Have you ever sat with someone who talks and talks and yet somehow never gets to the point?
someone convinced they hold the final word on everything. Job's already endured three friends who said far too much and helped far too little. And now a fourth voice chimes in, burning with things he simply must say. But buried in all his words lies a truth worth waiting for. One about who gets to have the last word in life and who doesn't.
Today, on Insight for Living, Jutzwindahl continues his comprehensive teaching series on Job.
Well, we're still in Job. We're going to be in Job till Jesus comes back. Not at this rate. I'm taking six chapters today, baby. We're going to get through this thing.
Yeah. That's why you call it a long-winded monologue. Job chapter thirty-two. Is the place we'll start reading a few of these verses and then I'll just skip toward 30. Seven Eli Who is being introduced to us.
He's the fourth friend of Job. Would that we all had friends like that, huh? Thirty-two, one. Then these three men ceased answering Job. Because he was righteous in his own eyes.
But the anger of Elihu, the son of Bauchel, the Buzzite. Of the family of Ram burned against Job, his anger burned because he justified himself before God. And his anger burned against his three friends, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
Now Elihu had waited to speak to Job, because they were years older than he. And when Elihu saw that there was no answer in the mouth. of the three men his anger burned.
So Elihu the son of Baruchel the Buzzite spoke out. and said, I'm young in years and you are old. Therefore, I was shy. And afraid to tell you what I think. I thought age should speak and increased years.
should teach wisdom. But it is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding. The abundant in years. may not be wise. nor may elders understand.
Justice.
So I say. Listen to me. I too will tell what I think. Look at verse 18 and smile. For I am full of words.
So let's go to chapter 34. Amazing. 34. Then Elihu continued and said, Hear my words, you wise men, and listen to me, you who know for the ear. Tests words.
as the palate. Tastes. Food. Let us choose for ourselves what is right. Let us know among ourselves.
What is good? Verse 7. What man is like Job who drinks up derision like water? Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity and walks with wicked men? For he has said, it profits a man nothing.
when he is pleased. with God. Therefore, listen to me. you men of understanding. Yeah.
Far be it from God to do wickedness and from the Almighty. to do wrong. Chapter thirty-seven Don't you wish you could do that in a sermon? Just jump right to the end, and you've come to the end of it. 37.
Listen to this, O Job. Stand and consider the wonders of God. Do you know how God establishes them and makes the lightning of His cloud? to shine. Do you know about the layers of the thick Clouds.
the wonders of one perfect in knowledge. Verse 21.
Now men do not see the light. which is bright in the skies, But the wind has passed and cleared them. out of the north. comes golden splendor. around God.
is awesome. Majesty. The Almighty We cannot find him. He is exalted in power. And he will not do violence to justice.
And abundant righteousness. Therefore, men. Fear him. He does not regard any who are wise. A heart.
You're listening to Insight for Living. To dig deeper into Job's story, be sure to purchase a copy of our Searching the Scriptures Bible Study Workbook by going to insight.org slash offer. Chuck titled today's message, Another Long-Winded Monologue.
Well, if you ask me, I think it's pretty gutsy for a pastor to put as his sermon title. Another long-winded monologue. You who are visiting with us don't know this, but the rest of us do: that we have monitors, little television monitors out in the hallway. Wrapped around this worship center, and somebody decided to put my picture on there when the sermon title. Appears And I want you to know I don't appreciate all the comments I heard when I One man said to his wife, long-winded monologue.
So, what else is new? A teenage kid said to his mother, Oh no, not again. Seven. Ha ha ha. In a day of 10 to 15 minutes sermonettes, Which, by the way, are for Christianettes.
I believe uh My 40, 50 minute messages are probably a little outdated and tedious. At times, down through the years, people have fussed about long sermons. I was interested in reading a comment made by an older woman years ago when. The Welsh preacher John Owen. Went on and on and on and on.
She made the comment that he was so long setting the table in his introduction, she lost her appetite for the meal. Ronald Reagan, the great communicator while president, loved to tell the story of the young country preacher. who had never before preached a message. And he came to this country church and he walked in, and to his amazement, there was one rancher. present.
