Day 5, Job 38-42: An Awesome God!

As I see God's answer to Job in this passage, it brings into sharp focus the greatness of God. In many ways, I am not sure how I can talk of this passage (ch 38-41) without dulling its majesty and grandeur - I will make some comments, but there is no substitute for reading this passage!

As we considered yesterday with Elihu's passage, Job was in error to question God and to ask for a chance to prove his innocence in court with God. He, too is overwhelmed by the questions God asks of him - questions he cannot hope to answer and he (rightly) simply responds by repenting humbly. There can be no other response to such a reminder of God's Majesty!

The passage is a timely reminder of Who God Is. Frequently today, many focus on the relational aspects of God, emphasising His Fatherhood, His Love, His compassion, etc. All important parts of God's character, but sometimes we do forget how truly amazing God is, how great He is, and all He does.

Here we see Him (as a partial list):

• As the powerful Creator and Designer
• The Great Physicist, Who commands the natural laws
• The omniscient, ever-present God
• The Lord of death - the Keeper of Hell
• The Sustainer of natural forces, in control of when storms are released
• The One Who knows every living creature, and whether they are full or famished
• The Master of every wild beast, Who understands everything about them, how they move, how they think and act
• The Creator of the greatest creatures in land and sea - Behomoth and Leviathan - which man has no hope of controlling or fighting

If you haven't already - I'll say it again. Do read the passage, this is an amazing section of the Bible where God Himself speaks, and presents to us an awe-inspiring picture of Who He is.

Finally, we get to the epilogue. Job has repented, he has no answer - we are nothing before God, and the appropriate response is to simply trust Him, not question Him, whatever the circumstance.

Job's three 'friends' with poor theology and ill advice are rebuked, with forgiveness offered by means of the prayer of the one they accused as having done wickedness - the one who spoke of God more rightly than they. We noted earlier that Elihu is not rebuked  - also interesting to note that Job's wife is not rebuked, who in the early part suggested Job 'curse God and die' - perhaps the rebuke Job gave her was sufficient, as head of the household.

The mention of his brothers and sisters brings up the question of where they were before. We don't know whether they took a while to hear about the suffering, or they were avoiding him at first due to his turn in fortune. But now they both show emotional and economic comfort in his suffering, which presumably is the means God uses to begin setting Job up with greater wealth than before. Not everyone will end up in more physically blessed circumstances after a time of suffering, but God chose to bless physically in this case - the greatest blessing Job gained is still the greater understanding and awareness of God that he gained. Physically, everything he once had, he ends up with twice as much (including his children, as he will again see the first number who died when he reaches Heaven). We don't learn the names of his sons, but the names of his daughters express the joy he has - "Day light" "Sweet Smelling" "Beautiful colour (used to paint the eyelids)".

Glory be to God on High!