Job 40

Job 40:1

“Job, are you in a position to give God a lesson? Actually, Job, you have been speaking without knowledge.” Job has been attempting to instruct God. He has been attempting to tell God something, and he is in no position to do that because he has been uttering words without knowledge. Now God wants an answer from Job.

Job 40:3

Job says, “I should have kept quiet. Now I see I am vile.” Is this the man who said that he would maintain his integrity regardless of what happened? Is this the man who declared that he was a righteous man and that therefore there must be something wrong with God to let this happen to him? This same man is now saying that he is vile. As someone has said, if we could see ourselves as God sees us, we couldn’t stand ourselves. When we get into the presence of God, we will acknowledge that we are vile. This appearance of God to Job had a three-fold effect upon him. It had an effect upon his relationship to God, his relationship to himself, and his relationship to his friends. This is the man who has spoken without knowledge. His words were without wisdom. Now he wishes that he had kept his mouth shut. He becomes suddenly silent. He lays his hand over his mouth.

Job 40:6

The storm breaks in all of its fury, and God speaks out of the whirlwind. He continues His appeal to Job. God is asking Job, “Are you trying to say to Me that I am wrong?” Of course, God is not wrong. Eventually Job is going to be able to say to God, “I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee” (Job_42:2). Job is going to come a long way. Actually, Job is already advancing. He had not known himself but has now come to the point where he has discovered that he is vile. When a man discovers that, he has come a long way. This is the first step Job takes as he comes to God. The Lord again appeals to Job on the basis of His creation. “Job, look around. There are a lot of things that you don’t know. How can you judge Me and My moral government of this universe?” Many folk today come up with some asinine statements concerning God. I have heard Christians say some very foolish things about the Lord. Friend, we ought to be very careful what we say about Him. We should keep our words in the context of the Word of God. It is quite obvious that Job actually did not know God. He has uttered words without knowledge. And when the Lord breaks in upon him, He asks him some more questions.