Job 40 - 42 and Psalm 111
Yahweh begins today’s reading by asking Job to respond to the reproof given in chapters 38 – 39: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it” (Job 40:2). Job responds incorrectly by trying to keep silent: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further” (Job 40:4-5). How do we know that his answer is incorrect? Because the reproof continues: “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me” (Job 40:7).
As we have seen before, Yahweh identifies in the next verse exactly how Job sinned in his discourse: “Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?” (Job 40:8) And He highlights another characteristic of righteousness that we can add to the ones identified yesterday:
6) Righteousness and justice are not mere speech; the truly Righteous One can impose His justice on all creation and living creatures: “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor. Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him… Then will I also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you” (Job 40:10-11, 14).
And Yahweh can impose His justice on two creatures against whom Job has no power. The first is Behemoth: “Which I made as I made you” (Job 40:15). He has impressive strength: “He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron” (Job 40:17-18). Job cannot force him to submit to his justice, but: “Let him who made him bring near his sword!” (Job 40:19). This creature who would be a threat to Job is completely under Yahweh’s control.
Yahweh describes the second creature in all of chapter 41. Leviathan is even stronger, more dangerous and more threatening to Job: “Lay your hands on him; remember the battle – you will not do it again! Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up” (Job 41:8-10). But is Yahweh afraid of Leviathan? Does He feel threatened by him? Of course not: “Who then is he who can stand before me? Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine” (Job 41:10-11). The great force of this creature threatens Job and anyone else who approaches: “When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid… Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood” (Job 41:25, 26-27). Notice three observations on Leviathan that concern Yahweh’s justice and righteousness… and Job’s relative lack of the same:
1) Yahweh’s justice is so powerful and exalted that He holds even the most threatening forces of nature under His control.
2) The creature Leviathan represents Satan, “a creature without fear” who disdains both Yahweh and Job and who sought the destruction of the latter twice in Job 1 and 2. But even though Job has no defense against Leviathan, Yahweh each time imposes a limit on him: “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch your hand” (Job 1:12). “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life” (Job 2:6). And Leviathan / Satan in all his fury still must obey the limits imposed by his Creator. Although Yahweh never reveals to Job the conversations before Him in the first two chapters, by faith Job should recognize the justice and righteousness that reign even above his horrific personal tragedy.
3) Notice the last description of Leviathan / Satan: “He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride” (Job 41:34). If Job hardens himself by elevating his own righteousness at the expense of Yahweh’s – that is, if he maintains an attitude of pride – who will Job be like? Whose dominion will he be following? In his pride he will have chosen Satan’s path, not Yahweh’s. That is why his silence in Job 40:3-5 was deficient. He must repent.
And that’s what he does immediately in Job 42:1-6: “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know… I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3, 5-6). Not only was he stricken and tortured by Satan, but he fell blindly into the trap of exalting himself against Yahweh, of accusing Him of injustice and of elevating his own righteousness. Now he recognizes that Yahweh’s righteousness and justice are incomparable; he repents that he unknowingly has fallen under Leviathan’s influence.
Satisfied with Job’s repentance, Yahweh’s just wrath is directed toward Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). Someone may ask, “Wait a minute; Yahweh just reproved Job strongly for four chapters for not having spoken correctly about Him. How can Yahweh possibly turn around and say, ‘You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has’ – after reproving Job like that?”
The answer is that Job has just declared what is right about Yahweh in Job 42:2, 4-5, and he has done it in repentance, too. Those few words from a repentant heart declare more truth about Yahweh than all the well-intentioned chapters of rigid and blind theology that Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar spewed out. And Yahweh’s resolution of their sin is remarkable: “Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:8). Will they remain in their pride against Yahweh and against Job, even putting themselves at risk to suffer as Job has? No; they quickly submit to Yahweh’s justice, too: So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them, and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer” (Job 42:9).
Yahweh’s restoration of His servant is remarkable, too: “And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). Notice too, the means through which He blesses Job again – not through a few friends who arrive to give opinions and argue over his suffering but: “Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold” (Job 42:11). Yahweh begins Job’s material restoration through them: “And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12).
If we have read the book of Job correctly, we should marvel not only over a man who suffered, whose heart was humbled and who later was restored by God, but much more before the God who reigns in just dominion over all of creation, He who exercises authority and righteous judgment even over the most destructive forces of nature and the most threatening beings in creation, the One who knows how to reprove and restore His servants, the One who is exalted in perfect righteousness.
