Job Rebukes Bildad
26 Then Job [a]responded,
2 “What a help you are to [b]the weak!
How you have saved the arm without strength!
3 “What counsel you have given to one without wisdom!
What helpful insight you have abundantly [c]provided!
4 “To whom have you uttered words?
And whose [d]spirit was expressed through you?
The Greatness of God
5 “The [e]departed spirits tremble
Under the waters and their inhabitants.
6 “Naked is [f]Sheol before Him,
And [g]Abaddon has no covering.
7 “He stretches out the north over empty space
And hangs the earth on nothing.
8 “He wraps up the waters in His clouds,
And the cloud does not burst under them.
9 “He [h]obscures the face of the [i]full moon
And spreads His cloud over it.
10 “He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters
At the boundary of light and darkness.
11 “The pillars of heaven tremble
And are amazed at His rebuke.
12 “He quieted the sea with His power,
And by His understanding He shattered Rahab.
13 “By His breath the heavens are [j]cleared;
His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent.
14 “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways;
And how faint a word we hear of Him!
But His mighty thunder, who can understand?”
Job lays on the sarcasm pretty thick in the first section, but his point through the entire chapter is pretty clear. Anyone who claims to know all of God’s ways, or who tries to put God in a box and says, “this is the way He always does things…” is full of themselves and not much else. As I’m writing, I sometimes find myself back-tracking when I make a claim about God. I have to ask myself, is that what the Bible really says about Him, or is that what I want God to do all the time, because it’s nice and tidy and easier to understand.
We want to understand God, and there’s value in that, and we can find joy when we learn His ways and listen to His heart. But be careful if you ever feel like you’ve figured Him out, you might be in for a surprise! Though if you’re really in tune with Him, you’re far less likely to be surprised, and that’s a big takeaway here. Seek God always, and look for His plan. Don’t try to make Him fit your plans, but look for the good that God is already trying to do. Get on board with that, and enjoy the ride, wherever it takes you!