When an astronaut sits strapped into his small cabin on top of a rocket, he knows that his safety depends on the integrity of those who have made the rocket. If they made it well, he should succeed and live; but if they cut corners and made careless mistakes, the rocket will disintegrate and he will die.

In a slightly similar way, the survival of the cosmos depends on the justice and faithfulness of the God who made it. If the Creator God were unjust, then the whole universe would disintegrate. This is at the heart of Elihu's second speech.

In Job 34:1-15, Elihu speaks to a wider audience (using plural verbs). Let us think about ″what is right . . . what is good″, he says (v. 4). Job accuses God of mistreating him (vv. 5-6) and this is outrageous (vv. 7-9). For, insists Elihu, God will never ″do evil . . . do wrong″ but is always just and fair (vv. 10-11). ″It is unthinkable that God would do wrong″ (v. 12) because He governs the whole world and we would all perish without a trace if God were not just (vv. 13-15).

Then, from verse 16 to the end of the chapter, Elihu speaks to Job personally (using singular verbs). He rebukes Job for suggesting that the one who governs the world can do wrong (vv. 16-17). On the contrary (vv. 18-30), God shows no favouritism (v. 19), knows perfectly what is happening (vv. 21-24), and punishes people for their wickedness (vv. 25-30).

Job has denied these axiomatic truths and must repent of these wrong things he has said. And Elihu is right: Job has indeed said some wrong things about God. At the end of God's speeches, he will repent of what he has said (see 40:1-5; 42:1-6). Elihu makes a very profound point which is precisely right. Because God is the Creator, He must –He simply must–act with righteousness. The idea that God could actually bend the rules of justice would endanger the fabric of the cosmos.

At the end of the book, we realise a paradox: Job is a real and blameless believer (1:1,8; 2:3), yet he has also said some things he ought not to have said, and of which he will need to repent. Elihu is a voice that will begin to prepare Job to repent. He will need to hear the greater voice of God; but Elihu has a preparatory role here.