Job 42

“Then at last, Job gave the Lord this answer: ‘I know that You can do everything, that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. You asked, “Who is this, hiding his counsel, without having knowledge?” Yes, I spoke, without understanding, of wonders far beyond me, which I didn’t know.  Please listen, and I will speak.  You said, “I will ask questions and you, give Me answers” – I had heard about You with my ears, but now my eyes see You; therefore I detest myself and repent in dust and ashes.’” Job 42:1-6 (CJB)

Growing up, I loved old-school horror movies, films like the original Dracula, the Mummy, Creature From The Black Lagoon, and, of course, Frankenstein. An interesting moral in the Frankenstein narrative is that a well-intended person can create something that gets so out of control that it eventually destroys its creator.

In a rebuke that lasts five chapters, God instructs Job that He created everything and that everything He made is entirely under His control. Even great beasts like Leviathan and Behemoth must answer to the Lord. Scholars have debated over the identities of these creatures. Some say they are a whale and a crocodile. Others believe they are a dinosaur and a giant squid. Still, others suggest they are symbols of sin and the Devil. It doesn’t matter what they are as long as we understand they are under God’s control!

There is so much in this World that we do not understand, and it is comforting that we are not required to know everything about everything. Have you ever gone out with friends and, while you were out together, something so incredible happened that you can’t stop talking about it? Then, when another friend asks what you are talking about, you say, “We can’t explain it; you just had to be there….” That is how it is with God. He tells us all that we NEED to know about Him, but not ALL there is to know about Him. We simply cannot understand some things, such as what existence was like before creation. Or the sound it made when the land was separated from the ocean. We just had to be there. But we weren’t.

It is much the same situation when we share the gospel with non-believers. How can we convey what it is like to know and follow God through a saving relationship with Messiah Jesus? It cannot fully be described, as all analogies end up falling short of the real thing. God cannot be fully appreciated in theories and descriptions. A relationship with God must be lived.  Our relationship with Him must be personal. (John 14:6)

And that is what Job has been doing for 42 chapters, living out his faith in the worst situations. Job’s faith has been tested to the point that it is realized as fact.  Job held on, and God showed up.  That is Job’s confession in today’s passage:

“I had heard about You with my ears, but now my eyes see You; therefore, I detest myself and repent in dust and ashes.” Job 42:5-6 (CJB)

Are you experiencing difficulty in your faith journey? Hold on! Trust the Lord and His Word and keep pressing on until He shows up and proves His Word true in your life.