Slices
Prepare
‘The arrogance of man will be brought low and human pride humbled; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day’ (Isaiah 2:17).
Bible passage
40 The Lord said to Job:
2 ‘Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!’
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 ‘I am unworthy – how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer –
twice, but I will say no more.’
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 ‘Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 ‘Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendour,
and clothe yourself in honour and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 ‘Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plant it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?
Explore
Job has been tested physically and mentally by Satan since chapter 1. He has been berated by his friends for having sinned (Eliphaz), being self-righteous (Bildad) and deserving worse for his sin (Zophar). The independently minded Elihu has alluded to somewhat the same even though his criticism is more constructive. God has already reproved Job for his presumption to self-righteousness (38:2).
Job settles for a bit of a climb down. Faced with a barrage of questions from God that he cannot answer, what could he say (vs 4,5)? Not enough, evidently! ‘I will say no more’ doesn’t cut it!
The Lord presses on, drilling down to test Job spiritually again. In verses 7–14 and then through to the end of chapter 41, full acknowledgement is sought from Job of the Lord’s majesty, glory, justice and sovereignty over all things. Dare Job contend that he can stand before the justice of God and win? Others may be listening too: Elihu, the three friends, the reader of this book… and, of course, Satan.
Job is at breaking point – will it all be too much? How would we fare in that situation?
Respond
As with Job here, pride can easily trip us up. Humility is costly, even if we can get over our pride. When we’re facing God, pride will never win! Pray for humility to be your default position.
Deeper Bible study
Lord, speak to me out of the storm, to challenge, humble, inspire and change me within. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Contending with God is not a good idea. The Lord challenges Job to do so, but he shrinks from the idea, realising how close his previous discourses have come to crossing that line. ‘Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker’, warns the prophet Isaiah,1 likening it to a clay pot arguing with its potter. The craftsman knows what he is about; it is futile for the item formed to complain. Job realises this and puts his hand over his mouth (v 4). This may be a new posture for prayer – perhaps we should think about adopting it sometimes.2
The heart of God’s words to Job in these chapters is found in verses 6–14. Here God defends his justice and basically says to Job, ‘Well, all right then – you rule the world and see how you get on!’ This ridiculous idea reveals just how far Job has misjudged the power and might of God. He is a God of wisdom, power and justice, whatever our circumstances.
The carnival of creation passing Job now introduces a beast beyond his comprehension. Sometimes on a Sunday afternoon in Zimbabwe we would go as a family to a wildlife park near our home to watch the elephants. Their huge ears and swaying trunks intrigued our young son, especially when they took to spraying one another from the lake. Job seems equally entranced. Behemoth is the plural of the Hebrew word for ‘beast’ but probably here means ‘beast par excellence’.3 God’s power is on display as this awesome and powerfully strong animal is shown to be in submission to its maker (v 19). So are Job’s struggles, hard as that must seem to him. There may be an ‘elephant in the room’ in our lives, but God is still in charge.
The Jewish leader Gamaliel coined the phrase ‘fighting against God’.4 Is there any area of your life where you are doing that? If so, why not surrender today?
1 Isa 45:9 2 Hab 2:20 3 David Atkinson, The Message of Job, IVP, 1991, p153 4 Acts 5:39
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Deuteronomy 19,20; Romans 4
Pray for Scripture Union
Our first holiday this year will be Kestrels, a sailing holiday on the Norfolk Broads. Please pray for the holiday leaders, Mary Jeddere- Fisher and Phil Maltby, as they get everything in place ready to start on 2 April. Pray for safety on the water and great conversations about Jesus.
