What one word describes you?

Job 32-34 Elihu speaks and we learn much about his character.

There is a little verse stuck in Ecclesiastes that reads: “Do not be rash with your mouth or hasty in your heart to bring up a matter before God, for God is in heaven, and you are on earth! Therefore, let your words be few.” It seems that Elihu, who has been silent for 31 chapters, is just bursting at the seams to share his thoughts about Job’s condition, but he doesn’t know the last part of that verse. Much of what he says is true, but it is his attitude that grinds at us because we find that he is feeling frustrated because the other three men can’t find the answer to Job’s problems. In some way of a put-down, Elihu says that he is young, but they are elderly, and age should speak, not youth. But Elihu says he is full of words, and as we read, we can see that that is an accurate picture of him. He is like a tightened spring, and once released, it goes into orbit until it winds down. 

So what is our life lesson we can glean from him? What is God saying to us? First, we find he has “me –first-I-tis” disease, it is “me, me, me” and little grace for Job and his three friends.  His monologue is long and rambles, but the essence of it is this: beneath his words, we find that he although he understands much about God, we are left to wonder; does he know God?