As we approach the conclusion of Job, we finally hear from God. Job had heard from four counsellors, but now God himself would speak. Job’s friends had accused him of sinful actions. God would not. But God would address Job’s words. Though he had initially not sinned with his mouth (1:22; 2:10), he had eventuallytransgressed with his lips. Over the course of his speeches, he had charged God with wrongdoing on two fronts. First, he had accused God of running a disordered world, and, second, he had accused God of injustice. God would address the first accusation in his first response (38:1–40:5) and the second accusation in his second response (40:6–42:6). We will consider each speech in turn.
At various points in his responses to his friends, Job, like many since him, had accused God of leading a disordered world. In Outgrowing God: A Beginner’s Guide, Richard Dawkins points to what he perceives to be disorder in creation as evidence that God does not exist. While Job never doubted God’s existence, he did question God’s order.
Answering from a whirlwind, the Lord addressed Job directly: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me” (38:2–3). Job had ignorantly and arrogantly accused God of disorder. God responded by pointing to creation as evidence of glorious order.
The first speech might be divided into two major parts. In the first (38:1–38), inanimate creation serves as evidence of order. In the second (38:39–39:30), animate creation evidences order. The point is simple: Job was a “faultfinder” (40:2) who argued with God but without the knowledge that he professed to have (38:2). For all his professed wisdom, his accusations rang empty. He thought that he had a better idea of order than God did, but the Lord answered him with a volley of questions to show that he was not as wise as he imagined.
Job needed to understand that he needed answers less than he needed to trust. God never actually answered his questions. He never actually revealed what had unfolded in the heavenly court in the opening chapters. But he reminded Job that he was in control, that he was ordering the world well, and that Job could trust him.
The Lord’s concluding challenge to Job (40:1–2) revealed where Job had fallen short. He had not mistreated neighbour or abused the poor, as his friends had accused. But he had found fault with the way that God ordered his world and hinted that he could probably do better. His arrogance had been highlighted in his words. God’s response revealed that he had done nothing wrong. How would Job respond?
Job’s response is recorded in 40:3–5, and it is telling: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” The response here includes an admission (“I am of small account”) and a declaration (“I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”).
We see in this response that Job had come to the point of acknowledging his sin. His friends had been unable to point out any sin in his life, but God did not fail where they had failed. God accurately diagnosed Job’s arrogance and Job could not deny it. But observe: While his words acknowledged sin, they fell short of repentance. Job recognised his own folly but did not confess God’s greatness and therefore he fell short of the repentance that God demanded. It would take a second round of questioning to bring him to the point of repentance.
We will consider the Lord’s second speech tomorrow but, for now, observe two principles.
First, in our affliction, we need a greater vision of God far more than we need answers. Answers will suffice for but a moment, but a grander vision of the Lord will serve us for a lifetime. As we pray through these chapters, let us pray for a more glorious vision of God.
Second, acknowledgement of wrongdoing is not the same as repentance. God was not finished with Job yet. While he had acknowledged his wrongdoing, he had not yet repented. It would take a second speech to bring him to that point, as we will see tomorrow.
As you meditate on Job 38:1–40:5 this morning, ask God to give you an increasingly glorious vision of who he is, and ask for the grace to allow that vision to move you beyond admission of sin to repentance of sin.
