 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? 3 If one wished to contend with him, one could not answer him once in a thousand times. 4 He is wise in heart and mighty in strength —who has hardened himself against him, and succeeded?-- 5 he who removes mountains, and they know it not, when he overturns them in his anger, 6 who shakes the earth out of its place, and its pillars tremble; 7 who commands the sun, and it does not rise; who seals up the stars; 8 who alone stretched out the heavens and trampled the waves of the sea; 9 who made the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the chambers of the south; 10 who does great things beyond searching out, and marvelous things beyond number. 11 Behold, he passes by me, and I see him not; he moves on, but I do not perceive him. 12 Behold, he snatches away; who can turn him back? Who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ 13 “God will not turn back his anger; beneath him bowed the helpers of Rahab. 14 How then can I answer him, choosing my words with him? 15 Though I am in the right, I cannot answer him; I must appeal for mercy to my accuser. 16 If I summoned him and he answered me, I would not believe that he was listening to my voice. 17 For he crushes me with a tempest and multiplies my wounds without cause; 18 he will not let me get my breath, but fills me with bitterness. 19 If it is a contest of strength, behold, he is mighty! If it is a matter of justice, who can summon him? 20 Though I am in the right, my own mouth would condemn me; though I am blameless, he would prove me perverse. 21 I am blameless; I regard not myself; I loathe my life. 22 It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys both the blameless and the wicked.’ 23 When disaster brings sudden death, he mocks at the calamity of the innocent. 24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; he covers the faces of its judges-- if it is not he, who then is it? 25 “My days are swifter than a runner; they flee away; they see no good. 26 They go by like skiffs of reed, like an eagle swooping on the prey. 27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,’ 28 I become afraid of all my suffering, for I know you will not hold me innocent. 29 I shall be condemned; why then do I labor in vain? 30 If I wash myself with snow and cleanse my hands with lye, 31 yet you will plunge me into a pit, and my own clothes will abhor me. 32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him, that we should come to trial together. 33 There is no arbiter between us, who might lay his hand on us both. 34 Let him take his rod away from me, and let not dread of him terrify me. 35 Then I would speak without fear of him, for I am not so in myself. Meditation Grace invites us into a space to journey with Job, experiencing God’s patience as we learn to trust God and His unchanging character. God is both good AND sovereign- all the time. The deepest desire of Job’s heart is to be “right with God” through a mediator (1-4, 33-35), not in sinless perfection but in the ability to stand before God- ultimately this can only happen through the gift of grace coming through the only mediator between God and man- Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). The deepest desires of our hearts reveal who (or what) we worship. To be right with God does not mean we fully understand God. Job is like us, often misunderstanding God’s character because he interprets God through his experiences. The reader knows God is consistent in His character, allowing Satan to work (and trusting God will work good from what the enemy intends for evil). Through the grid of his situation, Job considers God unjust, executing evil against an innocent man like himself. This would mean God is not good and is a misunderstanding of the character of God. Job is right with God but wrong about God. God is good, all the time. God is sovereign, working all things according to His will (Ephesians 1:11), the good of His people (Romans 8:28-29), and the glory of His name (Habakkuk 2:14). With Job, we often interpret God through our experiences and doubt God’s goodness, love, justice, and sovereignty. Grace invites us to journey with Job, to experience God’s patience as we learn to trust Him and His unchanging character. Richly Dwelling -Do you identify with Job, misunderstanding God because you interpret God more through your experiences than His revelation of Himself? -God is good all the time AND sovereign over everything. Does this feed peace or fuel frustration? What does this reveal about your heart? -Where do you, specifically, need to journey with Job? What steps do you need to take to close the gap between your experience and interpretation of God and His unchanging character? Key Verses 2 “Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God? Comments are closed.
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