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God isn’t finished talking to Job. He has heard Job long enough, and it is now God’s turn to ask a question or two. God says,
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!”
And Job is flabbergasted, and offers this answer to 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.”
Then God proceeds to make himself even more clear than ever. Alright then, he seems to say, if you think you are so righteous, perhaps you can save yourself; why even bother with me? But if you cannot save yourself, well then, what right do you have to question me?! God says:
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 splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor 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.
Job sees the folly of his thoughts and words, and has only this to offer in return to God:
2 “I know that you can do all things;
no purpose of yours can be thwarted. 3 You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 “You said, ‘Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.’ 5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you. 6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes.”
And God accepts Job’s prayer. Not only that, he instructs Job’s friends, and asks that Job pray for them. So much for all their self-righteousness! Then, it is said that the Lord restored Job’s fortunes, and gave him twice as much as he had before.
This verse says it all: 12 The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. And so ends the story of Job.
The most memorable lines Job ever uttered were: The Lord gives and the Lord takes away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Turning now to Paul’s letter as recorded in the second book of Corinthians, we find Paul speaking of a “ministry of reconciliation.” Paul says: 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Turning next to our psalm for the day, we find this psalm to be one of prophecy which seems to point to Jesus as a Bridegroom espousing the church to himself, and as a King ruling in it, and for it. The psalmist says:
13 All glorious is the princess within her chamber;
her gown is interwoven with gold. 14 In embroidered garments she is led to the king;
her virgin companions follow her—
those brought to be with her. 15 Led in with joy and gladness,
they enter the palace of the king.
Finally, one verse from the book of Proverbs which serves as food for thought:
14 The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit; a man who is under the LORD’s wrath falls into it.
May God bless the reading and reflection of His Word.