The place was empty except for this one man sitting about halfway back on the hard bench. Young preacher walked back there and he said, Well, what do you think I ought to do? And the rancher said, Well, I don't rightly know, son. I'm just a cowpoke, but If I went out in my field and found only one steer, I'd feed it. That's all the young preacher needed to hear, and so he climbed up in the pulpit and he delivered a fiery sermon, and it went on and on and on.
And on. When he finally ended it, he walked back to the preliminary. Pew and he said, well, what'd you think?
Well, I don't rightly know, son. But I'll tell you this: if I went out in a field and found I only had one steer, Yeah. I wouldn't feed in the whole load. Ha ha ha ha. Frankly, I'm encouraged that I'm in pretty good company when it comes to long-winded preachers.
If you'll turn to Acts 20. You knew I'd find a text for this, didn't you? Acts chapter 20. Verse 7. Please take note.
Of a man named Uticus. Only time he's mentioned in the scriptures, Acts 20, verse 7, on the first day of the week. When we were gathered, Luke's writing, so it includes him, he was there. When we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them. Intending to leave the next day, and he.
prolonged his message until midnight. I put in the margin of my Bible Bless his heart. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered together, and there was a young man named Utychus. You know what his name means? It means fortunate.
Now keep reading. Eutychus was sitting on the windowsill. Sinking. Into a deep sleep. Isn't that great the way it reads?
He's just sinking into deep sleep. I have seen that so many times in my. It's when they start to drool that you have to get worried about them.
So, dear Utychus is sinking into a deep sleep, and as Paul kept on talking, Utychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor and was picked up dead. Ha ha ha ha. I love this story. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, Do not be troubled, for his life is in him. When he had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with him a long while until daybreak.
And then left. He just couldn't stay with it, and he finally sinks into sleep and falls backwards down three floors. The apostle. raises him up. Spurgeon said, Remember, if we go to sleep during the sermon.
and die today. There are no apostles to restore us. Yeah. Oh, be warned. Having said all of that about preaching too long, you'll be relieved to note that the title has nothing to do with my message.
It has everything to do with Ellie Hughes' long-winded monologue when you turn back to Job chapter 32. On top of Elihu's message to Job are three other friends who have taken far too long to say much too little to Job, who could have taught them all. And then Elihu on the heels of everyone else. Eliphaz three times, Bildad three times, Zophar twice, and Job answering each one, you'll remember along the way. Elihu has waited, and then finally, when he talks, Uh you wonder why.
Honestly. Uh Six chapters. Are you ready for this? The length of these chapters. Longer than twelve other Old Testament books.
and 17 of the 27 New Testament. Books or letters longer. Than those.
So this is a Yeah. He gave him the whole load, I guess we could say. Rather than getting bogged down into needless detail, let's sort of. slide our way along with Ellie Hugh. with apologies.
Here's my take on what he has to say. Let me give you several observations. First. He delivers four speeches. Four of them.
Two of them I should say two chapters cover the first speech. 32 and 33. The second speech is in 34. Third speech is in 35. Then the fourth speech is in 36 and 37.
So 211. Two. Frankly, he's more effective at the beginning and the ending than he is in the middle. It gets a little dull and boring when you. He goes on and on.
uh on this subject. Let me say secondly, his message contains two very fine points. First, God disciplines A person to turn him from the error of his ways. God disciplines a person to turn him. or to turn her from the error of their ways.
Second, God governs justly. He's fair. And the major theme of all that Elihu has to say is a good theme. God is sovereign. He is not only good all the time, he is in control.
all the time. Even when I'm sick, even when I'm sick, even when I can't, even when you can't. Even at times like even at times like God is never shocked, God is never surprised, God is never out of control, and furthermore, God doesn't feel obligated to explain himself. I think if he tried, most of us wouldn't get it anyway. Because he is so profound And I don't mean that.
As an escape hatch, I really mean it. He is sovereign and he doesn't explain himself. Nor should he. feel obligated to. Neither Job nor his counselors answer Elihu at any point.
