Confucianism: Yes, It's Confusing - The Analects Books IV, V, VI

The Analects are a series of books based on the Confucian religion and the teachings of the Master Confucius. From what I have understood, in Confucianism, human beings are teachable, improvable and perfectible through communal but as well personal efforts such as self-creation. A main idea of this philosophical system is the cultivation of virtue and the development of moral perfection. These teachings are not found in chronological order, however, I would say that the books do actually follow some sort of sequence. It may be order of importance, but I'm still not completely sure of that.

In Book four, we are introduced with the teachings based on the virtue of Goodness. It states that a true gentleman achieves Goodness by finding happiness and satisfaction requiring nothing in return. "The Master said, "Without Goodnes, one cannot remain constant in adversity and cannot enjoy enduring happiness. Those who are Good feel at home in Goodness, whereas those who are clever follow Goodness because they feel that they will profit from it." (Book 4: 2) However, we later learn that only those who indeed are Good will be able to profit from Goodness because those who aren't clever enough won't be able to follow and benefit from Goodness. But then I got really confused. It said that the strength of a person to simply devote his efforts to Goodness is present within everybody. So, what is it that it is missing for the accomplishment of Goodness for one self? My doubts were cleared when I came to learn that "someone whose strength is genuinely insufficient collapses somewhere along the Way." (Book 6: 12) What is the Way? Is it like the path towards Goodness?

So concluding, a true gentleman is that who no matter the circumstances, will always chose right over wrong as well as he will respect and honor his elders and roots. This might be because those who are older, are richer. I don't mean richer in wealth, but in knowledge and understanding. However, wealth and poverty were also mentioned in the teachings. It says that poverty and meanness are what men dislike, for richness and honors are what men desire. The Master said that things can only happen if you follow the Way to get to them. Therefore, if you can't obtain wealth in the proper way, it should not be held. In this same manner, I can somehow understand that somewhere along the Way, one can collapse or continue through a wrong path, which won't guide you towards the planned end. In other words, if you do not follow the path, it is unlikely and unreasonable for you to obtain what was wanted. Only through Goodness can one hope to be prosperous and complete.

"What I do not wish others to undo unto me, I also wish not to do unto others." (Book 5: 12) Of all the quotes in these three books, this was my favorite. The message given by it is the same exact one that is given by a popular quote heard constantly in our society. "Don't do to others what you wouldn't want done unto you." I found it very interesting that a quote so known to people could have gone so far back and moreover, make part of the teachings of such an old religion.

Then, it talks all about politics which is something that I certainly hate. Politicians promise and promise but once they are elected, they just don't do anything. What is it that goes through their minds when they compromise on making changes? Anyways, going back to Confucius, he talks about the leaders and what they do and how they do it in order to follow the Way. Throughout all of this Book, examples were given in order to explain whether someone was or not considered properly Good. I learned that as long as it follows the Way it is Good and if you rule with Goodness and lead the people towards the Way, it is accepted. In order to truly be a man full of virtue, you have to balance accomplishments and solid qualities.

In Book six, Confucius gives a close definition to what Goodness is: "One who is Good sees as his first priority the hardship of self-cultivation, and only after thinks about results or rewards. Yes, this is what we might call Goodness." (Book 6: 22) Goodness is basically the effort towards reaching a severe accomplishment. When this is reached, the rewards are of no concern for he will be already satisfied. As the Master had previously said, those who are Good feel at home in Goodness, so if that individual who achieved his goal is concerned about the rewards, he is not Good. But I don't think he is to blame, for wherever there is Good, there must be bad in order for there to be a balance.

Trying To Think Out Loud - Genesis X - XVI: TTBA

After the Lord promises He will never again try to clean out his creations on Earth, He makes a pact with Noah and tells him to reproduce and flourish. He doesn't directly tell Noah to be "fruitful and multiply" as he once told Adam and Eve, maybe he was in a hurry or something. Or just maybe King James didn't have time to add it in the Bible, but I'm sure God meant to say the same thing.

