Job 40 Devotional
by Pastor David Groendyk

God ends his first speech where he began: telling Job to give him an answer. Job’s response in verses 3–5 is prescriptive for every human being on the earth, and especially for Christians. Job has no answer, and he realizes how small he is compared to God. Can there be any other conclusion after hearing God speak in chapters 38–39? “I am of small account.” This is a simple truth and prayer and confession that we don’t speak often enough. It’s especially easy for us to confess it but to keep on living like we’re great. Those who think that they know best, that they have all the answers, and that they’re right all the time do not consider themselves of small account. Our number one character trait as humans and as Christians must be humility. This is the most fundamental teaching in the Old Testament wisdom books when it comes to living wisely: God is God, and we are not. God is Creator, and we are creatures. And this is why pride is so insidious and dangerous and repeatedly warned against by the authors of Scripture. Pride upends this fundamental teaching. Pride makes ourselves gods and knocks God down below us in the hierarchy of life. Michael Barrett writes, “When we are tempted to judge God, we should consider how unqualified we are to sit upon His throne and rule the world for Him.” How can you grow in humility? What would your life look like if you were more humble?

God then begins his second speech to Job (as if the first one wasn’t enough!). Whereas his first speech emphasized God’s creation of the universe, the second speech emphasizes God’s justice. God is not only the perfect and powerful Creator, but the necessary consequence of that truth is that God is the only perfectly righteous and just being. The fascinating and frustrating irony of this chapter is that, even though Job had been greatly wronged by his friends and treated unjustly, he still didn’t understand what justice was! Job was a faithful follower of God, a man of integrity, and unjustly persecuted and condemned by the people around him, but he was still in the wrong. As Job’s friends had drawn the wrong conclusions about Job’s integrity, so now Job draws the wrong conclusions about God and his justice. True justice is something much more extensive than Job could ever comprehend or carry out in the world (vv. 7–14). Job had so fixated on his own situation and was so intent on arguing with his friends and defending his cause that he had made himself the judge over and against the true Judge. What does the true Judge think? How would the true Judge bring about justice in this unjust world? Job was pretty sure he knew, but he was wrong.

Again, we come back to the idea of humility. The word ‘justice’ means a lot of different things to different people nowadays. Are you sure that your idea of ‘justice’ is the same as God’s? Would you be willing to change your mind if Scripture contradicted you? Are you willing to admit that you might be wrong? God alone is adorned with majesty and dignity and glory and splendor (v. 10); therefore, God alone defines ‘justice’. And it’s a good thing it’s him who defines it! Because he is righteous and good, and I am sinful and selfish. The more we learn about God and are overwhelmed by him, the more we must submit and entrust ourselves to him. As Deuteronomy 32:4 tells us: “The Rock—his work is perfect!”