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Job 36:21 "Take heed, do not turn to iniquity, for this you have chosen rather than affliction."

 

Elihu may have been a bit judgmental when saying this, but he’s not wrong that we often do choose iniquity over affliction, and we should be wary of that tendency. Iniquity is very often the easier path, and we can convince ourselves not to see it as iniquity, especially when the alternative is affliction. We see ourselves as good people, worthy of good things, certainly not deserving of suffering. When our fallen selves feel deprived of something we feel we have a right to, or when we face seemingly unfair suffering, we can easily justify using morally questionable means to get or keep what we want or need and to avoid suffering. But God knows when we are being deprived and are suffering, He asks us to stay with Him in our affliction, to choose the narrow path, not the one that satisfies us but bends, or even denies, His law.

 

I think our turning to iniquity in order to avoid even the most minor of afflictions is really the source of most sin. We would not choose iniquity if virtue was easy. When we feel a lack of comfort or satisfaction, and especially when we face real suffering, virtue becomes more challenging and we can begin to entertain thoughts of bending or breaking the rules. Elihu warns us not to do that.