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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Job 10
Job never cursed God; never denied His sovereignty. God even later said that Job spoke the truth about Him (see Job 42:7). However, Job did make some assumptions about God’s intentions. Job said to God, “I know that this was your hidden plan” (Job 10:13b). As far as I can decipher what Job thought God’s plan was, he believed he was doomed no matter what he did. No wonder he wished he had never existed! Hopelessness will do that to you.
The point, to me, is that Job judged God’s concern for him based on his current circumstances. But God is so much bigger than our current circumstances. His plans for us are timeless and far greater than we can imagine. And His love is more than we can comprehend. So when it feels like God doesn’t care, has abandoned us, or is harsh and cruel, which was the case for Job, we need to trust beyond our circumstances and hold to these truths about His character. When it comes to understanding God, to say that we are small fish in a vast ocean is an understatement. How miraculous, then, that a being so great knows even the ever-changing number of hairs on my head!
Job 11-12
Zophar was a real piece of work! He told Job, “Can you fathom the depths of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7). Yet he claimed to know the secrets of wisdom. And he went on to declare how this God who is beyond understanding operates. Rather self-righteous of him, I think. And because Zophar was so firmly established in the ways and wisdom of God, he was able to tell Job exactly what he needed to do to correct his situation. Right.
The mistake I see in Zophar’s thinking is that he believed we can control our circumstances. He basically told Job that all his problems would go away if only he would repent. Sorry, Zophar, but we ain’t got that kind of control! And, as I have said before, God is more concerned with our eternal character than He is with our short-term comfort. So this temporary life will never be that kind of if-this-then-that simple. Job was certainly in a position to understand this. If life worked according to Zophar’s formula, then Job would still be reveling in his very blessed life. We see Job’s understanding in his response to Zophar.
Job’s friends are a warning to me to never be so stuck in my opinion of things that I refuse to accept truth. They refused to believe Job’s innocence because it countered their understanding. Job, on the other hand, teaches me the futility in seeking reasons for suffering. The fact is, it’s not the reason but our response that matters. We know God is in control. Job knew that too. But we also know what perhaps Job did not. We know that God is working all things together for His good plan that is far bigger than us. And we know that God loves us intimately and infinitely, no matter how our circumstances make us feel. Far better, then, to not waste my energy seeking answers I likely wouldn’t understand anyway and spend it instead on trusting God and holding fast to faith.