Job CCCXXI

 Job 37:6-13, “For he says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth’; likewise to the gentle rain and the heavy rain of His strength. He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work. The beasts go into dens, and remain in their lairs. From the chamber of the south comes the whirlwind, and cold from the scattering winds of the north. By the breath of God ice is given, and the broad waters are frozen. Also with moisture He saturates the thick clouds; He scatters His bright clouds. And they swirl about, being turned by His guidance, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of the whole earth. He causes it to come, whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy.”

It’s not uncommon for a man to be capable of speaking profound things while seemingly, within the same breath, speaking profoundly untrue things. Every discourse, and everything someone says, must stand on its own merits, individually, and not be influenced by previous oration, always meticulously filtered through the prism of God’s word to determine its veracity.

If one is diligent in searching the Scripture to determine whether what they heard is true, it will save them much heartache, confusion, and bitterness in the long run. It doesn’t matter who the individual is; if what they are saying is contrary to the Word of God, then they are not to be believed, and their message ought not to be allowed to take root in your heart.

For those possessing both time and patience, you can take the teachings of an individual who is demonstrably contrary to what the Word teaches, and trace it back to when they started going sideways and saying things that were no longer profound, but profoundly anti-biblical, to the point that, given enough time, they begin to teach abject heresy. Some of them did start out surefooted and rooted in the Word, only to end up tailoring their sermons to suit the wants of the sheep rather than the needs of the flock. Others didn’t even bother searching out the truth but, from the jump, began teaching fanciful imaginings whose genesis was their own bellies rather than any divine revelation or knowledge.

It’s those who started out on the right path only to swerve off it who pose the greatest danger to the household of faith, especially if those who are receiving and absorbing their teaching are not diligent in studying Scripture for themselves and in making certain that the two are in harmony.

Yes, men can stray from the truth of the gospel, and they do so more often than we would like to admit. If my baseline for whether I believe them is a sermon I heard ten years ago that was grounded in truth, rather than what they are currently teaching compared to the Word of God, it is more likely that I will swallow the bitter poison rather than reject it wholesale.

Elihu wasn’t entirely wrong in what he said. It would have been too obvious had this been the case. There are sparks of insight and glimmers of wisdom in his oratory, but for every true thing he says about God, he injects his own opinions and judgments about Job, using the nuggets of truth as a means of justifying them.

The duty of a servant is to rightly divide the Word and preach the gospel, not to use the gospel as a foil to support his far-flung theories. As far as examples go, there are plenty to be had, but generally speaking, you’ll know something is off when the individual is more adamant about protecting his pet doctrine than about lifting up the name of Jesus. When the entirety of their ministry revolves around a tertiary issue that has no bearing on salvation, insisting that it is, in fact, a salvific issue when the Bible clearly says it isn’t, you’ll know that they’re in the weeds and are attempting to build their own kingdom while pretending to build up God’s kingdom.

You don’t understand, brother. Unless you wear sandals and a linen tunic every day of your life, you cannot see the Kingdom of God. But that’s not what Jesus said! Well, He just didn’t get around to it, but that’s the key to the Kingdom that has been kept hidden from the masses. We’ve even made it convenient for you. You can visit our online store to purchase a tunic and sandals at a competitive price.

Every day, you say? Yes, every day. But I live in Wisconsin, and the winters are brutal. Hard to think I won’t turn into an ice cube in -25-degree weather with heavy winds. Ah, but that’s where faith comes in, my friend. Put on the tunic, strap on the sandals, and brave the snow to prove your faith. But why not just put on a parka and some boots? Because you would be proving yourself unworthy and lacking faith.

Any performative act required by men to prove their faith to men is folly and not Biblical. It’s neither my job nor a Scriptural requirement to jump through hoops to prove my faith to another. My faith is in God, and only He can measure it accurately.

This is, in essence, what Elihu was demanding of Job: prove your faith to me! Prove your innocence to me! Prove that I have judged you wrongly and you are not the wicked man I believe you to be! By what authority do I demand these things? My own, but if it makes you more cooperative, let’s just say I’m speaking on behalf of God. Did He send you? Did He speak to you? Did God give you the leeway to speak on His behalf? Well, no, but it sounds better than saying I’m just a random guy who decided to take a swipe at you.

One thing Elihu was right about, and it is something worth noting: God is sovereign. He causes it to come, whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy, whatever that thing might be. Couple that with the blessed assurance that we have a good Father, one whose love for us is beyond dispute, and we can be at peace even in the darkest of days and strongest of storms.   

With love in Christ,

Michael Boldea, Jr. 

Posted on 13 July 2026 | 11:38 am