Job 36:17-33

17 “But you were full of judgment on the wicked;
Judgment and justice take hold of you.
18 Beware that wrath does not entice you to scoffing;
And do not let the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.
19 “Will your [g]riches keep you from distress,
Or all the forces of your strength?
20 “Do not long for the night,
When people [h]vanish in their place.
21 “Be careful, do not turn to evil,
For you have preferred this to affliction.
22 “Behold, God is exalted in His power;
Who is a teacher like Him?
23 “Who has appointed Him His way,
And who has said, ‘You have done wrong’?

24 “Remember that you should exalt His work,
Of which men have sung.
25 “All men have seen it;
Man beholds from afar.
26 “Behold, God is exalted, and we do not know Him;
The number of His years is unsearchable.
27 “For He draws up the drops of water,
They distill rain from [i]the [j]mist,
28 Which the clouds pour down,
They drip upon man abundantly.
29 “Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,
The thundering of His [k]pavilion?
30 “Behold, He spreads His [l]lightning about Him,
And He covers the depths of the sea.
31 “For by these He judges peoples;
He gives food in abundance.
32 “He covers His hands with the [m]lightning,
And commands it to strike the mark.
33 “Its noise declares [n]His presence;
The cattle also, concerning what is coming up.

Elihu make some valid observations in this last passage starting in verse 24. Indeed we ought to exalt His work, and though we see it, it may seem that we behold God from afar and cannot know Him. Paul would later describe our vision of God, “now we see through a glass darkly…” Yet for all of God’s majesty, and unsearchable wisdom, He also invites us to know Him.

The entire Bible is God’s revelation of Himself to mankind. We learn of his greatness and majesty through His creation, but in the Bible we see His own words directed to us. While we are flesh and blood and cannot know Him fully, yet God wants us to know Him more. God draws us to Himself, that we may know more than just His greatness and awesome power.

So do not be discouraged because you can’t figure out God. Draw nearer to Him still, and learn to know Him better every day. Don’t be content with where you are right now, but strive unceasingly to reveal God’s heart and make yours more like His. There’s more to Him than you see right now, so keep your eyes fixed on Him and remember your first love.

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