In Job 34, Elihu spoke with confidence and conviction. He defended the justice and sovereignty of God, declaring, “far be it from God that he should do wickedness, and from the Almighty that he should do wrong” (v10). On the surface, his words rang true since God is indeed just, sovereign, and pure. Elihu’s theological conviction seemed sound—but there was something troubling beneath his argument.

Job 34 serves as a powerful reminder of a sobering truth: a person can speak correct doctrines about God and still not necessarily understand God’s heart. Elihu’s argument rested on a key assumption: if God is good and powerful, then the wicked must deserve suffering. In his mind, there was no room for innocent suffering, because to admit that would mean compromising on God’s goodness. He concluded that Job must be suffering because there were hidden sin in his life. This line of thinking led Elihu to corner Job: if God is always just, then Job cannot be. If Job maintains innocence, he must be accusing God of injustice.

But theologian, Goldingay says in “Job for everyone” that Elihu’s reasoning trapped Job in a double bind. Job understood that God is sovereign and just. However, he was also convicted that he had not done anything to deserve the suffering he’s endured. He was not claiming to be sinless, but he knew he did not had the gloom or deep darkness (v22) against God Elihu was accusing him of. Elihu’s accusation left no space for Job to voice his experience, his anguish, or honest questions.

This was where Elihu’s mistake became clear: he assumed that God’s justice must always be visible in immediate outcomes—that the righteous will always prosper and the wicked will always suffer. In defending God’s justice, Elihu ironically misrepresents it. He turned divine justice into a formula: good equals reward; bad equals punishment. But God is not a vending machine of blessings and curses. His ways are deeper, wiser, and often beyond human understanding. As God will later remind Job out of the whirlwind, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4). Elihu’s error was not in affirming God’s justice but in reducing it to a simplistic system that left no room for grace, or unearned suffering. Elihu’s self-righteousness left no room for Job’s real experience of pain and confusion.

Dear brothers and sisters, this brings us to a vital lesson: we are not called to live rightly because it guarantees a good outcome. We are called to live rightly because God calls us to be holy as He is holy. It reflects the character of the God we worship. The true test of integrity and authenticity is whether we will continue to walk in righteousness even when it brings no visible reward, and even when it leads through suffering.

Doing good is not for transactional obedience. God desires relational trust. In this light, in Job’s wrestle with the dissonance between what he knows of God and what he has experienced in life, instead of suppressing this tension, he brings it before God honestly. This is the invitation to us as well. Faith is not pretending that suffering doesn’t hurt or that questions don’t arise. Faith is bringing our full selves before God—our pain, confusion, and doubt—and still choosing to walk in trust and obedience. It is living rightly not because of what we get, but because of who God is.

Dear brothers and sisters, are there ways we have assumed that doing good should guarantee a good outcome? Have we ever, like Elihu, spoken true things about God but missed His heart in the process? What does it look like for us to live an authentic life of faith even when our circumstances are painful or confusing?

Prayer :

Lord, help me to live in truth—not just in correct doctrine, but in deep understanding of Your heart. Teach me to trust You when life doesn’t make sense. May my life reflect Your goodness not for the sake of reward, but because You are worthy. In Jesus most precious name we pray. Amen.