Are You Angry with God?

A Few Thoughts to Consider

Do you ever get angry with God when he doesn’t act as you’d like?

This is the story of Job 29-37. In Job 29-31, Job reflects nostalgically on his past prosperity, influence, and respect, contrasting it with his current suffering and the disdain he endures. He declares his innocence, recounts his integrity, and expresses frustration that God seems silent in his affliction. He says in Job 29:2-4:

² If only I could be as in months gone by,
in the days when God watched over me,
³ when his lamp shone above my head,
and I walked through darkness by his light!
⁴ I would be as I was in the days of my youth
when God’s friendship rested on my tent

In chapters 32-37, Elihu, a younger bystander, steps in to address Job and his friends with the longest reprimand of all three reprimands. He rebukes them for their inadequate arguments and Job for justifying himself over God. Elihu emphasizes God's greatness, justice, and wisdom, highlighting that suffering may serve purposes beyond human understanding, such as discipline or guidance. His speeches lay the groundwork for God's response, urging humility before the divine.

There are several positive points to Elihu’s response. “First, he dealt with the real issues of the situation rather than looking at the situation from a human perspective. Second, he emphasized God and His greatness rather than focus on a human response to problems. Third, he responded with respect, allowing others to speak first before offering his own response.”[1]

In Job 35:15, “Elihu ‘blows the whistle’ on Job’s main character flaw. Job is angry!”^[2] He is angry about his circumstances, he is angry with his friends, and he is angry with God’s lack of activity. While Elihu might not go down in history as the world’s greatest comforter, his words strike a chord. As Elihu notes in Job 36, “God is working in Job’s life by waking Job up, through his defeats, to the twin facts of his arrogance (v.9) and his lack of knowledge (v.12).”^[3]