When God Speaks Through the Fire: The Righteous Rebuke of Elihu (Job 32-37)

Main Point:

God often speaks through unexpected voices to call us to humble trust, heart-level repentance, and deeper worship of His sovereign rule—even before the whirlwind.

Introduction

We’ve been walking through the book of Job, and it’s been raw, heavy, and honest. We’ve seen Job lose everything—his family, his health, his wealth. We’ve listened to him pour out his confusion and protest to God. And we’ve heard the maddening drone of his three friends trying to “fix” Job with shallow theology and rigid formulas. But now, in chapters 32 to 37, someone new steps onto the stage—a young man named Elihu.

He hasn’t spoken until now. He’s been listening. And when he speaks, he brings a fire that feels different. He’s not perfect, but he burns with holy zeal for God’s name and speaks with a clarity the others lacked. And what’s more—God never rebukes him. That’s worth paying attention to.

Elihu reminds us that sometimes God’s word comes to us through unexpected voices. He speaks through pain, through nature, through the overlooked and the young. He speaks not just in power, but through purpose. So today, I want us to listen carefully—to lean in. Because before the whirlwind of chapter 38, God is already speaking.

Point 1: God Uses the Young and Unknown to Proclaim Wisdom (Job 32:1–22)

Elihu enters the scene burning with righteous anger. He’s angry at Job for justifying himself rather than God, and he’s angry at the three friends for failing to refute Job with sound theology. Listen to his words in Job 32:18: “I am full of words; the spirit within me constrains me.” He’s been silent, respectful of age and hierarchy, but now the Spirit compels him to speak.

This is important: Elihu isn’t speaking out of pride. He’s been listening. He’s waited his turn. He shows that humility and conviction can coexist. In a culture where age brought authority, Elihu models that spiritual maturity doesn’t always track with chronology.

In the ancient Near East, the elderly were revered and young people were expected to remain silent in public discourse. But Elihu breaks this norm. And we shouldn’t miss the theological significance of this: when the Spirit of God fills someone, God will use that person regardless of their social status or age. As John Calvin once wrote, “The Word of God is not bound to age or station, but speaks where it pleases, through whom it pleases.”

We’ve seen this throughout history. Think about Malala Yousafzai, the young Pakistani girl who defied the Taliban and advocated for the education of girls. Her voice, though young, carried weight because it was forged in the fire of suffering. Elihu’s voice is similar—he speaks because God has stirred something holy within him.

Here’s the application for us: Don’t ignore God’s voice just because it comes through an unexpected messenger. Don’t tune out a new believer, a child, or someone who hasn’t walked with Christ for decades. The Word of God doesn’t need a pulpit—it needs a surrendered heart.

Point 2: God Rebukes Arrogant Theology That Puts Him on Trial (Job 33:1–33)

As Elihu continues in chapter 33, he shifts from rebuke to reason. He invites Job to listen carefully and then confronts him—not for wickedness, but for accusing God of injustice. Elihu says in verse 13, “Why do you contend against him, saying, ‘He will answer none of man’s words’?”

This is where Elihu begins to refine and correct Job’s theology. Job, in his pain, has drifted into dangerous territory. His laments have started to take the form of accusations. He’s no longer just asking why—he’s starting to suggest that God is unjust.

Elihu reminds us that while lament is holy and welcomed by God, there is a line we must not cross—the line where we begin to put God on trial. And Elihu calls Job out on this with compassion and clarity.

Christopher Ash, in his commentary The Wisdom of the Cross, writes, “Elihu’s speeches challenge us to remember that while lament is holy, charging God with wrongdoing crosses a line into dangerous pride.” That’s exactly what’s happening here.

And we see this same dynamic in our culture today. We live in a time where “deconstruction” is a trend—people airing their grievances with the church, with Christian doctrine, and sometimes even with God Himself. There’s a place for honest reflection, but we must be careful. There’s a difference between wrestling with God and putting Him in the defendant’s seat.

Elihu reminds Job—and us—that God is greater than man (v. 12), and He does not owe us an explanation. He graciously gives insight, but He is not accountable to us. If your “why” has turned into a clenched fist rather than open hands, it may be time to let Elihu’s rebuke sink in.

Point 3: God Speaks Through Pain to Rescue, Not Punish (Job 33:14–30)

Elihu presents a deeply insightful theology of suffering. He explains that God speaks through pain—not necessarily to punish, but to save. In verses 14–30, he describes dreams, warnings, and even sickness as divine wake-up calls meant to rescue the soul from destruction.

Verse 14 says, “God speaks in one way, and in two, though man does not perceive it.” And verse 24 speaks of God sending a mediator to “ransom him from the pit.” Elihu paints suffering not as divine revenge but as divine mercy.

This theology is profound—and very different from the rigid retribution of Job’s other friends. Elihu seems to understand what Psalm 119:71 later expresses: “It was good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.”

The Puritans had a phrase for this: they called affliction “God’s shepherd dog.” It may bite, but it’s driving you away from danger and toward the fold.

Derek Kidner puts it this way: “Suffering, far from being only punitive, may be preemptive—a kindness that alarms us out of complacency.”

Let me give you a real-life story to bring this home. A man I know was diagnosed with cancer after decades of running from God. That diagnosis rocked him. But it also broke the spiritual dam in his heart. He repented. He came back to church. He shared his testimony. And he led others to Christ before he died. His pain didn’t destroy his faith—it awakened it.

Could that be what God is doing in your life? Could the very thing you're begging God to take away be the thing He's using to draw you back?

Point 4: God’s Glory and Sovereignty Are the Anchor in the Storm (Job 36:22–37:24)

In Elihu’s final speech, he lifts Job’s eyes from the ashes to the heavens. He points to thunder, lightning, snow, and storms—not just as weather patterns but as testimonies to God’s majesty and sovereignty.

In Job 36:26, Elihu declares, “God is great, and we know him not; the number of his years is unsearchable.” And in chapter 37, he marvels at how God commands the storm and thunders with His majestic voice.

Elihu’s theology climaxes not in answers but in awe. He wants Job—and us—to stop trying to dissect God and start worshiping Him. He prepares the way for the whirlwind of chapter 38, where God Himself speaks.

Think about the James Webb Space Telescope. It recently released images of galaxies billions of light-years away. You look at those photos, and you feel small. And that’s good. That’s worship. You’re not meant to feel like the center of the universe. You're meant to be amazed.

John Piper writes in Spectacular Sins, “God’s sovereignty in creation is not background theology—it’s the bedrock of our hope when life collapses.”

We may not always get answers, but we always have access to awe. And awe steadies the soul in suffering.

Conclusion

Elihu is not the final voice in the book of Job, but he is a critical one. He speaks with fire, he speaks with clarity, and he speaks to prepare Job—and us—for God’s voice in the whirlwind.

Elihu reminds us that God is not silent. He speaks through unexpected people, through suffering, through rebuke, and through nature. He calls us not just to question, but to worship. Not just to survive suffering, but to trust Him in it.

Let’s remember the main point again: God often speaks through unexpected voices to call us to humble trust, heart-level repentance, and deeper worship of His sovereign rule—even before the whirlwind.

Discussion Questions:

In what ways have you ignored God's voice because it came from someone unexpected?

Have your questions about suffering turned into accusations against God's character?

Can you see how God might be using pain to draw you closer rather than push you away?

How does God's sovereignty over creation help you trust Him in your suffering?