These chapters run uninterrupted. There's no question and answer. There's no response, there's no dialogue, it's all a monologue. It's a long-winded. monologue.
Interestingly, about Elihu, unlike the others, it says four times at the beginning of his talk that he's angry. In fact, it says that he's burning with anger. Did you catch that when I read that earlier? Verse 2, the anger of Elihu burned. Against Job, his anger burned.
Three, verse three, his anger burned against his three friends. Verse 5, his anger burned. as he spoke. Remember when you spoke and you were angry? All of us can remember.
Almost without exception, we said things we wish we hadn't said. We said more than we wish. We would have said. We regret things that fell from our lips, especially if we were burning with anger. It's kind of a momentary out of control.
Verbal condition. And uh that's that's Elliehue. We're told a little of his background. You can check it for yourself. In verse two and verse six, We're told where he's from and what What family he's come from?
And we're told he's younger. Did you get that? Verse six. I am young in years, and you are old. Therefore, I was shy and afraid to to tell you what I think.
Ever been in that situation? Sure, most of us have. You were around uh Those who are wiser, those who have more years on you. And uh uh We all have learned over the years that we need to respect those who were older. I think his words speak of intimidation.
He's reluctant to speak. He's even, as he says, fearful. But he does make a good comment. Because he's listened to those other grayheads. And he says in verse 9, 32, 9, the abundant in years may not be wise.
Nor may elders understand justice. True, huh? In other words, years may cause you to listen closely, but you may not necessarily hear great wisdom just because a person is older. A person can be old and foolish. A person can be much older than you and no less than you.
in wisdom.
So years are no guarantee of of uh Wisdom. David Atkinson writes: Eli Who is an enigma. He blusters on the stage as an angry young man. Full of his own importance, offering to clarify the situation for Job and his friends. Angry with the muddle they have got themselves into.
In one respect, it's rather like a comic turn. For he manages to spend a lot of time not saying. very much. I don't answer out loud, but Have you ever been around a person? Who did that?
And you had your hopes up that you were going to really get an insight on something. And you listen. And uh You keep listening thinking.
Okay, he's going to make his point here in just a minute. If I'm just willing to wait or. She'll make sense if I just hear her out on this. But they don't. That's Elli Hue.
That's why I like the verse 18 of chapter 32. I'm full of words. He's also full of himself when you get to reading what he has to say. He's younger. He's uh rash Let me suggest that he made four very Real mistakes.
when he decided to talk. First, it took too long getting started. You know how we'll say to someone we know real well, like somebody in our family, get to the point. You know how you'll do that? Or what is it you're trying to say?
Every person who has ever been an assistant of mine has heard me do that. I'm kind of notorious for What's the point? Or get to the bottom line. You know, what is it? Uh you you want to say that to LEHU.
Just about six verses into chapter 32. What is it? Say it. And then when he does, you go. Yeah.
Sorry I hurried you. Yeah, yeah. Second, he comes across as pompous. He comes across as pompous. How did we come across this pompous?
He leaves. Little room for response. He states his opinion with too much dogmatism. He sees himself as the final authority. He preaches.
Let me give you a tip. It's helpful if you just leave the preaching to me.
Okay? Let me take the hits. If it's one-on-one or one on a few, don't preach. If it's with your kids, don't preach. If it's with your partner in life, don't preach.
If it's with your boss or somebody who works for you, don't preach. Preaching. isn't appropriate. in small group settings. And he forgets that.
Mm. The third thing, he states what Job already knew. He brought nothing new out. That's why Job never responds. And uh Fourth mistake, he never acknowledges that he doesn't know for sure.
Touch me. There's something refreshing about someone who has the floor who's willing to say, I really don't know. All that I should know about this, but It's wonderful when you're around someone who has a wealth of knowledge, but you hear them say, I'm not the final word. Let me give you a an example of that. A man who meant a great deal to me and means a great deal to me to this day, one of my mentors, is Bruce Waltke.
Dr. Walke is as fine a student of the Hebrew Bible. as I have ever been around, ever. It was my privilege to study under him. two of my four years at Dallas Seminary and it was it was A splendid experience.
