Is God fair? We humans have an instinctive sense of what justice is, along with an expectation that justice ought to be done, whether it means penalizing a rule-breaking athlete or overturning a corrupt government. The wrong should be put right! Job has accused God of being unfair, so here In chapter 34, Elihu focuses on this issue of divine justice, which is at the heart of the book of Job. Elihu begins by addressing a wider audience, including any knowledgeable and wise listener. There is one item on the agenda: “Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.” It’s an invitation for us to think together about God’s government of the world. Is it right and fair? Can we be happy under His rule, confident that He is a good Governor? (v 1-4). Job certainly has his doubts. Elihu points out how Job has charged God with being unrighteous, that He has taken away what he rightly deserves. Job said that God called him a liar just for defending his own integrity. As a result, Job’s “wound is incurable”—he’s given up all hope (v 5-6) But Elihu is horrified that Job has been drinking up this false view, believing the lies of those who scoff at God, saying there is no advantage in trying to please Him (v 7-9). Elihu’s chief axiom is that God will never “do wickedly” or “pervert justice.” He can always be counted on to repay a person according to his deeds (v 10-12). The reason is that God is God! No one put Him in charge of the world, so He answers to no one. If God is not just, there can be no such thing as justice! As creatures who are utterly dependent on Him, it would be a dangerous thing for us to question the justice or goodness of God (v 13-15). In the second half of this address, Elihu turns from the wider audience to speak directly to Job, now using verbs that are singular rather than plural. Denying Job’s complaint that the Ruler of the universe “hates justice” (v 16-17), he insists that God does judge justly. He judges with no favorites (v 18-19), no uncertainty (v 20), no ignorance (v 21-25), and no secrecy (v 26-28). It may sound like Elihu is repeating the same merit theology as the three friends, who argued that Job was only getting what he deserved. But then he adds an element that once again puts his speech in a different framework from theirs. Elihu leaves room for mystery. Since God is just, He must be trusted even when He is “quiet” or “hides His face,” for we don’t know what He is doing behind the scenes or when His justice will be manifest (v 29-30). Job is thus called to repent, admitting he has spoken “without knowledge” and “without insight” (v 31-37). For further meditation: