Today we conclude our journey through the book of
Job. Thus far we have considered the testing of our faith (Job 1:1-2:10) and the limits of our wisdom (Job
2:11-37:24), and today we will consider the
greatness of our God (Job
38:1-42:17). Everything has been
leading up to this moment in Job. In Job 38:1-42:17 the author of Job
recorded Yahweh’s response to and restoration of Job to demonstrate how
the greatness of God both silences
and satisfies Job. There is something about experiencing and
contemplating the greatness of God that puts everything in our lives in
perspective. Job isn’t going to get all
of his answers to his questions, but he is going to see and hear from God and
what you are going to see is that seeing and hearing of God’s greatness is the
most powerful medicine for our souls in our suffering. A proper understanding of God’s greatness
will silence our questions and satisfy our souls. My prayer today is that we would taste and see
the greatness of our God! I am confident
that it will silence our confusion and satisfy our souls.
I.
WALKING THROUGH
a.
God’s Response to Job (& Job’s Response to
God) (38:1-42:6)
i. Yahweh’s
First Speech (38:1-40:2)
[38:1] Then the
LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: [2] “Who is this that
darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
This is a remarkably
accurate first question because this has been the problem in Job thus far: none
of the characters have sufficient knowledge
of speak with wisdom about Job’s situation.
[3] Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it
known to me. [4] “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell
me, if you have understanding. [5] Who determined its measurements—surely
you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? [6] On what were its bases
sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, [7] when the morning stars sang
together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? The answer to these questions is that YAHWEH is the one who did these things;
Job wasn’t there.
[8] “Or
who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, [9] when I
made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, [10] and
prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, [11] and said, ‘Thus far
shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? Who did
this? YAHWEH did, not Job. Notice
also the picture of God as a loving parent who takes care of His creation (this
will be seen more in His speeches).
[12] “Have
you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know
its place, [13] that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and
the wicked be shaken out of it? [14] It is changed like clay under the
seal, and its features stand out like a garment. [15] From the wicked
their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. Job
has never commanded the morning; YAHWEH has!
[16] “Have
you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?
[17] Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the
gates of deep darkness? [18] Have you comprehended the expanse of the
earth? Declare, if you know all this. Job has not, but YAHWEH has.
[19] “Where
is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, [20] that
you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its
home? [21] You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days
is great! Actually, Job doesn’t know, but YAHWEH does! Notice also how Yahweh’s sarcasm actually
reveals the pride and arrogance of questioning God. God does not answer to us for how He runs His
universe; we answer to Him for how we live in His universe as His creatures.
[22] “Have
you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of
the hail, [23] which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day
of battle and war? [24] What is the way to the place where the light is
distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth? Again, Job
hasn’t and doesn’t know, but YAHWEH does.
[25] “Who
has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, [26] to
bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, [27] to
satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass? Who
did? YAHWEH did!
[28] “Has
the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? [29] From whose
womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? [30] The
waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. YAHWEH is “father” to the rain.
[31] “Can
you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? [32] Can
you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its
children? [33] Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you
establish their rule on the earth? Of course Job cannot, but YAHWEH can!
[34] “Can
you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? [35] Can
you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? [36] Who
has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? [37] Who
can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
[38] when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together? Who can do
this? Not Job, but YAHWEH can.
[39] “Can
you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, [40] when
they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? [41] Who provides
for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander
about for lack of food? The answer is that Job cannot, but YAHWEH can and does.
[39:1] “Do you
know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does?
[2] Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time
when they give birth, [3] when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and
are delivered of their young? [4] Their young ones become strong; they
grow up in the open; they go out and do not return to them. Again, the answer is no. Job cannot, but YAHWEH can! What a fatherly
picture of care and compassion!
[5] “Who
has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, [6] to
whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his
dwelling place? [7] He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the
shouts of the driver. [8] He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he
searches after every green thing. YAHWEH, not Job, let the wild donkey go free and looks
after it.
[9] “Is
the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger? [10] Can
you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you?
[11] Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you
leave to him your labor? [12] Do you have faith in him that he will return
your grain and gather it to your threshing floor? Job can’t tame a wild ox, but this ox will serve YAHWEH.
[13] “The
wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of
love? [14] For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on
the ground, [15] forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild
beast may trample them. [16] She deals cruelly with her young, as if they
were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear, [17] because
God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding. [18] When
she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider. This
may seem like a strange point, but it is not.
YAHWEH withheld wisdom and
understanding from the ostrich; that’s why it’s stupid! As we’ve seen already in Job, God has to give
wisdom. Job needs to realize that he
will be equally lacking in wisdom and understanding unless Yahweh reveals it to
him.
[19] “Do
you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? [20] Do
you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. [21] He
paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons.
[22] He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the
sword. [23] Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the
javelin. [24] With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot
stand still at the sound of the trumpet. [25] When the trumpet sounds, he
says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and
the shouting. Job has not given
the mighty war horse its might; YAHWEH has!
[26] “Is
it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the
south? [27] Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his
nest on high? [28] On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky
crag and stronghold. [29] From there he spies out the prey; his eyes
behold it from far away. [30] His young ones suck up blood, and where the
slain are, there is he.” The answer is no; it is by YAHWEH’S understanding that they hawk
and eagle are taken care of.
