THE
POINT: God’s actions are often beyond our understanding, but we can trust
Him.
THE
PASSAGES: Job 40:1-8; 42:1-6
THE BIBLE
MEETS LIFE
The world holds a lot of mystery for small children, and they are
not afraid to ask questions. Why is the sky blue? How high is up? Are there
more leaves in the world or blades of grass? Why is water wet?
We can smile at the innocence behind their questions, but most of
us struggle to answer them! Everyone has an answer, of course, but try
explaining it to a four-year-old.
We like having the answers, but sometimes we just don’t know
enough. Television and the Internet are
jam packed with programs and sites devoted to unsolved mysteries, and they all
offer their own solutions and answers. But in the end, sometimes we have to
admit that we just don’t know. Our walk with God is no different. We want
answers, but many times the ways of God are just beyond our understanding. In
those moments, we can decide to doubt God or trust Him. Job’s encounter with
God shows us why trust is always the best way.
WHAT DOES
THE BIBLE SAY?
Job 40:1-5
1 Moreover the Lord answered Job, and
said, 2 Shall he that
contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him
answer it. 3 Then Job answered the Lord, and said, 4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I
answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. 5 Once have I spoken; but I will not
answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
Most of the Book of Job (chapters 3-37) centers on the opinions
and advice of Job’s three friends, his defense, and a final speech by a young
man named Elihu. When we come to Job 38, however, it’s God’s turn to speak.
“Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that
darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” (Job 38:1-2). For two full
chapters, God questioned Job, and in the process, showed the distressed man
just how little he knew.
It was obvious to Job that, while he hadn’t a clue how to answer
God’s questions, God knows both the how and the why. Now in chapter 40, God
concluded this string of questions with perhaps the most poignant one: “Shall
he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let
him answer. it.”
This is a humbling question; one to which Job can only respond, “Behold,
I am vile; what shall I answer thee?” Job’s words to God are drenched in
humility. He confessed his insignificance in comparison to God and acknowledged
he had no more questions for God. “I will lay mine hand upon my mouth … I will
proceed no further.”
Like Job, we cannot understand why everything happens. We cannot
fathom all of the ways God acts and why He sometimes chooses not to act. Paul
alluded to this when he reminded us that our current vision is clouded by the
circumstances and sin of the world. “For now we see through a glass, darkly;
but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I
am known” (1 Cor. 13:12). The good news is that one day we will see clearly.
When we are able to look into the face of the Lord Jesus, all fear, doubt, and
pain will be replaced with understanding and love. However, until that day we
have a lot of questions that may remain unanswered.
I (Candace) was teaching second grade when I realized I needed to
get one thing across to my students: the teacher is the boss. For example, if I
decided that one student should do one thing and another do something else, I
would inevitably hear, “That’s not fair!” or “Why is he doing that?” I knew why
I was doing what I was doing. I had a plan for how one student learned, while
another benefited from a different strategy. I was the adult in charge, and they
were too young to really understand all that was happening. They just had to
trust me. We’re often like those second graders. We want all the answers, but
we just have to trust God. He’s in charge, and He knows why He does what He
does.
Question 2: What’s really at
the heart of our questioning of God when we’re suffering?
Job 40:6-8
6 Then answered the Lord unto Job out
of the whirlwind, and said, 7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare
thou unto me. 8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that
thou mayest be righteous?
Job had given a very humble response to God, and yet God was not
through quizzing Job. When I was a teenager, I would tell my parents, “OK, I
understand. Just stop the lecture.” While my attitude was much less reverent
than Job’s in this passage, I can’t help but wonder if Job was ready for the
“lecture” to stop. But God’s questioning went in a different direction.
God did not take Job to task for inquiring about his suffering. The
issue was that Job had accused God of acting unjustly, which is contrary to His
nature. “Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou
mayest be righteous?” God is just and He can do nothing unjust.
As we consider suffering and all that it entails, we must be careful
not to blame God or question His nature. He is God. He created the heavens and
the earth. We are the creation and not the Creator. Who are we to question
God’s will or His ways? God is big enough to handle our questions, but as we
approach His throne of grace, we must come in humility and trust, not with
pride and arrogance.
I (Candace) had to learn the hard way that pride and arrogance are
not my friends. When I arrived late to English class in my junior year of high
school, I walked in right as the tardy bell rang. This was my third time being
late, and my teacher filled out the dreaded “write-up” form. I was a good kid,
and I knew she liked me, yet I had challenged her authority over the matter.
That prideful arrogance won me an in-school suspension where I spent two days enjoying
a freezing cold classroom where no one was allowed to talk all day. My teacher
liked me, but she still had a job to do. I learned my place, apologized to her,
and moved on a little bruised but a better person. When we have questions about
our circumstances, take those questions to God, but keep in mind these three
things:
- God is greater than us. Once Job had a glimpse of the bigness and majesty of God, it put his understanding of his own life and suffering in perspective. Job replied to God’s questions not with answers, but with humility.
