JOB - PAGE 12

Wikipedia Commons The wrath of Elihu
Butts Set of Illustrations for the Book of Job
Page 12

This is the Legend on the engraving which Blake later made of this image:

For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not (Job 33:14)

In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed (Job 33:15)

Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction (Job 33:16)

That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man. (Job 33:17)

For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings (Job 34:21)

I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid (Job 32:6)

Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living (Job 33: 29-30)

Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou (Job 35: 5)

If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? . . . If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? (Job 35:6-7)

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Job.32
[1] So these three men ceased to answer Job, because he was righteous in his own eyes.
[2] Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
[3] Also against his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer, and yet had condemned Job.
[4] Now Elihu had waited till Job had spoken, because they were elder than he.
 

Job 33
[8] Surely thou hast spoken in mine hearing, and I have heard the voice of thy words, saying,
[9] I am clean without transgression, I am innocent; neither is there iniquity in me.
[10] Behold, he findeth occasions against me, he counteth me for his enemy,
[11] He putteth my feet in the stocks, he marketh all my paths.
[12] Behold, in this thou art not just: I will answer thee, that God is greater than man.
[13] Why dost thou strive against him? for he giveth not account of any of his matters.
[14] For God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not.
[15] In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumberings upon the bed;
[16] Then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction,
[17] That he may withdraw man from his purpose, and hide pride from man.
[18] He keepeth back his soul from the pit, and his life from perishing by the sword.
 

Job 35
[5] Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher than thou.
[6] If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
[7] If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand?
[8] Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the son of man.

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On Page 12 Blake presented Elihu speaking, Job listening, Job's wife praying, and the three friends thinking and wondering. Elihu, the young man of the New Age, had rejected the answers which satisfied his father and found his own method of accessing truth. The question implied was had Job been humbled enough to go back to the beginning by learning from a young man who has not been through what he has suffered?

Here are two posts which show Blake being transformed: Becoming an Individual, New Birth.

On Page 11 of Blake's Illustrations of the Book of Job he pictured a man undergoing a shattering experience of encountering content from his unconscious. The images came to him in dreams and visions and penetrated his psychological organization. He found that his image of the Divine was so distorted that it required an alteration of his ability to perceive.

On Page 12 Elihu was presented as a fresh young voice who could give specific instruction to Job on the flaws in the way Job perceived God and man's relationship to God. The annihilation of the selfhood required that there be a replacement for Job's old method of processing his experience. Elihu could not teach Job how to relate to God but he could impress on Job the error of a vision of God which was too small.

Since Elihu was young he was not bound by the limits of a mind which has been crushed by failure and restrictions. He looked to the heavens for an expansive vision of possibilities not the generally accepted, worn-out answers which were handed down for generations. He advocated for a God whose concern was not man's righteousness but his ability to listen and to respond to revelation. 

Songs of Experience, Song 54, (E31)

"The Voice of the Ancient Bard.    

Youth of delight come hither:
And see the opening morn,
Image of truth new born.
Doubt is fled & clouds of reason.
Dark disputes & artful teazing.
Folly is an endless maze,
Tangled roots perplex her ways,

How many have fallen there!
They stumble all night over bones of the dead,
And feel they know not what but care
And wish to lead others, when they should be led."

Milton, Plate 25 [27], (E 122)
"The Awakener is come. outstretchd over Europe! the Vision of God is fulfilled
The Ancient Man upon the Rock of Albion Awakes,
He listens to the sounds of War astonishd & ashamed;
He sees his Children mock at Faith and deny Providence          
Therefore you must bind the Sheaves not by Nations or Families
You shall bind them in Three Classes; according to their Classes
So shall you bind them. Separating What has been Mixed
Since Men began to be Wove into Nations by Rahab & Tirzah
Since Albions Death & Satans Cutting-off from our awful Fields;  
When under pretence to benevolence the Elect Subdud All
From the Foundation of the World. The Elect is one Class: You
Shall bind them separate: they cannot Believe in Eternal Life
Except by Miracle & a New Birth. The other two Classes;
The Reprobate who never cease to Believe, and the Redeemd,       
Who live in doubts & fears perpetually tormented by the Elect
These you shall bind in a twin-bundle for the Consummation--
But the Elect must be saved from fires of Eternal Death,
To be formed into the Churches of Beulah that they destroy not the Earth"

Jerusalem, Plate 84, (E 243)
"O Los come forth O Los 
Divide us from these terrors & give us power them to subdue
Arise upon thy Watches let us see thy Globe of fire
On Albions Rocks & let thy voice be heard upon Euphrates.

Thus sang the Daughters in lamentation, uniting into One
With Rahab as she turnd the iron Spindle of destruction.    
Terrified at the Sons of Albion they took the Falshood which
Gwendolen hid in her left hand. it grew &, grew till it
Plate 85
Became a Space & an Allegory around the Winding Worm
They namd it Canaan & built for it a tender Moon
Los smild with joy thinking on Enitharmon & he brought
Reuben from his twelvefold wandrings & led him into it
Planting the Seeds of the Twelve Tribes & Moses & David
And gave a Time & Revolution to the Space Six Thousand Years
He calld it Divine Analogy, for in Beulah the Feminine
Emanations Create Space. the Masculine Create Time, & plant
The Seeds of beauty in the Space: listning to their lamentation

Los walks upon his ancient Mountains in the deadly darkness    
Among his Furnaces directing his laborious Myriads watchful 
Looking to the East: & his voice is heard over the whole Earth
As he watches the Furnaces by night, & directs the labourers

And thus Los replies upon his Watch: the Valleys listen silent:
The Stars stand still to hear: Jerusalem & Vala cease to mourn:"