Bible Commentaries
Job 35

Verses 1-16

Turning to the second quotation, Elihu suggested that when Job questioned the advantage of serving God, he set up his righteousness as being "more than God's." He then laid bare the very foundations of the truth concerning the divine sovereignty of God by declaring that there is a sense in which God is unaffected by man. Man's sin does nothing to God, and man's righteousness adds nothing to God.

This view had been advanced before in the controversy. Undoubtedly there is an element of truth in it, and yet the whole revelation of God shows that whereas according to the terms and requirements of Infinite Righteousness God is independent of man, according to the nature of His heart of love, which these men did not perfectly understand, He cannot be independent.

However, proceeding, Elihu declared that the reason why men do not find God is that the motive of their prayer is wrong. It is a cry for help rather than for God Himself. He declared that God will not hear vanity, and charged Job with this wrongness of motive in his search for God.