God uses affliction as a teaching tool, turning our deepest struggles into pathways of deliverance.
He delivers the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ear in time of oppression (v.15). In this verse, Elihu continues his explanation that God uses suffering as a means of deliverance and instruction. Job lived in the land of Uz, possibly located east of the Jordan River—an area that many historians place around the second millennium BC. Elihu’s point is that when people experience affliction or oppression, God can use it to reveal truth and offer rescue, transforming hardship into a path for closer fellowship with Him. Rather than condemning those who suffer, Elihu teaches that God can use challenging circumstances to communicate His grace and wisdom. This echoes the broader theme that suffering for righteousness can bring deeper maturity and insight (1 Peter 3:14).
By saying that God “opens their ear,” the verse evokes the image of someone whose heart is awakened to greater understanding of His character. The book of Job shows how turmoil shakes comfortable assumptions and invites believers to know God by faith, a concept supported throughout the text: angels observe human faith in ways they cannot experience themselves, and Job’s persistent trust in the face of trials underscores that reality. Suffering, then, can be redeemed as an instrument to refine our perspective and draw us nearer to the One who delivers. Rather than a sign of divine neglect, affliction can become a powerful tutor, allowing us to shed superficial ideas and recognize that God’s ways are higher than our ways.
Ultimately, this verse highlights how God stands ready to rescue and instruct those who humbly turn to Him in desperation. Job’s journey—his longing to plead his case, his insistence that God must have a reason, and eventually his profound realization that the Creator’s wisdom is beyond human grasp—exemplifies how affliction can lead to spiritual growth rather than hopelessness. When God “opens their ear,” He reveals that even amid pain, He does not abandon but rather draws near to shape His people’s hearts.
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Job 36:15 meaning
He delivers the afflicted in their affliction, And opens their ear in time of oppression (v.15). In this verse, Elihu continues his explanation that God uses suffering as a means of deliverance and instruction. Job lived in the land of Uz, possibly located east of the Jordan River—an area that many historians place around the second millennium BC. Elihu’s point is that when people experience affliction or oppression, God can use it to reveal truth and offer rescue, transforming hardship into a path for closer fellowship with Him. Rather than condemning those who suffer, Elihu teaches that God can use challenging circumstances to communicate His grace and wisdom. This echoes the broader theme that suffering for righteousness can bring deeper maturity and insight (1 Peter 3:14).
By saying that God “opens their ear,” the verse evokes the image of someone whose heart is awakened to greater understanding of His character. The book of Job shows how turmoil shakes comfortable assumptions and invites believers to know God by faith, a concept supported throughout the text: angels observe human faith in ways they cannot experience themselves, and Job’s persistent trust in the face of trials underscores that reality. Suffering, then, can be redeemed as an instrument to refine our perspective and draw us nearer to the One who delivers. Rather than a sign of divine neglect, affliction can become a powerful tutor, allowing us to shed superficial ideas and recognize that God’s ways are higher than our ways.
Ultimately, this verse highlights how God stands ready to rescue and instruct those who humbly turn to Him in desperation. Job’s journey—his longing to plead his case, his insistence that God must have a reason, and eventually his profound realization that the Creator’s wisdom is beyond human grasp—exemplifies how affliction can lead to spiritual growth rather than hopelessness. When God “opens their ear,” He reveals that even amid pain, He does not abandon but rather draws near to shape His people’s hearts.