Job 38:2 (KJV)
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
Who is this? It is not Job.
I picture the Lord now addressing Job but speaking about his friends. I don’t think Elihu is one of them, but perhaps I’m wrong on this point. At any rate, I do not believe Job is the one who “darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge.”
In fact, that seems to fit the character of the entire chapter. Job’s friends have spoken confidently about things they could not possibly know. They were certain they understood Job’s suffering. They had explanations for why it happened, what God was doing, and what Job must have done to bring it upon himself.
Then God speaks.
He does not begin by explaining Job’s suffering. Instead, He begins asking questions.
“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?”
“Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days?”
“Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea?”
“Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades?”
God is essentially saying, Job, you have listened to men speak confidently about matters beyond their knowledge. Now let Me demonstrate just how little man actually knows.
That is the great lesson of the chapter. Man knows some things, but God knows all things. We see one circumstance; God sees the whole. We know what has happened; God knows why it happened, what He is accomplishing through it, and where it will finally lead.
There is a danger in speaking with certainty where God has not spoken. Job’s friends did not lack words. They lacked knowledge sufficient to justify those words.
When God has not explained the reason, humility is wiser than speculation.
We should be careful that our counsel does not become darker because we insist upon explaining what only God understands.
#Job38v2 #WordsWithoutKnowledge #TrustGodsWisdom #BiblicalCounsel #DailyVisitWithGod
Did God Rebuke Job—or Was He Addressing His Friends? Rethinking Job 38
Who do you believe God was speaking about in Job 38:2—Job himself, or the friends whose counsel had been so confidently wrong? Read Job 38 carefully and share your thoughts in the comments. I’d especially like to know what you see in the text.
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