And again, I question myself. Are we descendants of Noah for he is descendant of Seth? Continuing with the story, Noah did what he was told. He obeyed God, as oppose to the serpent and the whole previous drama with Adam and Eve. So Noah had his sons and created a family, but he, just as any other living creature, had to die. He had to leave Earth, but perhaps it was because the Lord felt lonely and He needed someone to make him company. Or it might have been Noah's chance to rest after saving the world. It was his descendants’ turn to demonstrate their cleverness and prove to God that he didn't make an error by not wiping out his creations.

After the flood, Noah's sons all lived together and spoke the same language, since they descended from the same man. They could communicate and understand each other easily in the same way that I can understand my brothers. But then, when they were trying to build a city all together in order to reach heaven, the Lord angrily interfered and came down to see them. Since He saw that everything was so easy for them and that they could communicate efficiently, He decided to rearrange things and confounded their language by making them not understand one another's speech. God also made them depart far away from one another, each to create their own nations. Yes, your heard it right! This time, it wasn't God the creator of nations and colonies, but it was men. They proved that they could be successful and somehow, succeed so much that they met some kind of those superb powers. Even though this wasn't done by God, it was obviously influenced by him in a way. Well, He's always there, He's Almighty and knows what he wants and how he wants it for the future.

"Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city." (Chapter 11:6)

This story is one of the few I actually remember from my childhood. I was told many, so many that they're just too hard to remember. But this specific one I was able to recognize quickly. However, from my Jewish point of view, I can relate this as a story with lack of hospitality to the "stranger", as my Rabbi once told me. The homosexuality isn't very present in my reasons to judge it how it is, however the commitment of crimes and sins by the Sodomites hurt me in a way. So, I realized that even though the story is written in the same way, it is interpreted differently by the different cultures present today.

One day, Abram is blessed by the Lord and leaves with his kids to the city of Canaan. He had hopes for a good future, but they were all ruined when he knew that his wife could not get pregnant. Sarai had to give Abram her maidservant, Hagar, to have intercourse with him. Hagar didn't love the idea, and she started having harsh feelings towards Sarai for forcing her to do that. However, Sarai had more power than Hagar and started treating her with cruelty which caused Hagar to leave pregnant. I didn't understand this well, but for some reason, Hagar came back to Abram and he named his child. He was called Ishamel. Oh my God! Is his son the great and famous primate from the book I had to read? Well, either he is or not, I'm sure that he was a very wise man. Or should I say Gorilla?

Shouldn't The 's' Go At The End? - Psalms XXIII, XLII, LI, CXXXVII

When I was told that I had to read the psalms, I was like what the heaven are you talking about? First of all, what are psalms? Whenever I have a doubt, I Google it. So thats exactly what I did. The Book of Psalms consists in 150 psalms each of which constitutes a religious song. Psalms are also known as any of the songs, hymns, sacred poems, or prayers that are contained in the Book of Psalms. So after finding the answer to what a psalm is, I realized that the 's' is actually well placed. Well, why would we have to read about palms anyways?

The first psalm seemed as a poem or prayer by David dedicated to God. It talked about how David felt really honored by God and was extremely grateful that He preferred by him. "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake." (Psalm 23: 3) In the books of Samuel, it is clearly shown how David was chosen and guided by God in many ways. He was encouraged to save the people of Israel out of the land of the Philistines and far away from their enemies. In the psalm, David says that the Lord is his shepherd and that He restored his soul. I believe, that what he wanted to say with this was that God thought and encouraged him to be the moral and faithful David that he was at first. Even though he committed a huge sin by laying with a married woman, it seems as if David still considers himself strong and moral after being punished by the Lord. He also says that he will be followed by goodness and in this way, he will be with the Lord for ever. "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever." (Psalm 23: 6)

