," or his purpose, and to hide pride from man (geber, the hero or mighty man). This goes deeper than action, for pride lurks in the heart, and God would hide it from man — hinder its control over him.

If a dream is a warning against what I may be inclined to do, or if it humbles me, then I should take it to heart.

Verses 15-22. He shows God using the plough — of a dream, of a striking providence, of bodily pain or sickness — to break up such fallow ground. And such is the work to this day... Verses 23-24. The sower comes after the ploughman. The seed is the Gospel. God provides the ransom and brings deliverance to the sinner.

He begins with the first work of God in the man who does not know Him. It is grace working to awaken an unconverted soul... It is exactly what marks divine mercy in appealing to the unconverted man. He is carried away by his own will. But God knows how to bend or break it.

The same truth is in even fuller force now, for we do not need a revelation by dreams and visions, but have it in the written word of God. He who spoke in many ways (dreams among the rest) has now given us the full revelation of Himself in His Son.

I think I have been aware of God whispering little things to me about myself. He advised me to be careful about what I was doing. He made me judge myself in a way I had not done before... The great point is that it is altogether inferior to the word. This is where we have our great advantage.

Here Elihu rightly begins at the beginning. He starts with the first work of God in the man who does not know Him. It is grace working to wake up a soul that is not yet converted... This is exactly what marks out God's mercy when He appeals to the man who is not converted. His own will carries him away. But God knows how to bend it or break it.

"Then he opens the ears of men" (verse 16). That is what this chapter shows. It does not say "believing" men; it is any man, so that he may believe. Yet we do not always behave as believers. When that happens, we may get a little word that simply shows us where we are — that we are "walking as men," as the apostle said.

Elihu makes it plain that God does speak to man in this way. When the light of nature is gone, when all is silent, He speaks in "a still small voice" and makes His mind known. In this way He seals the instruction on the heart of man. His aim is to correct wrong thoughts and actions, to draw man back from "mischief," or from his own purpose, and to hide pride from man. The word for man here is geber, the hero or mighty man. This goes deeper than what a man does, for pride hides in the heart, and God would hide that pride from him — He keeps it from ruling him.

When there was no Bible, no written revelation of God, God spoke to individuals by dreams and visions. He does not do so any longer, for we have His finished Word, which makes His will known to us.

He may speak in a dream or a vision. Scripture records that He has often done so, and He clearly still does. It happens most with simple believers who know little of the Bible, and who may not even have much of it in their own language. Where believers have the Bible to teach them — a better kind of guidance — dreams in which God speaks are rare by comparison. And if God does speak to a man in a dream, what is it for? To change his course, and to humble his pride into the dust.

When God sends people dreams, He "opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction" (v.16). This is not to flatter man's pride, but the very opposite: "to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man" (v.17). In other words, if a dream is a warning against what I may be inclined to do, or if it humbles me, then I should take it to heart.

Then, too, "sickness" comes and strikes many. It stops all activity. The whirl of busy life gives way to the quiet of a bed of pain. This has done good to thousands. Then, "He opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction" (Job 33:16). In the quiet they learn how worthless their own efforts are, and where they can find true peace.

In this chapter Elihu shows Job one common way God deals with people, though God does not always work this way. He is not limited in how He reaches men, and can act on the soul in many ways. Elihu rightly begins at the beginning, with the first work of God in the man who does not know Him. It is grace working to awaken a soul that does not know God… This is just what marks out divine mercy when it appeals to such a man. His own will carries him away. But God knows how to bend or break it.

We all forget too easily the weighty fact that "God tries the righteous." "He does not withdraw His eyes from them." We are in His hands and always under His eye. We are the objects of His deep, tender, unchanging love; but we are also the subjects of His wise moral government. His dealings with us are varied. They are sometimes preventive, sometimes corrective, always instructive. We may be bent on some course of our own, the end of which would be moral ruin. He steps in and withdraws us from our purpose. He dashes our castles in the air to pieces. He scatters our golden dreams. He breaks in on many a favourite plan our hearts clung to — a plan that would have ended in certain destruction.

His object is to correct wrong thoughts and actions. He withdraws man from "mischief," or his purpose, and hides pride from man (geber, the hero or mighty man). This goes deeper than action, for pride lurks in the heart, and God would hide it from man — hinder its control over him. "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins" (Ps. 19:13). So man is kept back from destruction. He bows to the correction of God's truth, and so is spared the smiting of the rod, or of the sword.

Chastenings are not always for actual faults. Job 33:18-19 says, "he keeps back his soul from the pit, his life from perishing by the sword. Man is also rebuked with pain on his bed and with continual strife in his bones." Verse 17 tells us the purpose: to hide pride from man. Then in chapter 36 the chastening is for positive faults (v. 9).

When there was no Bible, the revelation of God, God spoke to man individually by dreams and visions. He does not do so any longer, for we have His completed Word in which His will is made known to us.

When God sends dreams to people, He "opens the ears of men, and seals their instruction" (v.16). This is not to flatter man's pride. It does the very opposite: it is "to turn man from his deed, and conceal pride from man" (v.17). In other words, if a dream is a warning against what I may be inclined to do, or if it humbles me, then I should take it to heart.

Every effort to justify myself before God is striving against God… God "opens the ears of men, that He may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man." Then the man must pass through this sore pain and affliction. It may be through some fall that all self-trust is blighted.

In this very chapter Elihu points out to Job a fairly common way of God's dealings, though by no means a fixed rule. God is not at all limited in His methods of reaching men, but can act on the soul in many ways. He begins with the first work of God in a man who does not know Him. It is grace working to awaken a soul that has not yet turned to God... "He keeps back his soul from the pit" — such is the merciful purpose of God's intervention — "and his life from perishing by the sword."

In these remarkable words Elihu was acting the part of the interpreter with Job. He showed the good purpose of God in His dealings with men, however hostile those dealings appear. He aims at delivering them from the "pit" of self-esteem and self-satisfaction in this life, and the "pit" of judgment and condemnation in the life to come.

Chastenings are not always for actual faults. In Job it is said (chapter 33:18-19), "He keeps back his soul from the pit... He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and with strong pain in many of his bones"; and we find from verse 17 that this is for the purpose of hiding pride from man. Then in chapter 36 the chastening is for actual faults.

His aim is to correct wrong thoughts and actions, to withdraw man from "mischief," or his own purpose, and to hide pride from man — the word means the hero, the mighty man. This goes deeper than action, for pride hides in the heart, and God would hide it from man — stop it controlling him. "Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins" (Psalm 19:13). So man is kept back from destruction. He bows to the correction of God's truth, and is spared the striking of the rod, or of the sword.

"Then he opens the ears of men" (v. 16). That is what is shown in this chapter. It is not "believing" men; it is any man, so that he might believe... "That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man." You see, it is one who had never yet been broken. "He keeps back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword." He was on the straight road to it.

There is another way God has of pursuing a soul: He preserves from sudden danger. I well remember when I was a boy of sixteen, a brother of mine shot a partridge. The bird fell into the water. "Fetch it," he said, and I plunged into the sea. The bird was not worth sixpence, but I risked my life, risked my soul, to get it. Only the mercy of God brought me to shore... But He spared me, that He might save me.

"Then he is gracious to him, and says, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom." This is a vivid way of presenting what God was about to do in due time. It is not given here only as a picture and a promise. The language is plain — perhaps as clear as any words in the Old Testament, looking forward to that infinite work which we now know was finished at the cross of Christ.