[40:1] And the
LORD said to Job: [2] “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He
who argues with God, let him answer it.”
ii. Job’s
Response (40:3-5)
[3] Then
Job answered the LORD and said: [4] “Behold, I am of small account; what
shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. [5] I have spoken once, and
I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” Good
answer! God’s greatness should make us
feel small!
iii. Yahweh’s
Second Speech (40:6-41:34)
[6] Then
the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: [7] “Dress for action
like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. [8] Will you
even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? This is an important question. Job has been maintaining his righteousness
and questioning God’s justice. Here’s
where he has went too far and needs to repent.
[9] Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his? [10] “Adorn yourself with
majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor. [11] Pour
out the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase
him. [12] Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down
the wicked where they stand. [13] Hide them all in the dust together; bind
their faces in the world below. [14] Then will I also acknowledge to you that
your own right hand can save you.
God basically tells Job here to do His job! But he can’t.
Job is neither wise enough nor
powerful enough to govern the world
with perfect justice. What a statement
to people who want to call God’s justice and goodness into question every time
something bad happens in the world. Only
God can govern the world with perfect justice; only God can destroy with
creativity and turn every evil into good, and He is doing just that.
Yahweh’s second speech concludes with questions
for Job about two of God’s most majestic creatures, Behemoth (40:15-24) and Leviathan (41:1-34). It is not
entirely clear what these two creatures are, but it seems that “Behemoth” (the plural for “beast” in
Hebrew) is the mightiest creature on land and that “Leviathan” is the mightiest creature in the sea (the Old Testament
portrays Leviathan as a many headed serpent-dragon that God will one day crush:
Psalm 74:14; Isaiah 27:1). The point of both of these final two examples
is to make the point that no one can tame or subdue these mighty creatures but
Yahweh and since they are so great, how much greater must Yahweh be!
Here is the lesson with Behemoth: [24] Can one take him by his eyes, or pierce
his nose with a snare? (Job 40:24
ESV) “He is the first of the works of
God; let him who made him bring near his sword!” (Job 40:19 ESV) No one can
take Him, but YAHWEH can.
Here is the lesson with Leviathan: [10] No one is so fierce that he dares
to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me? [11] Who has first
given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is
mine. (Job 41:10-11 ESV)
iv. Job’s
Response (42:1-6)
[42:1] Then Job
answered the LORD and said: [2] “I know that you can do all things, and
that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. [3] ‘Who is this that hides
counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. [4] ‘Hear, and I will
speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ [5] I had heard
of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; [6] therefore I
despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”
This is another good
answer. Job recognizes the sovereignty
and wisdom of God and confesses his own ignorance.
What we have learned in this section that Job’s
Redeemer does live and speak! God has
exposed Job’s smallness and ignorance, but He has also established Job’s trust
in Yahweh once again (it had been close to wavering). God has shown Job that “the world is not as disorderly as he supposed.”[1] Even Job’s suffering has a place in God’s orderly world and is connected to the rest of God's creation in ways that we could never imagine. Job’s response should be our response to God in
our suffering.
In Job
42:7-17, we see God’s Restoration of
Job (42:7-17). Job is first vindicated (42:7-9), as God rebukes
Job’s three friends and has Job offer sacrifices and pray for them
(42:7-9). Yahweh then doubly restores the fortunes of Job (compare
numbers in 42:12 with those in 1:3).
The Lord blesses Job with another seven sons and three daughters, who
were all the fairest in the land. Our
final picture of Job is as a man who lives a long life and dies a happy old
man.
II.
STEPPING BACK:
a.
The Greatness of God’s Power and Wisdom Silences
Our Objections
The greatness of God’s power and wisdom silenced Job (40:3-5). When Job does
speak, it is to vow silence and confess ignorance! Have you ever considered that there are many
things that are “too wonderful” for
us to understand (42:3)? Sometimes God may tell us what we want to
know, but sometimes He may bring us to the place where we simply don’t need to know. He may bring us to the place where all we
need to know is that He is sovereign, wise, & good, and therefore trustworthy even when my life
falls apart.
b.
The Greatness of God’s Mercy and Grace Satisfies
Our Souls
We also see that the greatness of God left Job satisfied. This is so good! God certainly satisfied Job by restoring his
fortunes, but what I want you to see here is an even greater miracle of Job
being satisfied before the fortunes are restored. But note also that God’s response is good enough for Job. He doesn’t say, “Now I see it all.” Job
never sees it all, but he does see God and that is enough for Him (42:5-6)[2]. “It is
only God himself who brings Job joy in the end.
And, when all is done, the mystery remains. God stands revealed in his hiddenness, an
object of terror, adoration, and love.
And Job stands before him ‘like a man’ (38:3, 40:7), trusting and
satisfied.”[3] Job repents for speaking out of turn and is
then seen doing what he did in chapter 1: offering sacrifices and interceding
for those he loved (42:7-9). Remember that this is what got this whole
dilemma started: the question of whether or not God was enough for Job. Job’s response to God is the final proof that
God was good enough for Job.
I think we are also meant to see a promise here in
the way that the book of Job ends. We
are meant to see that those who trust Yahweh will not be put to shame when all
is said and done. This is true for all
of God’s people, whether He does this for them in this life or the next. Jesus said that no one who has left or lost anything
for God will not be restored a hundred fold in this life or the next (Mark 10:29-31). So in the big picture, Job 42 is a promise that we will never lose anything
along the path of obedience that will not be restored in this life or the
next. In the end, it is worth it to lose
so that you may gain a deeper understanding of the greatness of God. In the end, it is worth it to have a deeper
walk with God and to look more like Jesus than you did before. In the end, it is worth it to lose your life
for the One who suffered and laid down His life for you. Will you surrender to Him today?
