#DailyDevotion You Want The Truth? You Can’t Handle It.
Job 384Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you understand. 5Who determined its measurements – you surely know! Or who stretched a measuring line over it? 6On what were the sockets of its pillars placed; who laid its cornerstone, 7while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8Who shut in the sea with doors when it broke through and came out of the womb, 9when I made the clouds its garment and dark clouds its baby clothes; 10when I prescribed its shoreline, and set up bars and doors, 11and said, ‘You may come this far but no farther, here your surging waves will stop?’
I’m not sure why those who made the lectionary leave out the first three verses of chapter thrirty eight but here there are: Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm: 2 “Who is this that obscures My purpose by talking without understanding? 3 Prepare yourself like a man: I will ask you, and you show Me.
We need to know that the LORD is finally giving answer to Job and his friends to the question of suffering. However, the LORD doesn’t give the answer that they are wanting. Instead his response is much like the old Jewish joke, a pupil asks a Rabbi, “Rabbi, why do Rabbis always answer a question with a question.” The Rabbi thinks about it a minute and then says, “Why shouldn’t a Rabbit answer a question with a question?” So the LORD here answers their questions with some questions of his own. The first set of questions the LORD has concerns Job and his friends knowledge, particularly knowledge of creation. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me if you understand.” Of course the answer is, I wasn’t even born yet. Well if you weren’t even born then you wouldn’t understand the answer to your questions even if I gave them.
The questions of who determined how big creation is and who stretched a measuring line over it, well I think that’s pretty easy to answer. Who determined where the sea would be and who keeps it at bay also are pretty easy answers, at least I think it is. Maybe my answer is wrong or perhaps just incomplete. The most obvious answer is the LORD, the God of creation. If these questions here are easy to answer, then why ask them? The answer to these questions go to the first question. Yes, the LORD GOD created all things. We spend billions of dollars every year looking into and exploring creation. Every question concerning creation always leads to more questions. We may think we have a great understanding of things with quantum physics and yet that too will be surpassed by something else. The thing is the LORD whose mind brought about creation with all its depth, breadth and width is too great for our understanding.
Which brings us to the question of Jesus, sin and its solution. Why did God allow us to sin? Why does God send his Son to die for our sin? Why make that the solution? Why doesn’t everyone believe and get saved? God has left us with this answer and it doesn’t answer all our questions, He loves us and doesn’t want all humanity to die and suffer all eternity in hell. He has loved you and brought you this message of salvation so you may believe and be saved, Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God who has taken away the sin of the world by paying the price for our sin, which is death. That’s what you need to know, believe and trust.
Heavenly Father, your thoughts are higher than our thoughts and your ways higher than our ways. Grant us faith to believe what you have taught us about your Son so we may at least understand your great love for us in Christ Jesus. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen