Questioning God or Standing in Awe of God
Instead of questioning God, we should stand in awe of Him.
Job 35-37
“Do you think this is according to justice? Do you say, My righteousness is more than God’s?"
The great sin and folly of humanity is that we believe that we can judge God. We set ourselves over God and judge Him when His actions or His words do not conform to what we think and believe. We desire God to answer us so that we can dictate to God what He must do.
In his final speeches, Elihu rebukes Job for setting himself up as the judge of God. While never saying, “My righteousness is more than God’s,” that was the implication of Job’s lament. By insisting on his innocence and the unfairness of his treatment, he was implying that he was more just than God. He complained that he had fulfilled his obligations before God. Still, God had failed to protect him from disaster (35:2). However, Elihu reminds us that God is genuinely just because He is not affected by our actions. His justice is based upon His righteousness and moral law, not upon a personal vendetta against us because we have offended Him.
However, even though God is not affected by our actions, whether they are sinful or righteous (35:6-7), God nevertheless listens and responds to us. However, God responds to our prayers in His timing and His wisdom, not ours. Elihu points out that the danger in our prayers is that we become self-centered, demanding God to respond to alleviate our suffering. Our prayer is not motivated by our desire to please God and be instructed by him (35:9-12). As a result, God does not answer. James reminds us of the same truth (James 4:3-4). Instead of submitting to God’s truth, we only seek God for our advantage and purpose. We pray for relief from our trials, but not for God’s presence and control of our lives.
Instead of seeing God as one we can manipulate for our purpose, we are to affirm His greatness and goodness and submit to His law. In 36:2, Elihu reveals what drives him. He is more concerned about vindicating God than he is about answering all of Job’s questions. In this, he confronts Job with his folly, for Job was more concerned about his own vindication. In our affliction, we can lose sight of God and become more concerned about our own well-being than the reputation of God. We are more concerned about conforming God to our expectations than surrendering to God (36:21-23). When we do so, we are setting ourselves up as God’s teacher and God’s judge.
How often do we reject His word because it fails to conform to our thinking? To reorient our understanding of God, Elihu reminds us of God's greatness and His power, as revealed in the storms (ch 37). The power of a sudden storm that terrifies us serves as a reminder that God is exalted high above us. He controls the very things we fear. When we stand before an awe-inspiring thunderstorm, or are confronted with the winds of a tornado or the power of a hurricane, we are reminded of how small and helpless we are. However, God controls the storms with a spoken word. Therefore, instead of questioning God or accusing God of injustice, we are to “stand and consider the wonders of God” (37:14). Instead of blaming God or setting ourselves up as the judge of God, all we can do is submit to Him and fear Him (Elihu 37:23-24). Ultimately, Elihu reminds us of the central tenet of true wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The wisdom of Proverbs, the perplexity of Ecclesiastes, and the suffering of Job all lead us to the same conclusion: the essence of life is to fear God. Instead of becoming angry at God and accusing God of misdeeds when we face suffering, we are to trust and submit to Him. It is the audacity of sinful man to think that God is answerable to us and that God must act in the way that we think He should. When confronting the questions of life and the paradox of suffering, instead of doubting God or accusing Him of wrong, we are stand in humble surrender, recognizing that “The Almighty—we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness” (37:12). Then we discover genuine hope in the midst of suffering.
Job 35-37
“Do you think this is according to justice? Do you say, My righteousness is more than God’s?"
The great sin and folly of humanity is that we believe that we can judge God. We set ourselves over God and judge Him when His actions or His words do not conform to what we think and believe. We desire God to answer us so that we can dictate to God what He must do.
In his final speeches, Elihu rebukes Job for setting himself up as the judge of God. While never saying, “My righteousness is more than God’s,” that was the implication of Job’s lament. By insisting on his innocence and the unfairness of his treatment, he was implying that he was more just than God. He complained that he had fulfilled his obligations before God. Still, God had failed to protect him from disaster (35:2). However, Elihu reminds us that God is genuinely just because He is not affected by our actions. His justice is based upon His righteousness and moral law, not upon a personal vendetta against us because we have offended Him.
However, even though God is not affected by our actions, whether they are sinful or righteous (35:6-7), God nevertheless listens and responds to us. However, God responds to our prayers in His timing and His wisdom, not ours. Elihu points out that the danger in our prayers is that we become self-centered, demanding God to respond to alleviate our suffering. Our prayer is not motivated by our desire to please God and be instructed by him (35:9-12). As a result, God does not answer. James reminds us of the same truth (James 4:3-4). Instead of submitting to God’s truth, we only seek God for our advantage and purpose. We pray for relief from our trials, but not for God’s presence and control of our lives.
Instead of seeing God as one we can manipulate for our purpose, we are to affirm His greatness and goodness and submit to His law. In 36:2, Elihu reveals what drives him. He is more concerned about vindicating God than he is about answering all of Job’s questions. In this, he confronts Job with his folly, for Job was more concerned about his own vindication. In our affliction, we can lose sight of God and become more concerned about our own well-being than the reputation of God. We are more concerned about conforming God to our expectations than surrendering to God (36:21-23). When we do so, we are setting ourselves up as God’s teacher and God’s judge.
How often do we reject His word because it fails to conform to our thinking? To reorient our understanding of God, Elihu reminds us of God's greatness and His power, as revealed in the storms (ch 37). The power of a sudden storm that terrifies us serves as a reminder that God is exalted high above us. He controls the very things we fear. When we stand before an awe-inspiring thunderstorm, or are confronted with the winds of a tornado or the power of a hurricane, we are reminded of how small and helpless we are. However, God controls the storms with a spoken word. Therefore, instead of questioning God or accusing God of injustice, we are to “stand and consider the wonders of God” (37:14). Instead of blaming God or setting ourselves up as the judge of God, all we can do is submit to Him and fear Him (Elihu 37:23-24). Ultimately, Elihu reminds us of the central tenet of true wisdom: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The wisdom of Proverbs, the perplexity of Ecclesiastes, and the suffering of Job all lead us to the same conclusion: the essence of life is to fear God. Instead of becoming angry at God and accusing God of misdeeds when we face suffering, we are to trust and submit to Him. It is the audacity of sinful man to think that God is answerable to us and that God must act in the way that we think He should. When confronting the questions of life and the paradox of suffering, instead of doubting God or accusing Him of wrong, we are stand in humble surrender, recognizing that “The Almighty—we cannot find Him; He is exalted in power and He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness” (37:12). Then we discover genuine hope in the midst of suffering.
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