Job 40 Commentary
The second set of questions for Job. But before that, does Job have anything to say? Is he still interested in the court session that he talked about? Here is the chance to ask his questions. The LORD will gladly hear his case. But Job remains quiet. He won’t press any charges against the LORD. He is speechless. He wishes he had kept quiet. These are moments when you begin to think of your own mouth as a liability.
The LORD isn’t done yet. Job must provide straight answers.
“Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?” Verse 8. If you are right, should that mean God is wrong? The opposite thought is equally important: if God is right, does it mean always mean a ‘good’ life for mankind?
The LORD is just, right, and perfect; always and regardless of our perceptions. Let not our righteousness, or the lack of it alter the definitions and descriptions of divinity. They remain constant. The message of the gospel is that our righteousness is and should be a bit piece of the overall righteousness of the LORD Jesus Christ. It cannot, therefore, be different.
Job is speechless because he talked too much. The saint shouldn’t think too much. Whatever God does is right, regardless. The world may suggest different versions of results for what they think is right but if the suggested version contradicts scripture, then it remains wrong. The LORD is always right.
Test your own version of justice. Be honest. And you know it won’t be justice at all. That may be the reason why the scripture forbids mortals from passing judgment on other mortals. The perfect justice of the LORD is always in combination with perfect love, perfect compassion, and perfect knowledge. We cannot exhaust the list. Forget about perfection, combining these holiness structures is an impossibility for mortals.
Look at Behemoth! The LORD is drawing Job’s attention to the fact of God’s complex world of creation. Both power and brute strength are within the domain of divinity. But there is also beauty. The LORD has it all in one place. By looking at creation, you can get a rough version of the creator’s mind and it remains only a rough version. Look at the different animals; their shapes, sizes, traits, and all other design parameters; then you know you are in the presence of the Master Artist. The sheer strength of Behemoth communicates a completely different message about God. No wonder the Psalmist David confessed, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.”
It is probably easier for Peter to sit by the lakeside and enjoy a meal of fish prepared by a special host. Even here, mortals have to answer simple questions like, “do you love me?” You don’t know which is which, yes or no. But it is most important that you are in the presence of divinity, at least.
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