"My tears have been my meat day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?" (Psalm 42: 3) Maschil, the Chief Musician, is suffering under his own condition for his soul feels abandoned by the Lord. He has not received any sign of His existence and his devotion to God is now being questioned. Many questions are being asked to God by Maschil, yet no response does he receive. "I will say unto God my rock, Why hast thou forgotten me? why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?" (Psalm 42: 9) Why does Maschil refer to God as a rock? Is it because he is hard to believe in? Or is it because he rocks? I don't think that he would be loved so much by Maschil in that time for him to say he rocks so lets just forget about the second option. Okay so going back to the story, the Chief was indeed depressed that he even comes to wonder as if he was his own enemy being attacked by a sword. "Where is thy God?", his enemy asked. However, Maschil also says that he will never lose hope in God and that he will always praise him for he is the health of his countenance and most importantly, his God. This psalm made me reflect about the holocaust and its people since it shared an essential question that most people had during those tough and horrible days: Does God really exist? The one thing that I'm wondering right now is if God will ever appear to Maschil. Will he?

This psalm was very poetic and I believe it had some sort of rhythm. Considering that it was about the Chief Musician, I come to think that it had this sense because of him. Music has rhythm, and these writing changes might be done for some reason. Up to now, I would say that each psalm had one unique author.

"Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions." (Psalm 51: 1) Here, the author is asking God for forgiveness after committing a sin. I inferred that the author was David for he is begging God for mercy after what he did with Uliah and his wife. I realized that the more David tried, the harder it was for him to achieve God's forgiveness. However, I noticed that David was really sorry and even though forgiveness is something hard to get, he tried and demonstrated his repentance. "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me." (Psalm 51: 10 - 11) David really wanted to be who he once was.

I was able to identify this psalm as soon as I began reading it. "By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion." (Psalm 137: 1) It took only one line for me to read and already know what it was talking about. Jews were taken to Babylon and obligated to serve as slaves. They met near the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers to reunite and claim for freedom. They deserved dignity, as all humans do.

Moraly Enough - Samuel III - XVIII

All along, David has shown that he is one sincere and faithful server of God. He has obeyed God and sustained his opinion over everyone and everything. He consults God before acting and follows the directions that he is encouraged to take. His morals were outstanding and exemplary, for he was extremely devoted to God and valued him a lot. But after all, he is human and humans make mistakes.

God gives David the mission to save the people of Israel out of the land of the Philistines and far away from their enemies. His calm and morals stay the same, he knows how to manage the situation and doesn't become ambitious like you would think he would. He still is the person that you were introduced with.

David was a hero at first, but time changed him a lot. He was starting to fall into the influence of power, which was something you wouldn't expect to happen. Well, he was someone correct that was devoted to God more than to anything. He identified what was right and wrong and was always willing to give the best to his people. However, on the other hand, how could he not change? I mean, he was the king of Israel and the most powerful after God, he was brave and caring, and had power to take complete control over his kingdom.

"And David said on that day, Whosoever getteth up to the gutter, and smiteth the Jebusites, and the lame and the blind, that are hated of David’s soul, he shall be chief and captain. Wherefore they said, The blind and the lame shall not come into the house." (Samuel II 5: 8) Yes, you read right. David had turned the lame and the blind into his personal enemies. Why would one do such thing? Isn't a king supposed to be merciful towards those handicapped and weak? He was starting to feel much more superior than others and tried to segregate those who for him were inferior. But he then started relatively right. He was interested in knowing about Saul's living relatives and was willing to show kindness in God's name. And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul, that I may shew the kindness of God unto him?" (Samuel II 9: 3) Later on, David treats a lame boy from Saul's family as any other (as it really should be) by allowing him to sit at the king's table to eat. Definitely, David was having so many mood swings which seemed as if he was one humble king one day but a selfish and ambitious king on the other. He was no longer a man, he was now acting like a women. PMS. Premenstrual syndrome, that's the explanation of what was happening to him!

"And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him." (Samuel II 5: 10) All along, the Lord God was with David. I don't know if its me, but I realized that God was okay with David becoming so ambitious. He never let him down, nor gave him some kind of punishment or curse. After all, what he was doing was wrong but God didn't find it so immoral anyways. Also, I realized that even though David respected God like any other, it never seemed as if he was scared of Him. He knew he was powerful and everything, but I don't think David ever thought that God would dare to punish him. But one day, after God punishes someone else, David became afraid of the Lord. "And David was afraid of the LORD that day, and said, How shall the ark of the LORD come to me?" (Samuel 6: 9) He became so fearful of failing God's expectations that he decided to take control over everything that he didn't.

