Job: What Can I Say?
40 Then the Lord said to Job,
2 “Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who reproves God answer it.”3 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
4 “Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 “Once I have spoken, and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I will add nothing more.”
God Questions Job
6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the storm and said,
7 “Now gird up your loins like a man;
I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
8 “Will you really annul My judgment?
Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
9 “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?10 “Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 “Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him,
And tread down the wicked [a]where they stand.
13 “Hide them in the dust together;
Bind [b]them in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also [c]confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.
At first glance, this is a pretty daunting passage. God asks Job directly whether he will contend or answer him. Naturally, Job knows when to keep his mouth shut, and he lets God have his say. As I said before, there’s nothing wrong with questioning God, but then we have to be willing to let him answer. Even more difficult, we need to be content with His answer, regardless of whether we like what He has to say.
Yet that’s not where this ends, as God continues to question Job. In verse 14, God makes a statement that would be humorous if it weren’t for the gravity of it all. He states that if Job can do all these things, then he will admit that Job can save himself. Job knew, and we know also, that we cannot save ourselves, nor can we do any of the mighty deeds that God lays claim to in this passage.
Therein lies the hope, because God can do all of those things, and thus… God alone can save us, from our sin, from this broken and fallen world, and from ourselves. Often, we are our own worst enemy, yet (as Simon Peter wrote) God has given us “everything we need for living a godly life.” Of all people, Simon knew his own weakness, and he also knew the amazing transforming power of God.
Though our path and our call be unique, the same God who could rescue Job, the same God who transformed Simon Peter, that same God desires to live and work in us. In the lives of we who are so small and insignificant by comparison, God chooses to be seen by this world. Once, He came as a man, but now he is displayed in the lives of those who choose Him. Jesus told us people would know us by our love, and that’s no small feat. In a world where true God-inspired love is a rarity, He calls us to be a beacon and an example of His transforming and saving power.