JOB 11:7-9 – “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Its measure is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.
THEME OF THE DAY. OUR UNFATHOMABLE BUT KNOWABLE GOD. Today’s scripture is a dialogue between one of Job’s friends, Zophar the Naamathite and Job. As one reads this book and the conversations that occur, we see Job’s friends giving a lot of impulsive advice. They even show a spirit of pompous self-righteousness at times. But sometimes, they hit the mark. Sometimes they are right on with their counsel and words. These words of Zophar are such words.
Zophar’s response to Job’s suffering is in the form of four questions. All of them contain descriptive words of God’s character; deep things of God, find out the limit of the Almighty, higher than heaven, deeper than Sheol, longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. And all of them have the one and same answer – nobody. Nobody can find out the deep things of God. Nobody can find out the limit of the Almighty. Nobody can reach higher than heaven. Nobody can plunge the depth of Sheol. But what do these unfathomable descriptions of our God and our complete inability to grasp Him have to do with living out the difficulties of being 21st century Christians? Everything. In fact, they are essential to us learning the valuable lessons found in the book of Job.
When it comes to the lessons in the book of Job, many abound but the two most important are the proper response to suffering and humility. The lesson on suffering is easy to identify but hard to live. It is the inevitability of suffering in the lives of God’s children. Job was innocent and suffered. Remember this when we enter a season of suffering. Don’t listen to the lies of Satan that say, “Oh, look at your suffering. God must be punishing you for your sin.” God does not punish His children. Discipline for correction? Yes. Punish? No. He did that once to His Son, the Lord Jesus, on the cross.
The other lesson, and perhaps the most important in the book of Job, is humility. And it is humility fostered by being awakened to the truth that our God is beyond human ability to grasp. All throughout Job, this suffering saint is confronted with the reality that God is not like him. God does not deal with man as a man. Job is painfully learning this truth penned by the prophet Isaiah – For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). We must learn this lesson too, and it often takes being in the Refiner’s Fire of affliction, like Job, to learn God is not like us, and doesn’t act and react like us. And as we learn this about God, humility grows and with humility comes submission to God’s mysterious ways in our lives.
These two virtues and actions – humility and submission – serve as the building blocks for all spiritual growth. We will learn them, like Job, by realizing the glorious nature of our unfathomable God and yet, comprehend Him as our God who invites us to know His incredible love and Person.
PRAYER: “Father, help me to trust You despite what I feel, the circumstance I am in, or the situation I face.”
QUOTE: “We may not understand God’s ways, but we may always trust God’s ways despite our changing feelings.”