October 14
Reading: Job 23
1 Then Job answered and said:
2 “Today also my complaint is bitter;
his hand is heavy on account of my groaning.
3 Oh, that I knew where I might find him,
that I might come even to his seat!
4 I would lay my case before him
and fill my mouth with arguments.
5 I would know what he would answer me
and understand what he would say to me.
6 Would he contend with me in the greatness of his power?
No; he would pay attention to me.
7 There an upright man could argue with him,
and I would be acquitted forever by my judge.
8 “Behold, I go forward, but he is not there,
and backward, but I do not perceive him;
9 on the left hand when he is working, I do not behold him;
he turns to the right hand, but I do not see him.
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tried me, I shall come out as gold.
11 My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food.
13 But he is unchangeable, and who can turn him back?
What he desires, that he does.
14 For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind.
15 Therefore I am terrified at his presence;
when I consider, I am in dread of him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
17 yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
C.S. Lewis writes in A Grief Observed, “’Knock and it shall be opened.’ But does knocking mean hammering and kicking the door like a maniac?” 20 chapters into his grief and lament, Job is hammering and kicking the door like a maniac.
Seven speeches from his friends (so far) have brought him to the point where he is sick of man’s reasoning and the efforts of people to explain God. This is an important lesson in the book of Job. Man’s reasonings are insufficient when it comes to God and always gets us into trouble. Human reason is a gift and good for many things but insufficient in explaining God.
Eliphaz has just urged Job to acknowledge God’s greatness, confess his sin, and repent. In Job 23:1-2 he responds by recognizing that his complaint may be sin and God’s hand is heavy on him. But, still, Job wants to talk to God Himself. By faith Job is sure that God would listen to him, answer him, and respond with justice and not fearsome power alone.
Job’s cry in verse 3 is the cry of every suffering believer, “Oh that I knew where I might find Him.” Have you ever spoken that to the night sky or into your pillow in the darkness? In verses 8-9 Job expands on this desperate desire to find God and speak with Him and hear His voice. That God is invisible is one of the most difficult aspects of this life on earth.
Despite this, the following verses (10-17) contain one of the great statements of trust in God in the entire Bible. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Job, though he cannot see God, is convinced that God will rescue him. Consider what Job confesses about God.
- He knows my path, will test me, and will find me righteous. (vss. 10-11)
- I hold onto His words. His words are my food. (vs. 12)
- God does exactly what He wants to do. He is sovereign. (vs. 13)
- God works in my life what He wishes. (vs. 14)
- I fear God because He is completely in control. I know He is there. (vss. 15-16)
- So, I will keep speaking to Him no matter what. (vs. 17)
Job’s words remind me of James 1:2-4. God has His purposes.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.