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The Lord Continues
I Am the Lord All-Powerful
* 1I am the Lord All-Powerful,
2but you have argued
that I am wrong.
Now you must answer me.
3Job said to the Lord:
4Who am I to answer you?
5I did speak once or twice,
but never again.
6Then out of the storm
the Lord said to Job:
7Face me and answer
the questions I ask!
8Are you trying to prove
that you are innocent
by accusing me of injustice?
9Do you have a powerful arm
and a thundering voice
that compare with mine?
10If so, then surround yourself
with glory and majesty.
* 11Show your furious anger!
Throw down and crush
12all who are proud and evil.
13Wrap them in grave clothes
and bury them together
in the dusty soil.
14Do this, and I will agree
that you have won
this argument.
I Created You
15I created both you
and the hippopotamus.
It eats only grass like an ox,
16but look at the mighty muscles
in its body 17and legs.
Its tail is like a cedar tree,
and its thighs are thick.
18The bones in its legs
are like bronze or iron.
19I made it more powerful
than any other creature,
yet I am stronger still.
20Undisturbed, it eats grass
while the other animals
play nearby.
* 21It rests in the shade of trees
along the riverbank
22or hides among reeds
in the swamp.
23It remains calm and unafraid
with the Jordan River rushing
and splashing in its face.
24There is no way to capture
a hippopotamus—
not even by hooking its nose
or blinding its eyes.
Reflect
Today many atheists use Job as an example of Christianity’s supposedly irrational defence of the existence of God in the face of suffering and evil. “Look,” they say, “Job has suffered excruciating loss and pain, and all God can do is point out that he sends snow and he was able to make some animals!”
Such an interpretation, however, is far from accurate. God has been pointing out to Job that only the Creator fully understands the created order. Only God himself has made and ultimately controls the natural world. The way God created, the way he sustains, and the way he controls his creation is beyond human understanding.
If Job cannot even fully comprehend the physical world around him, why should he think he is able to judge God’s justice? The Lord has given Job example after example of things in creation that he simply does not understand. God has reminded Job that the world was created long before Job was there to observe its birth. In other words, from the stars above to the animals below, human beings just do not grasp all that God has done and is doing.
In a world full of sin, suffering, and pain, it can look like God is unjust. There are many things that happen that we do not understand; many things seem pointless, preventable, and wrong. But how much do we really know? How much do we understand about anything, let alone universal justice? We see only a small part—and even what we see around us we do not comprehend—but God sees it all.
God comprehends creation in a way completely beyond our abilities—same with his comprehension of what is just and best. Yet this fact is one puzzle piece; Job 41 completes the picture.
Respond
Lord, you know all things and do all things well. Our view is partial, our understanding limited, and our sense of justice is skewed. By your grace grant us the wisdom to know our limitations. Forgive us for judging you when we know so little. May your kingdom come. Amen.
Steve West
Steve West is the Lead Pastor at Crestwicke Baptist Church in Guelph, Ontario, as well as an adjunct professor at Heritage College and Seminary (Cambridge) and Toronto Baptist Seminary.