Chronological Reading Plan for Jan 14

Today's readings are Job 38-39. Tomorrow's are Job 40-42. 

God responds to Job but does not address Job's demand for an explanation. The first half of God's response is in chs 38 and 39. They portray God's sovereign authority and control over all creation. There is no profound truth offered for Job's suffering. 

If we go back to chs 1 and 2, we will see that the Book of Job asks two questions; (1) Can a righteous man suffer? (2) Will a man accept good from God and not evil? The first question is readily answered by the breath taking scope of Job's suffering, even though God declared him blameless. The second question has been rolling over in the hearts and minds of Job and his three counselors for the remainder of the book up until now. 

The overall theme of Job's claim to innocence and unfair treatment, coupled with the accusations leveled by his three friends, is that life and prosperity should be benefits that rise up out of faithful service to God. Job claimed he was godly and deserved better treatment. His friends thought he was secretly wicked and had earned worse treatment. Throughout all the dialogue and posturing, they have collectively maintained that good people receive blessing and bad people receive curses and judgment.

Instead of explaining Job's sufferings, God turns to focus on Himself, His work in creation and His absolute sovereign authority over all of it. God is sovereign over all creation, including Job's trials. 

So, the first of the mistakes we see in Job and his counselors, is in putting the focus on Job, not God. They wasted their time trying to figure out why Job was suffering and spent no time giving God the glory for being Lord over Job's suffering. What they're really missing are the lessons to be learned in Job's dilemma. Instead of trying to prove innocence, like Job or trying to lay blame, like his counselors, they should have been asking, "What is God trying to show us?"

How often do we get so consumed with our circumstances that we lose sight of our Father who has supreme authority over them? How often do we get so preoccupied with getting out of a situation that we neglect to learn what God wants to teach us in the situation?