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The earlier parts of this book have been very sympathetic toward Job, and harsh in their judgment toward the three "friends", with their presumptuous and self-serving accusations.
But this last section is harsh against Job, the one who is suffering.
In this section, God speaks to Job. His message is: quit second-guessing Me; I know what I'm doing; trust Me.
Throughout the dialog recorded in the book of Job, Job has often said he wishes God would talk to him about his troubles. And he doesn't just mean talk—he doesn't understand why he has to suffer, and he wants God to justify his actions to Job's satisfaction. Here are some of the things Job has said:
How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him? (Job 9:14)
He is not a man like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. If only there were someone to arbitrate between us, to lay his hand upon us both (Job 9:32-33)
I will say to God: Do not condemn me, but tell me what charges you have against me. (Job 10:2)
But I desire to speak to the Almighty and to argue my case with God. (Job 13:3)
If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! I would state my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. I would find out what he would answer me, and consider what he would say. (Job 23:3-5)
I cry out to you, O God, but you do not answer; I stand up, but you merely look at me. (Job 30:20)
As the men were talking, a storm was brewing. When the storm arrived, they found it was no ordinary storm; when the thunder sounded, God spoke to Job:
Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm. He said: "Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?" (Job 38:1-2)
God says to Job, "Why are you second-guessing Me? Do you think I can do a better job by taking your advice? Your advice doesn't improve my counsel, it darkens it."
Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. (Job 38:3)
"Stand up and look me in the eye!" God says. "Let's find out if you're wise enough that I need your advice." And God asked Job a series of questions.
Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone (Job 38:4-6)
"Where were you when I needed you?" God asks Job. "Creating the universe—now that was hard! If I could handle that, I can do a good job managing your life!"
Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place (Job 38:12)
"For thousands of years, I've made the sun rise every morning," God tells Job. "How 'bout if you make it rise tomorrow? Then I'll know we're equals, and I can use your advice!"
Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep? (Job 38:16)
"There's this beautiful place, Job. It's six miles off the coast, twelve hundred feet deep. An underwater spring flows into the sea, and because of the spring there are lots of unique creatures. It's lovely! Have you seen it?" But of course Job can't even dream about seeing it. Only God can go there—at least in Job's day.
Can you bind the beautiful Pleiades? Can you loose the cords of Orion? (Job 38:31)
"Hey Job! Look at the beautiful star clusters in the southern sky. I made them. Now show me some of your artwork!"
Do you see God being a little hard on Job? God's message to Job is: trust Me; stop second-guessing Me.
God continues the questions:
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'? (Job 38:35)
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? (Job 38:37a)
Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn? Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth? (Job 39:1-2)
"The whole cycle of birth—" God says to Job, "I invented it. I designed each creature's gestation cycle. Show me some of your inventions!" And He adds, without words, "Do I need your help in arranging the circumstances of your life?"
Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south? (Job 39:26)
Man has always been fascinated by flight. God perfected it, centuries before the Wright Brothers.
God wraps up his arguments:
The Lord said to Job: "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" (Job 40:1-2)
God says to Job, "You wanted to tell me how to run your life? To show me you are wise enough for the job, answer some of those questions!"
But of course, Job realizes that, even though his suffering is intense, God is far wiser than Job, and far more capable of managing Job's life.
Then Job answered the Lord: "I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer—twice, but I will say no more." (Job 40:3-5)
God has made His point—but He's not done yet. And so He begins His second discourse:
Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. (Job 40:7)
Again God says to Job, "Stand up and look me in the eye! You made some demands, now prove you're wise enough to justify them!"
Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? (Job 40:8)
Here's the rub! Job has been saying, "If I were God, I would do things differently!" It's about the same as saying "God isn't doing a very good job". And God is telling Job, "I am wise enough and loving enough and strong enough to do exactly what is best for you, even if you aren't wise enough to understand it. Trust Me!"
Do you have an arm like God's, and can your voice thunder like his? (Job 40:9)
He means, "Do you think you can do better than I am doing?"
Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low, look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand. (Job 40:10-12)
"If you think you can do better than I am doing," God says, "then solve all the world's problems! Put a stop to evil, set injustice right. If you can do that —"
Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you. (Job 40:14)
Or, "— then I will agree that you don't need me, I need you."
But rather than expect Job to really accomplish all that, God gives Job a simpler task. If Job can do this simpler job, God will agree to take Job's advice in managing Job's life.
Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? (Job 41:1)
Bible translators don't know what animal the "leviathan" is. No known animal fully fits the description in the next several verses. But just to be able to discuss this passage rationally, I'm going to adopt one commentator's opinion and guess that "leviathan" is the crocodile. If that's wrong, some specifics will change, but the general meaning of this passage remains the same.
So God says to Job, "Can you tame a crocodile?" Job was an expert with sheep, camels, donkeys, and other domestic animals; but taming a crocodile was completely beyond his ken.
God toys with Job on this theme:
Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? (Job 41:2)
We can imagine the humorous scenes a cartoonist would make of this attempt!
Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words? (Job 41:3)
… the way a lamb or a playful puppy might?
Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? (Job 41:4-5)
Not likely! A crocodile can be captured, but never tamed.
God interjects some humor:
If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! (Job 41:8)
Why has God been talking about a crocodile all this time? Here God draws his conclusion:
No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me. (Job 41:10-11)
In effect, God says to Job, "If you can't even subdue that measly crocodile, what makes you think you can manage your life better than I can? Trust Me!"
God has been telling Job, "Stop second-guessing Me. I know what I'm doing. Trust Me." And now Job sees God's point, and agrees.
Then Job replied to the Lord: "I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted." (Job 42:1-2)
"God," Job answers, "I'll do things Your way. I give up on the idea that You should do things my way."
Referring to God's first words to Job, back in Job 38:2, Job continues:
You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?' Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. (Job 42:3)
Job had obscured God's counsel by demanding that God's actions conform to Job's ideas and expectations. Now Job admits, "I can trust You, even if I don't understand why these tragedies have happened to me."
And that's the kind of faith God looks for!
For months, Job has endured every kind of loss that can hurt a man: poverty, death of loved ones, marital stress, disease, social stigma. And for weeks his best friends, those who should have supported him, have blamed him for causing his own problems. Instead of consoling, they have accused, argued, dismissed his feelings; and even after he had successfully defended himself, and they couldn't justify their accusations, they maintained their accusing attitude.
Now, finally, God clears the air. God speaks to the oldest of Job's friends, the one assumed to be the wisest, the one who would speak for the group:
After the Lord had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has." (Job 42:7-8)
Any time we don't know why someone is hurting, and we assume they themselves are to blame, that's how God feels toward us. He is angry with us.
And yet, what was the goal of God's anger here? Did God lash out? Did He punish the friends? Did He "get even"?
None of the above.
God's words to Eliphaz display two goals. One is justice; the friends had to admit they were wrong. Although the friends could never un-say the words they had said, God demands that they ask Job to pray for their forgiveness. To do this, they have to admit that there was something to forgive. As the first step in fulfilling justice, God demands that we "confess [our] sins to each other" (James 5:16).
The other goal achieved by God's demand is reconciliation. The relationship between Job and his friends had been damaged by the stream of false accusations. God's desire that we live in love and unity was completely disrupted. By demanding that the friends and Job sacrifice together and pray together, God planted the seeds of a rebuilt relationship.
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