I'll remember taking an early course in Hebrew one summer before we began the course that fall, and I remember seeing him sitting on a stool up front. And he would cradle his Old Testament He would cradle his kiddle. Hebrew Bible. and was reading from it and kind of rock. And sometime he would tear up, he would weep.
I tried that, and I wept for other reasons. Looked like a rag rug, sort of, and I was trying to do it now to read. Oh, it's upside down. That's a little problem. He um I'm having a little fun about this, but he was truly brilliant.
And not only knew the text, knew the footnoting, knew the. textual apparatus, new arguments for the interpretation at just every place we turned, it seemed.
Well, I was Pastoring a church near the seminary at the time, and I was in Proverbs 22, and I was doing something on the family. Rearing children, and I came up with an interpretation that was a little bit of a maverick approach. to rearing children. I became increasingly more convinced of it. I thought I need to run this by walking.
I mean, I don't want to be out there on the limb. and uh be way you know off base.
So I made an appointment with him and came as an alumnus back to the school, and he was gracious to see me. Chuck, how are you? Fine, Dr. Walkie. Sit down.
What's on your mind? I said, well, I'm doing some work in Proverbs 22. Oh, one of my favorite deeds.
So he turns to it in a Hebrew Bible. I'm trying to find it in my English. And I said, you know, I've done some work in the text, and I want to be sure I'm not off base. And he listened, didn't interrupt, and I spent maybe 15, 20 minutes going over why I. Was teaching that and where I was going to go with it.
And when I looked up, he was like this on his desk looking at me. And he said, I'll never forget this. He said, Chuck. There are no popes in the body of Christ. I'm not the final word on that.
Looks fine to me. That's what the Lord's shown you. It's what you gotta preach. I'm telling you, I couldn't. flown out of there.
It was like, this is crap. I probably walked out. He goes, oh man. But he did. I'll never know.
You know, I left and. But I will never forget the comment: there are no popes in the body of Christ. I do not care what authority you are, how long you've studied in the field, how many initials are after your name, what degrees you have earned and worked hard for, you are not the final word. You are still a learner. And the most intelligent are the most teachable.
There's freedom in those words, isn't there? You are still a learner. None of us has arrived. None of us holds the final word. and the wisest among us are simply the ones still willing to listen, still willing to grow.
Take a moment and sit with that today. Where might God be inviting you to stay teachable?
Well, here at Insight for Living, we'd love to help you learn more. In fact, Chuck Swindahl and his team have prepared some wonderful study tools for you. At the top of the list is a book Chuck's written that ties in powerfully with his study on Job. It's called Finding God When the World's On Fire. Here's what Chuck wants you to know.
Your story is not unlike Job's story. Your heartbreaks are real heartbreaks. They can't be dismissed as no big deal. But here's the best part. The God who met Job at the lowest points of his life is the same God who is present in yours.
And that's the message Chuck reinforces in his book, Finding God When the World's on Fire. We'd love to send you a copy today with our thanks when you include a contribution to support the Ministry of Insight for Living. You can address your contribution and request for the book to Insight for Living. Post Office Box 5000. Frisco, Texas 75034.
That's Post Office Box 5000. Frisco, Texas, 75034. You can also call us at 800-772-8888. or go to insight.org slash donate. And then, if you have a little extra time this weekend, we invite you to sit down and watch a riveting conversation between Chuck Swindahl and media personality Dave Ramsey.
In this lively exchange, Dave and Chuck talk about stewardship over ego. The freedom of debt-free living, and the thread of redemption that God weaves through every season. even the ones we're sure will ruin us. To watch the interview between Chuck and Dave Ramsey, stop by insight.org/slash conversations. I'm Bill Meyer.
Join us again when Chuck Swindahl continues his comprehensive study on the life of Job. Monday on Insight for Living. The preceding message, another long-winded monologue, was copyrighted in 2002, 2004, and 2025, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2025 by Charles R. Swindahl, Incorporated. all rights are reserved worldwide.
Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.
