Job 40 ~ Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?

Have you contended with the Almighty lately? Job did.

Job 9:4
He is wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

Job 40

And the Lord said to Job:

2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”


3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but I will proceed no further.”


6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

7 “Dress for action^{[gird up your loins]} like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?
9 Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?

10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.
12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below ^{[in the hidden place]}
14 Then will I also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can save you.

15 “Behold, Behemoth ^{[a large animal exact identity unknown]}
which I made as I made you;
he eats grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.

19 “He is the first of the works of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20 For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.
22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.

23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24 Can one take him by his eyes^[sight]
or pierce his nose with a snare?





Job 40

And the Lord said to Job:

2 “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
He who argues with God, let him answer it.”


Frequently we find fault with things because we are all about us. Teenagers use a hand circling a fist to say, "All about me." Stuck in a rut, without gratitude.

Psalm 19 ~ God's Word Translation

1 The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky displays what his hands have made.
2 One day tells a story to the next.
One night shares knowledge with the next
3 without talking,
without words,
without their voices being heard.
4 Yet, their sound has gone out into the entire world,
their message to the ends of the earth.

I know about that because I felt little doses of gratitude Sunday. More precisely, non-gratitude. It's uphill work to praise Him when events seem off. And after you've lived a long time, decades, you start to see things from a little more perspective. You begin to realize how distasteful it is to see others stew. I could name a few phrases. "Life is Unfair." "Why me?" "My Life, My Poor Life." "Dammit, why is it easy for them." And when you start to stew, to recognize the same boat, to stagnate, you realize then you need time to be grateful.


John 6:29
Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.”

God let Job fuss for quite some time, I think they both realized the honesty was needed to work things out. It's uphill work to live transparently instead of deflecting unpleasant emotions. And I've been there. Like yesterday.

Isaiah 1:18
“Come now, let us reason together, says the LORD: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool."




3 Then Job answered the Lord and said:

4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
twice, but I will proceed no further.”


Sometimes we need to take a deep breathe and face the Lord, who calls us Beloved and let HIM speak.

Jeremiah 2:28-30

But where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for as many as your cities
are your gods, O Judah.

29 “Why do you contend with me?
You have all transgressed against me,
declares the Lord.
 

Romans 3:23
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.




6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

7 “Dress for action^{[gird up your loins]} like a man;
I will question you, and you make it known to me.
8 Will you even put me in the wrong?
Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?
9 Have you an arm like God,
and can you thunder with a voice like his?


Psalm 62:11
Once God has spoken; twice have I heard this:
that power belongs to God

1 Corinthians 6:14
By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

Luke 11:20
But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Psalm 136:12
with a strong hand and an outstretched arm,
for his steadfast love endures forever

Job 9:4
He is wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed?

Isaiah 26:4
Trust in the LORD forever,
for the LORD GOD is an everlasting rock.

Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.

Job 26:14
Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”


 


10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;
clothe yourself with glory and splendor.
11 Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
and look on everyone who is proud and abase him.
12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low
and tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 Hide them all in the dust together;
bind their faces in the world below ^{[in the hidden place]}
14 Then will I also acknowledge to you
that your own right hand can save you.

Jesus, Meek and Mild. No, Jesus is the Son of God, the Lord, our Christ, the Messiah - threw out people in the 36 acres of the Temple with His Powerful Holy Spirit.

One of the Two Main Entrances to a Very Large Temple Area. The Robinson Arch supporting the stairs, seen today.

15 “Behold, Behemoth ^{[a large animal exact identity unknown]}
which I made as I made you;
he eats grass like an ox.
16 Behold, his strength in his loins,
and his power in the muscles of his belly.
17 He makes his tail stiff like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are knit together.
18 His bones are tubes of bronze,
his limbs like bars of iron.

19 “He is the first of the works of God;
let him who made him bring near his sword!
20 For the mountains yield food for him
where all the wild beasts play.
21 Under the lotus plants he lies,
in the shelter of the reeds and in the marsh.
22 For his shade the lotus trees cover him;
the willows of the brook surround him.



God reaches us in a variety of ways. We learn looking around us and climb steps of belief.

Job 26:14
And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?"

The famous analogy four blind men discover an elephant / an analogy of God. They grope about, seeking to understand and describe this new phenomenon. One grasps the trunk and concludes its a snake - perhaps those who dismiss the Bible as hateful - or flexible and wobbly. Another explores one of the elephant's legs and describes it as a tree - has possibilities and the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the examination, and it proves unfruitful. A third finds the elephant's tail and announces that it is a rope - like Jacob - a way to contend with God for blessings. And the fourth blind man, after discovering the elephant's side, concludes that it is, after all, a wall - the law is solid.

Each describes the same thing in a radically different manner. Well-known prophets Samuel, Peter, the Disciples running away from Jesus, minus beloved John, Jonah. Add to the group - Moses. Jeremiah resisted the call.

What drew these people to God - who would send His Son. He has longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and for the willingness to be gathered. The enormous compassion, because we were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

Nathan saw God loves like a Shepherd. Tenderly caring in love.

Samuel mourned. Like the Prodigal Father - He longed to run to his son and have that embrace.

Abraham felt God should be merciful, asking God to spare mankind. And earned the blessing of the millenniums. God's attitude on mercy - Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Abraham gathered blessings and mercy for others. This is what drew him to God.

Moses wanted justice for the people he felt were abandoned. God provided more than justice, and the slaves left with their former masters' gold and jewelry. God guarded them tenderly.

Jacob fought God all of his days for a Blessing and sought to bless his children and grandsons. God granted Jacob the blessing all of his days. As Jacob believed he lived the blessings of God.



23 Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened;
he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth.
24 Can one take him by his eyes^[sight]
or pierce his nose with a snare?


Job wrestled like Jacob. Honestly. And for his belief to grow. And Job became this -


Matthew 13:32
It is the smallest of all seeds, but when it has grown it is larger than all the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and make nests in its branches

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