As we have seen before, Yahweh identifies in the next verse exactly how Job sinned in his discourse: “Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?” (Job 40:8) And He highlights another characteristic of righteousness that we can add to the ones identified yesterday:
6) Righteousness and justice are not mere speech; the truly Righteous One can impose His justice on all creation and living creatures: “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity; clothe yourself with glory and splendor. Pour out the overflowings of your anger, and look on everyone who is proud and abase him… Then will I also acknowledge to you that your own right hand can save you” (Job 40:10-11, 14).
And Yahweh can impose His justice on two creatures against whom Job has no power. The first is Behemoth: “Which I made as I made you” (Job 40:15). He has impressive strength: “He makes his tail stiff like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are knit together. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like bars of iron” (Job 40:17-18). Job cannot force him to submit to his justice, but: “Let him who made him bring near his sword!” (Job 40:19). This creature who would be a threat to Job is completely under Yahweh’s control.
Yahweh describes the second creature in all of chapter 41. Leviathan is even stronger, more dangerous and more threatening to Job: “Lay your hands on him; remember the battle – you will not do it again! Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up” (Job 41:8-10). But is Yahweh afraid of Leviathan? Does He feel threatened by him? Of course not: “Who then is he who can stand before me? Who has first given to me, that I should repay him? Whatever is under the whole heaven is mine” (Job 41:10-11). The great force of this creature threatens Job and anyone else who approaches: “When he raises himself up the mighty are afraid… Though the sword reaches him, it does not avail, nor the spear, the dart, or the javelin. He counts iron as straw, and bronze as rotten wood” (Job 41:25, 26-27). Notice three observations on Leviathan that concern Yahweh’s justice and righteousness… and Job’s relative lack of the same:
1) Yahweh’s justice is so powerful and exalted that He holds even the most threatening forces of nature under His control.
2) The creature Leviathan represents Satan, “a creature without fear” who disdains both Yahweh and Job and who sought the destruction of the latter twice in Job 1 and 2. But even though Job has no defense against Leviathan, Yahweh each time imposes a limit on him: “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch your hand” (Job 1:12). “Behold, he is in your hand; only spare his life” (Job 2:6). And Leviathan / Satan in all his fury still must obey the limits imposed by his Creator. Although Yahweh never reveals to Job the conversations before Him in the first two chapters, by faith Job should recognize the justice and righteousness that reign even above his horrific personal tragedy.
3) Notice the last description of Leviathan / Satan: “He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride” (Job 41:34). If Job hardens himself by elevating his own righteousness at the expense of Yahweh’s – that is, if he maintains an attitude of pride – who will Job be like? Whose dominion will he be following? In his pride he will have chosen Satan’s path, not Yahweh’s. That is why his silence in Job 40:3-5 was deficient. He must repent.
And that’s what he does immediately in Job 42:1-6: “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know… I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:3, 5-6). Not only was he stricken and tortured by Satan, but he fell blindly into the trap of exalting himself against Yahweh, of accusing Him of injustice and of elevating his own righteousness. Now he recognizes that Yahweh’s righteousness and justice are incomparable; he repents that he unknowingly has fallen under Leviathan’s influence.
Satisfied with Job’s repentance, Yahweh’s just wrath is directed toward Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). Someone may ask, “Wait a minute; Yahweh just reproved Job strongly for four chapters for not having spoken correctly about Him. How can Yahweh possibly turn around and say, ‘You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has’ – after reproving Job like that?”
The answer is that Job has just declared what is right about Yahweh in Job 42:2, 4-5, and he has done it in repentance, too. Those few words from a repentant heart declare more truth about Yahweh than all the well-intentioned chapters of rigid and blind theology that Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar spewed out. And Yahweh’s resolution of their sin is remarkable: “Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly. For you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:8). Will they remain in their pride against Yahweh and against Job, even putting themselves at risk to suffer as Job has? No; they quickly submit to Yahweh’s justice, too: So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did what the LORD had told them, and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer” (Job 42:9).
Yahweh’s restoration of His servant is remarkable, too: “And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job, when he prayed for his friends. And the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before” (Job 42:10). Notice too, the means through which He blesses Job again – not through a few friends who arrive to give opinions and argue over his suffering but: “Then came to him all his brothers and sisters and all who had known him before, and ate bread with him in his house. And they showed him sympathy and comforted him for all the evil that the LORD had brought upon him. And each of them gave him a piece of money and a ring of gold” (Job 42:11). Yahweh begins Job’s material restoration through them: “And the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning” (Job 42:12).
If we have read the book of Job correctly, we should marvel not only over a man who suffered, whose heart was humbled and who later was restored by God, but much more before the God who reigns in just dominion over all of creation, He who exercises authority and righteous judgment even over the most destructive forces of nature and the most threatening beings in creation, the One who knows how to reprove and restore His servants, the One who is exalted in perfect righteousness.
