Job 35:8

May hurt a man. According to Elihu’s reasoning the results of iniquity or righteousness are felt, not by God, but by man. God is so apart from the effects of either sin or righteousness that there is no reason for Him to swerve from strict justice. It would then follow that where there ought to be reward there will be, and where there ought to be punishment, there will be. Consequently, there is an advantage in being righteous. God is too exalted to modify the workings of cause and effect which, in Elihu’s estimation, demand reward for the righteous and punishment for the evildoer. In other words, a man’s wickedness or righteousness affects him alone, not God. Elihu’s philosophy in this regard fails to consider the close tie between God and His creatures. Elihu sees God’s transcendence, but he fails to see His nearness to His creatures. The gospel teaches a loving God who is affected by what His creatures do, and who deals with them on a personal basis (see Heb. 4:15).