Daily D – Job 40:6-14
Job 40:6-14
6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 “Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you
The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Job 40:6–14.
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If we are not careful, we will miss something important here in verses 1 and 6. God is identified as the LORD. This is the name most hallowed by Jewish people from time immemorial. They do not speak it aloud out of deepest reverence. Whereas Job’s three friends and their young protege spoke of God by his other names, when God speaks, everyone knows it is the LORD.
The LORD speaks again out of the storm. He prepares Job for Round Two. Job does not want to go another round with the LORD. Listen to how he replies to the LORD in verses 3-5:
3 Then Job answered the LORD:
4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.
Job may have been the person who came up with the original idea that it is never too early to shut up.
The LORD told Job to brace himself. More questions were coming like those in chapters 38 and 39. The first three land like a boxer’s blows against a wearied opponent.
8 “Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
You know Job wanted to shout at this point, “No, no, no! A thousand times no!” The LORD then lands ten blows in the form of imperatives, commands, in verses 10 and following. (Highlights added.)
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and **bring** them low,
12 look at all who are proud and **humble** them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
The LORD, arrayed with glory and splendor, honor and majesty, welcomes anyone to compare himself or herself with him. My friends, you and I and everyone we know discovers soon enough how our arms are too short to box with God. Our intellects are too puny to compare our thoughts with his.
The Apostle Paul declared to the church in Corinth,
and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.
1 Corinthians 1:25
Job knew before his ordeal began that God was God and he was not. Now the LORD was exalted even higher in Job’s estimation. Job was more deeply humbled than ever.
Verse 14 no doubt made Job tremble. “Save yourself,” the LORD says, “if you can.” Job could not. We cannot.
Step back for a moment and ponder Job 42:1-6:
Then Job replied to the LORD:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
What changed between Job 1 and Job 42?
What changes in us when we truly experience God?
God is not an intellectual exercise. God is not an emotion to feel.
The LORD is more wonderful than we can imagine.
Job discovered he did not need his questions answered. Job discovered he needed more of the LORD’s mercy and grace. Job discovered all of life is worship. Our high points lead us into celebration. Our hard times lead us to the Rock upon which we stand (Romans 5:1-5).
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I will know and experience God in the high points and hard times of my life.
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Our Father, as the old song says, you are more than wonderful. You never abandon us. You never fail. You are with us in every valley as assuredly as on every mountain peak. You are the LORD and you shepherd us all the days of our lives. What more could we want? What more could we need? Amen.
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