- God is more knowledgeable than we are. Job’s response in verse 4 was perfect; “What shall I answer thee?” Of course, he could not—and neither can we. Things happen in our lives—both good and bad—that we simply cannot understand. It is best to approach God with humility and trust His wisdom and His love.
- God is just in everything He does. God asked two powerful questions: “Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?” This was more of a declaration than a series of inquiries to Job. Job had no grounds for challenging God’s justice. While in the throes of suffering, it can be easy to think God is not just. But God is just—perfectly just. It is our lack of understanding, knowledge, and perspective that limits our ability to see clearly.
ENGAGE
I wish I could ask God …
Why _________________________________________________?
When ________________________________________________?
How _________________________________________________?
I can live with not understanding all of God’s ways, and I can
trust that God is ____________________________ .
How can we encourage one another to trust God even when we don’t understand
the circumstances surrounding us?
Question 3: What are some of
the barriers that keep us from understanding God’s justice?
Job 42:1-6
1 Then Job answered the Lord, and
said, 2 I know that thou
canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee. 3 Who is he that hideth counsel
without knowledge? therefore have I uttered that I understood not; things too
wonderful for me, which I knew not. 4 Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak: I will demand of thee, and
declare thou unto me. 5 I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth
thee. 6 Wherefore I abhor
myself, and repent in dust and ashes.
DIGGING DEEPER
WHAT GOD TAUGHT JOB
Job did not have all the facts about God or his own life. At the same
time, readers must hold this statement in tension with Yahweh affirming that
Job had spoken correctly (see 42:7). Job agreed with God’s assessment (42:1‑3).
The two verbs are abhor (Hebrew, maas) and repent
(nacham). Neither word, in the present context, suggests a repenting of
moral evil. Instead, Job seems to be retracting his avowal of innocence (Job
31). From this point forward, Job would “locate his self-worth in his relationship
with Yahweh, not in his own moral behavior or innocence.”
The assurance of divine presence gave Job strength to leave the
dust and ashes and get on with life. Job expressed a vibrant faith that could live
without all the answers because God’s presence was enough.
Rick W. Byargeon, “Repentance in the Book of Job,” Biblical Illustrator, Summer 2013, 59.
We see quite a change in Job from the man he was when God first spoke
in him in Job 38. Job now understood how wrong his accusations were toward God.
He came to the right conclusion that God is more significant, more
knowledgeable, and more just than he was.
Job now fully understood God’s sovereignty. God can do anything He
desires, and no human on earth can thwart God’s plans.
Job now understood just how ignorant he was before the Lord. Job
previously had some general ideas about the ways and purposes of God, but after
God spoke to him, he understood much more clearly. “I have heard of thee by the
hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth thee.” This new understanding led Job to repent. “Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
This was an expression of the deepest level of humility and contrition. His
words carry a willingness to learn the ways of God and to restate his own
humanity before a mighty and holy God.
Job’s experience with suffering led to an even greater relationship
with God than he had before. We likewise should let our own hardships serve as
a path to a deeper relationship with God.
“Beloved, are you being sifted? Has God permitted the enemy to
launch a full-scale attack against you? God knows what He’s doing. He isn’t
looking the other way, and He’s not being mean to you. Maybe this is the only way
He can get you to attend to the old so He can do something new.” 1
We must be careful to keep in mind who God is and who we are. We
must never forget that our God is trustworthy and good. He is right and just.
When we come before Him with this attitude, it produces worship and joy.
Question 4: When has God
proven His trustworthiness to you in the midst of suffering?
That may require repentance on our part, just as it did for Job. Throughout
the book, Job had maintained he had done nothing wrong, but now he realized his
sin was his presumptuousness toward God. So, he repented. Repentance never
yields a bad outcome! Repentance frees us to live with God as He desires.
Years after my prideful action toward my English teacher, I became
a teacher myself—and my first teaching position was working with her! When I
reconnected with her, I apologized again.
I mentioned the incident and told her how much it had taught me. Her
response was masterful. She claimed to not remember a thing, hugged me, and
told me how proud she was of me. Yes, repentance allows us to deal with the old
and move on to the new.
Again, repentance frees us to live with God as He desires. When we
acknowledge God’s rightful place and remain in ours, we will be able to see His
hand more clearly as He walks with us through our trials. God’s desire and plan
is to carry us through our suffering and for us to know Him more.
Question 5: How can our group
help one another trust God in times of suffering?
“The door of repentance opens into the hall of joy.”
CHARLES SPURGEON 2
LIVE IT OUT
How you respond to God in the midst of your suffering is a choice.
- Trust. Even if you do not see how God is at work in your life, trust Him. Pray that He would strengthen your faith as you go through difficulty.
- Examine. Dig into Scripture to see what God has revealed about His nature and character. Choose attributes of God for deeper word studies. Be driven to know what God says about Himself rather than relying on the opinions of others.
- Proclaim. Look for an opportunity to tell
someone else why you trust God even when walking the road of suffering. Encourage
others who are also suffering.
In His Love,
David & Susan
