The Hungry Sheep Look Up…And Are Not Fed (Job Chapter 34)

With his body aching from an incurable disease and his heart still broken over the loss of his children, Job asked his wife to drive him to church. He tried to worship as he sat in his wheelchair near the back of the sanctuary, but the words and music seemed so agonizingly devoid of the presence of God.

When the music faded away Pastor Elihu strutted to the pulpit and spoke these words in an impassioned manner to the First Congregational Church of Uz,

34:34 After all, bright people will tell me, and wise people will hear me say, 35 ’Job speaks out of ignorance; his words lack insight.’ 36 Job, you deserve the maximum penalty for the wicked way you have talked. 37 for you have added rebellion to your sin; you show no respect, and you speak many angry words against God.’’

Job couldn’t believe what he was hearing. To say that Elihu’s words were cold and cruel would probably be too kind. As his wife wheeled him out of the church, Job scrawled this little poem on the back of his church bulletin,

I went to church today
I wanted to get fed
I expected Manna from above
My hopes were crushed instead

For all of Elihu’s insight into the mind of God for Job’s tragic experience, in the middle part of his address to the Sheik of Uz (chapters 34 and 35), this young pastor-philosopher appears to lose all sense of compassion for the man on the ash heap. Although he gets back on track in chapters 36-37, the wheels have completely fallen off his sermon. FI Anderson writes, “He is no longer reasoning with Job with a view to helping him; he is attacking Job in order to score a point. For all their lucidity (eloquence), his words are devoid of pastoral concern.” Swindoll writes simply, “…Elihu, roused to anger, goes for the jugular.”

Notice verses 36-37 from the Amplified Version, “Would that Job’s afflictions be continued and he be tried to the end because of his answering like wicked men. For he adds rebellion (in his unsubmissive, defiant attitude toward God) to his unacknowledged sin; he claps his hands (in open mockery and contempt of God) among us, and he multiplies his words of accusation against God.” And the same two verses from the New Living Translation, “Job, you deserve the maximum penalty for the wicked way you have talked. For you have added rebellion to your sin; you show no respect, and you speak many angry words against God.’’ And Young’s Literal Translation clearly brings out the viciousness of Elihu’s attack, “…Transgression among us he vomiteth…” Adam Clarke wrote in his commentary, “This is a very harsh wish: but the whole chapter is in the same spirit; nearly destitute of mildness and compassion.”

Much of what is said in this chapter has been dealt with in previous sections of Job, so we are just going to take a closer look at the words of Elihu in vs. 34-37. I attached the rest of the verses from the version called “The Message” at the end of the devotional.

A few centuries ago a poet by the name of John Milton (1608 to 1674) wrote a straightforward poem that spoke volumes to the apparent poor state of affairs between the ministers and the laity during his day. Battling the corrupt clergy in the Church of England he penned a satirical poem titled “Lycidas.” One of the lines simply reads,

The hungry sheep look up, and are not fed.

Phillip Keller, in his book “A Shepherd Looks At the 23rd Psalm,” laid out in stark detail how utterly dependent the sheep are upon the shepherd for their very survival. Under the care of a good shepherd, the sheep thrive. But under the ill-treatment of an uncaring or lazy shepherd, the sheep suffer. More than one part of that book spoke to my heart about my care and management of the flock that God had entrusted to me during my time as a pastor. I would like to quote a long section from the chapter “Thou Anointest My Head with Oil”:

"Summer time is fly time…Only those people who have kept livestock or studied wildlife habits are aware of the serious problems for animals presented by insects in the summer.

To Name just a few parasites that trouble stock and make their lives a misery: there are warble flies, bot flies, heel flies, nose (nasal) flies, deer flies, black flies, mosquitoes, gnats and other minute, winged parasites that proliferate at this time of year. Their attacks on animals can readily turn the golden summer months into a time of torture for sheep and drive them almost to distraction.

(Don’t read this next section if you are eating!)

Sheep are especially troubled by the nose fly, or nasal fly as it is sometimes called. These little flies buzz about the sheep’s head, attempting to deposit their eggs on the damp, mucous membranes of the sheep’s nose. If they are successful the eggs will hatch in a few days to form small, slender, worm-like larvae. They work their way up the nasal passages into the sheep’s head; they burrow into the flesh and there set up an intense irritation accompanied by severe inflammation.

For relief from this agonizing annoyance sheep will deliberately beat their heads against trees, rocks, posts, or brush. They will rub them in the soil and thrash around against woody growth. In extreme cases of intense infestation a sheep may even kill itself in a frenzied endeavor to gain respite from the aggravation. Often advanced stages of infection from these flies will lead to blindness.

Because of all this, when the nose-flies hover around the flock some of the sheep become frantic with fear and panic in their attempt to escape their tormentors. They will stamp their feet erratically and race from place to place in the pasture trying desperately to elude the flies. Some may run so much they will drop from sheer exhaustion. Others may toss their heads up and down for hours. They will hide in any bush or woodland that offers shelter. On some occasions they may refuse to graze in the open at all.

All this excitement and distraction has a devastating effect on the entire flock…Some sheep will be injured in their headlong rushes of panic; others may be blinded and some even killed outright.

Only the strict attention to the behavior of the sheep by the shepherd can forestall the difficulties of “fly time.” At the very first sign of flies among the flock he will apply an antidote to their heads. I always preferred to use a homemade remedy composed of linseed oil, sulfur and tar which was smeared over the sheep’s nose and head as a protection against nose flies.

