Job 34:7

Job 34:7 is a pointed rhetorical question posed by Elihu, the youngest of Job's interlocutors, who has just begun to speak after Job and his three friends have exhausted their arguments. Elihu believes both Job and his friends have erred in their understanding of God's justice and sovereignty.

Context

Elihu enters the debate in Job chapter 32, having waited patiently for the older men to finish. He is upset with Job for justifying himself rather than God, and with Job's friends for failing to provide a satisfactory answer while condemning Job (Job 32:3). In chapter 34, Elihu directly addresses Job, accusing him of making rash and irreverent statements. This verse specifically targets Job's tendency to speak contemptuously, as Elihu perceives it, against God's divine actions and justice amidst his profound suffering.

Meaning and Key Themes

The phrase "drinketh up scorning like water" is a powerful metaphor. It suggests that Job has become so accustomed to, or perhaps even delights in, uttering words of contempt, derision, or irreverence that it's as natural and easy for him as drinking water. Elihu is essentially accusing Job of having a pervasive attitude of scoffing at divine justice and questioning God's ways. Key themes include:

• The Nature of Human Complaints: Elihu highlights how suffering can lead individuals to speak rashly or even accuse God of injustice. He sees Job's lamentations as crossing a line into outright scorn.
• Divine Sovereignty and Justice: Underlying Elihu's argument is the unwavering belief in God's perfect justice and His unquestionable authority. To Elihu, Job's words are an affront to this truth. For more on God's just character, see Psalm 9:8.
• The Danger of Bitter Speech: The verse serves as a warning against allowing bitterness or resentment to fester to the point where one's speech becomes contemptuous, especially towards the divine.

Linguistic Insight

The Hebrew word translated "scorning" is la'ag (לַעַג), which carries the strong connotation of mockery, derision, or contempt. It's not merely complaining, but an attitude of scoffing. The imagery of "drinking it up like water" emphasizes the ease and perhaps even the eagerness with which Job, in Elihu's view, has engaged in such speech, suggesting it has become habitual or deeply ingrained.

Practical Application

Job 34:7, though an accusation against Job, offers valuable lessons for believers today. When facing trials and tribulations, it's natural to question and lament, as even the psalmists did (Psalm 13:1). However, this verse reminds us of the fine line between honest lament and disrespectful or contemptuous speech towards God. It encourages:

• Careful Speech in Suffering: To guard our tongues and hearts, ensuring our complaints do not devolve into scoffing or accusations against God's character or wisdom (James 1:13).
• Trust in God's Justice: Even when circumstances are inexplicable, maintaining faith that God is just and sovereign, and that His ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9).
• Humility: Recognizing our limited understanding compared to God's infinite wisdom, and approaching Him with reverence even in our deepest pain.