“Surely
God will not hear vanity, nor will the Almighty regard it” (v.13)
Back in chapter 30 Job complained that God did not regard the
cries of the oppressed against their oppressors (v. 20). Now Elihu gives his account
for why sufferers are not relieved. The solution he gives is that, it is not
consistent for God to hear a prayer where there is no sincerity. Meaning Job,
your prayer for relief has not been answered because you are not sincere
enough, you need to pray harder and with more passion.
I don’t
believe God has an intensity meter He uses to determine if He will hear our
prayers, nor does He have a 1000 word requirement for us to meet before
determining our sincerity. However I do know that, “The Lord is near to
those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit”
(Psalm 34:18), and that, “When the
righteous cry out, the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all
their troubles”. Therefore, I believe Elihu’s accusation of Job is off here.
Yes there
are things that can hinder our prayers from being heard, but as we know from
chapter 1, God knew Job and regarded him as blameless, upright, one who feared
Him and shunned evil, none like him in all the earth. And even though God
allowed Satan to destroy all he had, Job did not sin nor charge God with any
wrong.
Therefore,
I believe Job to be simply a man in search for understanding with sincerity of
heart, seeking answers from God to things he could not reconcile himself. Like
Job, we all have questions and someday we shall have our answers.
The Truth: “Now this
is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His
will, He hears us.” (1 John 5:14)
