Saturday, April 11, 2020

Job 38-39

What does it say?
God speaks to Job and asks, who is this who speaks without knowledge? God asks Job, have you ever commanded the morning. God speaks to Job about all the wonders of the earth and the sea and the heavens. God asks Job, do you understand these and do you have the power to command them? God asks Job, do you understand all of the creatures of the earth? The examples given are the mountain goat giving birth, the wild donkey foraging, the wild ox, the ostriches laying her eggs on the ground, the might of the horse, the soaring hawk, and the eagle who nests on cliffs. For each of these God asks Job, do you have the power to command them and do you see what these are doing all of the time? 

What does it mean?
It means that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-present and man is not. The theological terms for these three are: Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnipresence. Man is not omnipotent, we have power to do things but our power is limited. Man is not omniscient, we have knowledge but even the most brilliant scientist’s knowledge is fractional. Man is not omnipresent, we can only be in one place at a time. Our eyes can only see what what is before us, our ears can only hear what is near us, and we can only touch as far as our arm reaches. We have power, knowledge, and presences but we are limited. We are made in the image of God but we are not God.

What shall I do?
I shall worship the Lord. The Lord is God. I shall not think because I have power, knowledge and presence that I should advise God. God has all-power, all-knowledge and is present everywhere. No man can question God or stand before him. The Lord is the almighty one! He created heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them. (Acts 4:24) I shall ask the Lord for strength because I am weak. I shall ask the Lord for understanding because I am ignorant and cannot see. The Lord is our God and he is all-powerful, all-knowing, all-present, and all-good. I know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to his purpose. (Rom 8:28) God has given us this knowledge about his nature in his written word the Bible. I shall trust the word of the Lord!