Job 36

After reading chapter 36:

*Elihu is still speaking. He asks Job to bear with him a little longer, he's going to speak in god's behalf (because God isn't speaking on his own behalf). Every word Elihu speaks is true; he says so.
God knows what he is doing. He takes good care of the afflicted and the righteous. When people experience afflictions, he tells them why he is correcting them. They can then obey and live in prosperity, or ignore him and perish by the sword and die without knowledge.

*Verses 13-14 are about atheists, "the godless in heart." (Me) Apparently we harbor resentment in our hearts and when God chains us, we do not cry for help. So, we are supposed to ask for help from the being who is causing us to suffer? God needs a psychiatrist. Not only that, we will die in our youth, among male prostitutes at temple shrines. This must have been the author's idea of the worst possible death. However, I don't think the author ever considered that a woman might someday be reading these words. I'm pretty sure most of the books of the Bible weren't written for women.

*God speaks to those in their affliction~ which he caused~ to woo them from the jaws of distress to a place of freedom and comfort. In case you didn't get the imagery, he's the master, we are the slaves. Slaves do not talk back, they do not question the way things are, they obey if they want to be fed well and get priveledges. Job is not sufficiently slave-like. He's not grovelling and agreeing with the master, whose every judgement is just, because he's the master.  Job assumes some sort of autonomy and complains about his afflictions. How wicked can you get?

*Verses 22-33 are a description of god's awesome power. No one tells him what to do. God is so great  that people don't understand him. He's been around so long no one even knows how old he is. He is a God of the weather, bringing rain clouds, thunder, and lightening. He throws the lightening bolts himself. This is how he governs the nations. Rain means food. No rain no food. We all know what happens when there is no food.