By Them... I Mean You...

 

Job 34:23 For God has no need to consider a man further,
    that he should go before God in judgment.
24 He shatters the mighty without investigation
    and sets others in their place.
25 Thus, knowing their works,
    he overturns them in the night, and they are crushed.
26 He strikes them for their wickedness
    in a place for all to see,
27 because they turned aside from following him
    and had no regard for any of his ways,

We find here part of the response of Elihu to the conversation that had been taking place - in particular to Job's self-defense (and self-examination). He accuses Job of self-righteousness in a most piercing way - in the third person.  He talks about the wicked - "they" - as a way of insinuating that Job was wicked. In his mind, and words, Job had lost everything because he had turned away from God.  How often do we do this to people? Talk in generalities when we are trying to point the finger and keep ourselves from looking mean? This itself is very mean.