Fierce winds carve through the arid valleys south of the Dead Sea. The sun bakes the terrain into cracked earth and loose dirt. Water evaporates within minutes of a rare rain. Survival in this region requires brutal pragmatism and rigid laws. Men seek shade under thorny acacia trees and weigh every action against the cost of their lives.
In the seventh century b.c. the Assyrian king Esarhaddon recorded a military campaign against the land of Bazu. His armies marched across 140 miles of waterless terrain to subjugate these Arabian tribes. The society operated under strict tribal structures where leaders wielded absolute authority over their clans. This historical region produced the literary character of Elihu the Buzite. He speaks from a culture deeply entrenched in the harsh realities of desert survival and absolute patriarchal power.
The cultural memory of these Arabian tribes anchors the speeches of Elihu. He describes a sovereign deity who shatters rulers without a trial and overthrows the mighty in the middle of the night. This perspective mirrors the sudden violence of local weather patterns. Flash floods sweep through dry riverbeds in absolute darkness and destroy everything in their path. The natural world offers no negotiations and issues no warnings. The speaker applies this same mechanical ruthlessness to divine justice.
Absolute power requires no tribunal when the executioner controls the environment.
The author builds a legal argument based on this environmental supremacy. He argues the Creator cannot be guilty of injustice because he owes mankind nothing. Elihu points out that God does not need to gather facts or set a court date before striking down an offender. If he chose to withdraw his breath, all flesh would perish at once. This leaves the sufferer with no venue for an appeal. The system remains entirely closed. A victim of sudden disaster can only submit to the heavy hand that leveled him.