3 June Job 34

In Job 34, Elihu rebukes Job's complaints, asserting that God is just and impartial. He emphasises God's righteousness in judgment, stating that God repays individuals according to their deeds, urging repentance for restoration.

Is there profit in serving God?

In Job 34, Elihu again gave a wordy introduction to his point. In this speech, he would quote the words of Job, the ones he felt accused God and justified himself. Also in Job 34:9, Elihu blames Job for saying (NIV), “For he says, ‘There is no profit in trying to please God.’

Job certainly said nothing like this. We can understand how Elihu thought this about Job because Job claimed to delight in God and now seemed to claim that it profited him nothing. We know this is not a fair statement to make, that there is no profit in trying to please God.

Looking at Malachi

Malachi 3:14-15 (EASY) “We serve God, but that has not helped us at all. We are careful to do what he tells us to do. When we do wrong things, we have sad faces to show the Lord Almighty that we are sorry. But it is proud people that God blesses! Yes, it is the people who do evil things who become rich! God does not even punish people who like to test him. That is what we think.”  In moments of despair, many people have wondered whether it is vain to serve the Lord. Sometimes, a person will go through a trial and will begin to despair. Their faith will begin to waver, and they will wonder what profit there is in serving the Lord. Those are not uncommon questions. Albeit, it may be hard to see that profit in the midst of a storm. And it may not be today or even tomorrow that we see that profit. But there is always profit in serving the Lord.

I conclude with Malachi 3:17-18 (EASY) The Lord Almighty says, ‘These people will belong to me. One day I will come to judge everyone. At that time I will bring together all my own special people. I will not punish them. I will take care of them, like a father takes care of his son who serves him. 18 Because of that, you will see again that I am kind to good people, but I punish wicked people. I show the difference between people who serve me well and those who do not.