After this, David became completely ambitious and greedy. He decided to rapidly expand his territory. The king began by conquering cities which during the process, he killed thousands of humble people. He conquered city after city with no limitations."David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. And he smote Moab, and measured them with a line, casting them down to the ground; even with two lines measured he to put to death, and with one full line to keep alive. And so the Moabites became David’s servants, and brought gifts." (Samuel II 8: 1-2) No one could stop him. Actually, the only one that could was God, but he never did. Maybe it was because conquering was part of the living and was needed in the forming of a stable nation during those times. Or just maybe because he was God's pet. But I don't think so, so lets just stick with the first one!

David then layed with Uriah's wife, which really messed everything up. This time he did indeed pass the limits. Bathsheba got pregnant and instead of facing his mistake, the only alternative that occurred to David was to kill Uriah. He succeeds with the murder, and furthermore, makes Bathsheba his wife. "And when the mourning was past, David sent and fetched her to his house, and she became his wife, and bare him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased the LORD." (Samuel 11: 27) It was no joke, the Lord was now seriously mad. Way to go David, way to go!

God was so displeased with David that he punished him by killing one of his sons. But the battling isn't over. David then fights against his own son for the throne, and later finds himself grieving for his son's death. "And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate, and wept: and as he went, thus he said, O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!" (Samuel 18: 33)

I believe that humans are not perfect and are allowed to make mistakes. David made a mistake, but he is human.

The Star Is David - Samuel XVII - II

The story of David starts out by narrating his adventures as he was encouraged by God to face Saul, the king of Israel. David seems as another savor who is chosen by the Lord, since he is protected and led to war by Him. What will this war bring? Why is it David the one being persuaded by God? However, David had always been interested in participating in war which eventually caused him to fight against the Philistines. "And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched by the valley of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines." (Samuel 1 17: 2) "Now David [was] the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah, whose name [was] Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man went among men [for] an old man in the days of Saul." (Samuel 1 17: 12) Gosh, I didn't know my English teacher was the Ephrathite of Bethlehemjudah! No wonder he makes us read all about him! But wait..Mr. Tangen a cattle man? Actually, it may be possible. Everything is.

I found that the whole setting and scene of the battle is very similar to that of Troy's legend. In Troy, Achilles fight's against another great warrior but successfully wins. I believe that these wars are related in context but furthermore, in its limitations and agreements. "If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us." (Samuel 1 17: 9)

"And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height [was] six cubits and a span. And [he had] an helmet of brass upon his head, and he [was] armed with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat [was] five thousand shekels of brass. And [he had] greaves of brass upon his legs, and a target of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear [was] like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head [weighed] six hundred shekels of iron: and one bearing a shield went before him." (Samuel 1 17: 4 - 7)

So was it really necessary to add all this? Actually, it was. But what I really can't believe that happened is that this tiny guy, know as David or Little Dave came out from one side when there suddenly appears this six cubits and a span giant who is worshipped for his absolute destructive character from another. It's like an ant against a human, or more specifically, against Michelle: feeling innocent, disadvantaged, and inferior. Take a quick guess and just by the obvious, we all know who would win. But guess what? We are all wrong. Well, here it goes:

David is first seen as a weak and fair warrior by his opponents, but when he gets in that field, he proves them all wrong. Appearance and first impression led the Philistines to get over confident about him, and without using any weapons but pure knowledge and strategies, David was able to avoid all the violence produced by the armors. This reminded me of one of my favorite quotes, "Never underestimate your opponent." David never fought with armors, he fought with his heart and let things unfold by themselves without violence.