What an incredible transformation this would make among the sheep. Once the oil had been applied to the sheep’s head there was an immediate change in behavior. Gone was the aggravation; gone the frenzy; gone the irritability and the restlessness. Instead, the sheep would start to feed quietly again, then soon lie down in peaceful contentment.” (Pages 114-116)

All week long the world (and this world’s emperor) attempts to discourage, depress, demoralize, dispirit, dishearten and destroy the sheep. They are assaulted by “fly time” all week long! The sheep come longingly to church to be fed and encouraged and strengthened and to have the oil of the Holy Spirit poured with compassion upon their broken hearts and minds.

Matthew reminds us of the tremendous compassion that Jesus had for the sheep, “And seeing the multitudes, He felt compassion for them, because they were distressed and downcast like sheep without a shepherd” (9:36). AT Robertson writes of this verse, “A sad and pitiful state the crowds were in. Rent or mangled as if by wild beasts…They were harassed, importuned, bewildered by those who should have taught them…The masses were in a state of mental dejection. No wonder Jesus was moved with compassion.”

Having worked at least part time in secular employment during most of the years that I was a pastor gave me an intimate view of the struggles of working people in the work-a-day world. Many times I have entered my place of employment and sensed the touch of the Holy Spirit burdening my heart for people struggling with “fly time” and wanting respite from things ranging from petty annoyances to lifelong joy-draining and faith-debilitating struggles. You hear first hand of their struggles in every day life – a daughter suffering from cancer, a grandson afflicted with a debilitating and undiagnosed disease, or a family struggling financially.

As a result, there was a deepened sense that when the sheep arrived at church on Sunday, they needed to be encouraged, strengthened and uplifted.

How desperate Job was to hear an encouraging word from the lips of his friends. He so wanted to hear something – anything that would encourage his heart. He had been beaten down in body and spirit and longed for the waters that would have quenched the thirsting in his spirit. He ached for the presence of God.

But all he received was a sheep-beating from Pastor Elihu.

In John chapter 21 Jesus met the disciples on the shores of Galilee for breakfast. Following the meal Jesus went for a walk with Peter. Three times the Great Shepherd importuned Peter, “Feed my sheep!”

The hungry sheep look up…and are not fed.

May the words of Milton never be found to be true of our churches and ministries.


Chapter 34 from The Message:
1 Elihu continued:
2 "So, my fine friends—listen to me, and see what you think of this.
3 Isn’t it just common sense—as common as the sense of taste—
4 To put our heads together and figure out what’s going on here?
5 "We’ve all heard Job say, ‘I’m in the right, but God won’t give me a fair trial.
6 When I defend myself, I’m called a liar to my face. I’ve done nothing wrong, and I get punished anyway.’
7 Have you ever heard anything to beat this? Does nothing faze this man Job?
8 Do you think he’s spent too much time in bad company, hanging out with the wrong crowd,
9 So that now he’s parroting their line: ‘It doesn’t pay to try to please God’?
10 "You’re veterans in dealing with these matters; certainly we’re of one mind on this. It’s impossible for God to do anything evil; no way can the Mighty One do wrong.
11 He makes us pay for exactly what we’ve done—no more, no less. Our chickens always come home to roost.
12 It’s impossible for God to do anything wicked, for the Mighty One to subvert justice.
13 He’s the one who runs the earth! He cradles the whole world in his hand!
14 If he decided to hold his breath,
15 every man, woman, and child would die for lack of air.
16 "So, Job, use your head; this is all pretty obvious.
17 Can someone who hates order, keep order? Do you dare condemn the righteous, mighty God?
18 Doesn’t God always tell it like it is, exposing corrupt rulers as scoundrels and criminals?
19 Does he play favorites with the rich and famous and slight the poor? Isn’t he equally responsible to everybody?
20 Don’t people who deserve it die without notice? Don’t wicked rulers tumble to their doom? When the so-called great ones are wiped out, we know God is working behind the scenes.
21 "He has his eyes on every man and woman. He doesn’t miss a trick.
22 There is no night dark enough, no shadow deep enough, to hide those who do evil.
23 God doesn’t need to gather any more evidence; their sin is an open-and-shut case.
24 He deposes the so-called high and mighty without asking questions, and replaces them at once with others.
25 Nobody gets by with anything; overnight, judgment is signed, sealed, and delivered.
26 He punishes the wicked for their wickedness out in the open where everyone can see it,
27 Because they quit following him, no longer even thought about him or his ways.
28 Their apostasy was announced by the cry of the poor; the cry of the afflicted got God’s attention.
29 "If God is silent, what’s that to you? If he turns his face away, what can you do about it? But whether silent or hidden, he’s there, ruling,
30 so that those who hate God won’t take over and ruin people’s lives.
31 "So why don’t you simply confess to God? Say, ‘I sinned, but I’ll sin no more.
32 Teach me to see what I still don’t see. Whatever evil I’ve done, I’ll do it no more.’
33 Just because you refuse to live on God’s terms, do you think he should start living on yours? You choose. I can’t do it for you. Tell me what you decide.
34 "All right-thinking people say—and the wise who have listened to me concur—
35 ‘Job is an ignoramus. He talks utter nonsense.’
36 Job, you need to be pushed to the wall and called to account for wickedly talking back to God the way you have.
37 You’ve compounded your original sin by rebelling against God’s discipline, Defiantly shaking your fist at God, piling up indictments against the Almighty One."