Job 38:1–11 (ESV)

¹Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: ²“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
³Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. ⁴“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding. ⁵Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it? ⁶On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
⁸“Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, ⁹when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, ¹⁰and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, ¹¹and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?”

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By worldly standards, Job had it all: family and prosperity. Chapter one says he was “the greatest of all the people of the east” (3).  However, one day Job was struck with one calamity upon another, including terrible suffering with “loathsome sores” from head to toe (cf. Ch. 2).  Yet Job never lost his faith in God, but he did question God’s motives and whether He is just. And Job wanted the chance to defend himself: “but I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God” (13:3).

God gave him what he asked for. “Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind” (1a).  Job, so to speak, stood face to face with God, but instead of asking God “why?”, the Almighty asked the questions. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?  Tell Me, if you have understanding” (4).  Job knew God alone did all these things, but he did not know how God laid the foundations of the earth or created the seas and set their limits.  No one knows!  

Job’s suffering, while extreme, is not uncommon. Living in this broken world we all face suffering.  Some of you have faced financial ruin, have had to bury a child or a spouse, have dealt with painful, lingering illnesses, or have endured dreadful treatments for some condition.  Like Job we often question God wondering why God allows such terrible things to happen.   It was arrogant for Job, and for us, to think God should have to justify Himself.  Even if God told us why He allows the things He does, we would not understand it.  

Following God’s questions, Job gave up his foolish thoughts and self-pity. He later said, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me . . . I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes” (cf. 42: 3-6).   Job turned back to God with renewed faith.  That is God’s goal; that all people repent from their sins and foolishness and turn to Him in faith and trust. Like Job, we ought to repent in dust and ashes and stop uttering things too deep for us.  No, we cannot understand the inner workings of God. His ways and wisdom are too deep for us.  If we cannot comprehend how God holds the universe together, how can we expect to understand the how or why He allows and uses suffering for our good?  

Although we do not understand these things, we have an advantage over Job because we can look back at the work of Jesus. We can see both the wisdom and love of God (from the foundation of the world) at work in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord for our salvation.  We know that it was Jesus, “the Word”, who was with God and who was God, through whom all things were made (cf. Jn. 1:1-3): “Who determined its measurements . . . Or who stretched the line upon it.” (5).  Though there are things we do not understand, we have the sure knowledge and hope that God knows what He is doing and that He loves the world so much that He willingly came down and suffered and died for us that we might live in His kingdom forever and ever.  

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