David had become a legend. The women and warriors in Saul's army started to respect him and honor him much more than how they praised Saul. "And the women answered [one another] as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands." (Samuel 1 18: 7) Soon, a tense relationship was created between these two leaders. Rivalry had been established for Saul wanted to out stand and was extremely jealous of David, who had that that he didn't. Saul had always been violent, all the measures he used to be approved were completely the opposite to those used by David, so tender and innocent.

And one more measured did he apply. Saul pursued to kill David several times but since David had something that Saul lacked, he was able to escape death. What is it that he has? If they both have Jonathan, Saul's son, what doesn't Saul have? God. God is this missing element that Saul wants. This means, that all along David had not only the people's approval, but most importantly, the Lord's permission.

All of this rivalry that had been established between David and Saul reminded me of Jacob and Esau in Genesis who competed against who received their fathers' blessing. Both of these stories reflect on jealousness and at the same time on innoce

nce. Saul is envious that David has become superior than him as well as Jacob is jealous that Esau will receive his fathers' blessing instead of him. Those innocent ones always end victorious, and this story is no exception.

Finally, David is named the king of Israel and with no rivals he will govern. Saul committed suicide once he was left alone, with no family members, which allowed David to take total control over the kingdom. The Star of David is a really important symbol for us Jews, but right now the only thing I have to say is that the star is David.

"Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail." (Samuel 1 26: 25) Saul had to accept that his enemy was actually someone to admire.

And He Finally Appeared - Job XXXVIII - XLII

"Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" (Job 38: 1 - 2) What I had been waiting to happen for a long time, finally does. Yes, you might have guessed, the Lord at last appeared! God intervenes in the conversation of the men and faces Job. Of course Job was terrorized and scared for he was being interrogated by the Lord about his power, or so what Job believed to have. "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding." (Job 38: 4) The Lord confronts Job and tells him that if it wasn't for Him, nothing would exist and shows how much power He has over him. After all, God is his creator and with no doubt, He knows more and understands better than him.

God keeps on questioning Job. But every question shows his pride and power, trying to prove to Job that there is none that can go over or against Him. It came to a point in which he was showing off, or at least that's how I saw it. "Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, [and] stretch her wings toward the south? Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?" (Job 39: 26 - 27) With this, the Lord tells Job that the creator of the Earth is Him, and that every creature follows his orders for they are here because of Him. Everything He said had to do with His might and he asked Job these questions to make him feel helpless and feeble, as if he was no one, such as he had felt before.

"Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth." (Job 40: 4) As soon as the Lord was finished, Job’s reaction was calm. He didn’t want to continue arguing, well, they weren’t really arguing, he was just listening to Gods complaints. So, as a coward, he gave in and let the Lord win without any restrictions. Did God expect him to continue? Or at least make it difficult for him to win? Well, it was a piece of cake. Whatever, for Him everything He does is easy.

When Job saw God, his faith emerged and enforced. "I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee." (Job 42: 5) I liked this quote a lot because I was able to familiarize with Job since this is something that I feel very often. I think that in order to believe, you must see. I’m not saying that if you are blind you just can’t believe and that you are committing a crime if you do, but I just think that this is a proof of the existence of things. This also reminded me of Exodus, when Moses goes to Pharaoh and asks him to let his people go. Moses tells God that no one will believe him unless he shows proof, which will most surely be required by the Egyptians.

At the end, Job again blames it on himself and asks for pardon. “Wherefore I abhor [myself], and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42: 6) He will no longer receive more punishments, however God says he will punish his friends instead since they didn’t mention Him. “And it was [so], that after the LORD had spoken these words unto Job, the LORD said to Eliphaz the Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy two friends: for ye have not spoken of me [the thing that is] right, as my servant Job [hath].” (Job 42: 7) Job then goes on to pray for his friends to make God stop the punishment. He was giving them back what they had once gave for him. They gave him support during his hard times and I find it very rewarding of Job to help them.

After this, Job lived for a hundred and forty years and was able to see even four generations, until he died full of days. It seemed as if he was being recompensed for all the he had gone through. He must have died full of honor.

