Elihu focused next on God's activities in nature. There may be reference to autumn conditions in 36:27-33, winter in 37:1-13, and summer in 37:17-18.150
Elihu's third "Behold"(36:26) draws attention to the infinite wisdom of God. No one can understand how or why He deals with nature as He does (36:29).
The fourth "Behold"(36:30) affirms a similar point. God uses rain to bring both blessings and curses on people. Lightning and thunder declare God's presence even if people cannot fully understand when or why they come as they do.
Having introduced the idea of God's sovereign control over all things as reflected in His control of nature (36:26-33), Elihu elaborated on these thoughts in chapter 37. In verses 1-13 he cited more examples of God's working in nature that we cannot comprehend fully (37:5). We can learn that these things are His work (37:7) for several different purposes. Sometimes God does them for people's benefit or harm, but sometimes He does them simply for the sake of His world (37:13).
At this point Elihu turned again to apply these truths to Job's situation (37:14-24). He urged Job to be humble before such a great God (37:14-20). No one can find Him, but we can count on Him to be just (37:21-23). Job also needed to fear God (37:24). Verse 21 may mean that a person cannot look directly at the sun when the sky is clear of clouds. The implication is that neither can we see God in all His glory; He is partially unknowable.
Verse 22 seems to be another allusion to Ugaritic mythology. The Canaanites thought their gods lived in the North, but Elihu said the true God comes out of the North in golden majesty (lit. gold), perhaps like the sun. Since the sun does not rise in the North this cannot be a description of sunrise as symbolic of God's appearing. Rather it may contrast the appearing of the true God with Baal's supposed appearing.151
In his four speeches Elihu introduced a different reason for suffering: God has things to teach people that they can only learn through pain. He also described God in terms that suggest he may have had a more realistic, fuller concept of God than Job's three friends did. Notwithstanding neither Elihu nor the other three men had adequate insight into Job's situation. They could not have had unless God revealed to them what had transpired in His heavenly courts (chs. 1-2). Elihu's words are closer to the truth and prepare for God's fuller special revelation of Himself that follows in chapters 38-42. Generally Elihu emphasized the positive aspects of God's character whereas the three comforters emphasized the negative aspects. Elihu saw God more as a teacher. The other men spoke of Him as a judge.
"Worshipers of the ancient Near Eastern gods, Satan, Job, and his three antagonists--all these believed that suffering originated from a tit for tat,' measure for measure,' compensation theology, which governs the correspondence between righteous behavior and prosperity, and sinful behavior and misery. However, Elihu showed that neither he nor God supported this theory. Under God's justice, suffering comes to people for several reasons, many of which are unrelated to compensation theology."152
