October 31
Reading: Job 40
1 And the LORD said to Job:
2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said:
4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but I will proceed no further.”
6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
7 “Dress for action like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?
9 Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?
10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.
12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below.
14 Then will I also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 “Behold, Behemoth, which I made as I made you;
he eats grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.
19 “He is the first of the works of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20 For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.
22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.
23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24 Can one take him by his eyes,
or pierce his nose with a snare?
In verses 1-2 God is not really accusing Job of being a “faultfinder with God,” though Job has come close. There are faultfinders, and God is warning Job against becoming one. Job has asked for an audience with God to argue his case. God now invites him to do so.
But, in Job’s answer we learn something important. Actually, when given the chance to debate with God, Job reconsiders. His answer is, “I have nothing more to say.” Job realizes that he has no standing before God, he has not enough understanding to present a case before God, and it would be foolish to presume to be his own defense attorney.
It is important to see here that God has waited for Job to express everything that he had before He answered Job. Job tells God here that he has nothing more to say because he has now heard God speak and he understands his own lack of understanding. But Job also has nothing more to say because he has already said everything that he had. Part of the process of mourning and lament is that God is waiting for us to get everything out. It is a little like a child having a fit. The parent must wait until the kid gets everything out and then you are ready for a good talk.
Moreover, it is massively reassuring for Job that God has shown up and speaks with him. Sometimes just knowing that God is present and that He cares is all that we need. It is all Job needs. The lament is over. He has God with him. He knows it now.
God answers him a second time out of the storm beginning in verses 6-7 and verses 8-14 are central to the message of the book. These verses speak to the heart of Job’s struggle throughout the book.
Is Job really able to pass judgment on the righteousness of God?
Does Job have the power to speak as God does about justice?
Is Job able to enforce God’s moral law?
Is Job able to secure his own vindication or pronounce himself righteous?
The answer to each of these questions is “No.” Job still needs a redeemer. (Job 19:25)
Then God presents Himself as Lord over the Behemoth. Is this a hippopotamus? Is it a dinosaur? Is this a beast of mythology? We are left to wonder.