Friday, October 18
Read Job 39
Think About It:
- Can you imagine the wheels turning in Job’s head as he listens to God’s questions and explanations? “I see that this world made by God operates with remarkable order and wisdom; can I deny His wisdom and government of all things just because there are things in my own life I can’t understand? Or, should I simply trust this God who does all these other things so marvelously well?” If Job and all mankind have so little authority over nature, could Job, (and we ourselves) expect to have more control over the mysterious events of his (and our) lives? Do you struggle with the need to have control over your life, rather than letting God, in His wisdom have control? Why?
- “What these speeches do not contain is almost as important as what they do. The speeches do not reverse the Lord’s judgment in the Prologue about Job. Satan was wrong in impugning Job’s inner reasons for being righteous, and the friends were wrong about Job’s outward conduct as a reason for his suffering. Job did not get the bill of indictment or the verdict of innocence he wanted. But neither was he humiliated with a list of sins he had committed for which he was being punished” (Smick). If you were Job, would you have been satisfied with what God has told you, or would you still want an explanation for all of the tragic events that had taken place in your life? Are there things that have happened or are happening in your life that you want to ask God about? “One thought, and one only, is brought into the foreground. The world is full of mysteries, strange, unapproachable, overpowering mysteries that you cannot read. Trust, trust in the power, and in the wisdom, and in the goodness of Him, the Almighty One, who rules it” (Bradley).
Family Time:
- What animal did God discuss in verses 19-25? Draw this animal. Why do you think God emphasized its characteristics?
- What point do you think God is trying to make to Job in all these examples?
