Elihu went on to refute Job, saying that God would never do evil and that the Almighty would never commit iniquity (v. 10). Rather, God will render a man's work to him and will cause a man to receive that which is according to his own way (v. 11). In verses 12 through 20 Elihu spoke further concerning God's not doing evil and not perverting justice. In verses 12 through 15 he declared, "Indeed in all certainty God will not do evil,/And the Almighty will not pervert justice./Who has ever put the earth in His charge?/Or who has ever set in order the whole world?/If He were to consider Himself only,/He would gather back to Himself His spirit and His breath;/All flesh would perish together,/And man would return to dust."
In verses 21 through 33 Elihu continued to refute Job, saying that God governs and judges the nations and men not to fit Job, since Job had rejected it. Elihu said that God's eyes are upon the ways of a man and that He sees all their steps; that He, knowing the actions of the mighty men, breaks them in pieces without inquiry and puts others in their stead; and that He strikes them as He would evil men because they turned aside from following Him and would not regard any of His ways. Toward the end of this speech, Elihu asked Job, "Should He recompense to fit you, since you have rejected it?" (v. 33a).
By reading chapter thirty-four, we can realize that Elihu was a person who was full of the knowledge of good and evil. This young man should have considered that Job and his three friends already knew all the things that he was speaking. But he was so full of knowledge, he said that he would burst if he did not speak.
I have often wondered why this book does not say that Job and his three friends and Elihu came together to pray by exercising their spirits to touch God. I cannot understand how such a group of godly men could come together without any prayer. They just exercised their minds. Their speaking was all composed of poetry. Even Elihu's word was spoken in poetic form. That requires much exercise of the mentality. Why would they not pray together to seek the Lord's mind, to seek the Lord's purpose? What a pity that they did not do this!