Hopeless - Job XI - XXXVII

So, God allows Satan to interfere with Job's life and make him suffer, in order to prove that he was a holy person who always feared Him and would never curse upon Him. Yes, Job is submitted through this extreme test so he can prove to God his relevance and devotion towards His service. But I wonder. Why is it that God needs to receive some proof if he knows it all? Why does he have to test Job if he knows what's going to happen? I have always been told ever since I was a child, that the only one who knows what is going to happen and who is going to survive the test of life until tomorrow, was God. Our destiny is sealed by God, or so, this is what I believe.

You might have noticed how I previously referred to life as a test. But why do I see it in such manner? Well, to begin with I believe that God has chosen to give us life for a reason. He has made us go through hard but as well unforgettable and happy moments that have turned us into who we are. I think that we are here, in this world, to survive day by day and live life to the fullest. Yes, we have many ups and downs and its just like a math test, some problems are hard to solve but others are just fluent and easy. We are here for some time, the time that God wants us to be here for, but then, there comes a day in which God takes us from life in the same way that he made us get here, and its as if you got an F on your math test, as if surviving society day by day wasn't worth it.

In this same way, Job has to survive Satan's schemes. These are so many and extremely dreadful that it comes to a point in which Job is convinced that God hates him and is completely against his happiness. This reminds me of my sad moments when I wonder why that is happening to me. I begin to think that everybody hates me and I convince myself that everything I do is wrong. Here, I can definitely connect with Job. I understand him more than how I understand myself when going through hard times. But I mean, I might sound very selfish, after all he is the one being manipulated by the Devil and his plagues, while my depressions have dumb causes.

Going back to the story, Job and his friends basically talk about the origins and reasons for his suffering. His friends try to make him see his life as hopeful and encourage him to stay strong, but Job is completely lost in his own tragedy. He is extremely negative, and it comes to a point in which I notice that he exaggerates his disgrace so much that he is making himself depressed. He begs for an answer. He wants to know the reasons for he is feeling so much pain and agony. Job continues to question upon his disgrace, and ends by blaming it all on God. Personally, I believe that Job thought that God could have done something to stop it, and he felt extremely abandoned by not being helped and guided by Him. He referred to God as the author of his grief. Even though it was Satan the one who punished him, God never did something to stop him, and Job never understood why.

"My breath is corrupt, my days are extinct, the graves are ready for me." (Job 17: 1) He gives in, completely hopeless and fragile. Job can no longer live, his suffering is so strong that its as if he had been devoured by his own depression. It is no longer the Job that had once been introduced, as "perfect and upright, the one that feared God and eschewed evil." This old one, was gone, he had disappeared his own destiny.

This other Job then starts talking illogically, as I said previously, he was no longer the Job he was meant to be. He questions harshly and as if he had gained power: "What [is] the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we pray unto him?" (Job 21: 15) Is Job expecting something in exchange for believing in God? If so, why doesn't God punish him toughly? I mean, God did allow Satan to cause suffering to Job but after all it was for a reason. Why doesn't He continue to cause agony and pain to this being?

"Shall [any] teach God knowledge? seeing he judgeth those that are high." (Job 21: 22) He then makes himself seem powerful, and takes God's power away. He makes himself sound perfect as he was once introduced. How does he even dare to say that he is high in knowledge after asking for someone to teach God knowledge? Anyways, God had put Job into this test to prove that Job would never curse upon him, and after some time, Job reflects on this and even though he felt a lot of disappointment and hate towards God in that moment, no curse ever comes out of his mouth. "As surely as God lives, who has denied me justice, the Almighty, who has made me taste bitterness of soul, as long as I have life within me, the breath of God in my nostrils, my lips will not speak wickedness, and my tongue will utter no deceit." (Job 27: 2 - 4)

Finally, Elihu makes Job realize that what he did was unacceptable. How he doubted on Gods presence and underestimated His power was a complete lack of respect. "Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man." (Job 33: 12) "[Touching] the Almighty, we cannot find him out: [he is] excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict. Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any [that are] wise of heart." (Job 37: 23 - 24) And I hope he learned.