Header for lesson on Job 40:
LAST WEEK: In Job 28:12-28, we came into the story of Job as he was struggling to find true wisdom the midst of all of his suffering. As he pondered this mystery, we saw him reach a milestone of understanding that every single one of us, as believing Christians, need to achieve: That God has wisdom and we humans do not. Job rightly deduced that true wisdom is an immaterial thing cannot be found among human beings or anywhere else on this earth. True wisdom, he discovered, is directly visible only to God, and that His natural creation-which encompasses the entire universe that surrounds us-represents the embodiment of His wisdom. As Job continued to ponder this, he finally reached the conviction that the fear of God is wisdom and turning away from evil is understanding. Arriving at this central trust, Job understood the alpha and omega of wisdom: That he should fear God and avoid the tendency to sin by leaving all the unanswered and confusing questions of life to God in trusting and humble submission. We humans all have a desire to be wise. We want to understand how things work, to be able to answer questions, to make decisions, and to share what we know. Correct? BUT, we must learn that we only begin to be wise when we stop striving for wisdom out of our own human abilities and totally understand that all of our human efforts to attain wisdom in this world apart from God will ultimately result in foolishness, not wisdom.
THIS WEEK: Today's text is commonly referred to as God's second challenge to Job (His first came in Chapter 38 (see notes) when God spoke to Job out of a "whirlwind" (a theophany) and displayed His mighty and sovereign power by asking Job to explain to Him all of the wonders of His creation and of the world and the expanse of the universe that surrounds it, then, continuing in chapter 39, asked him to explain how he created the animal kingdom.) Job 40 could be outlined: Job Humbles Himself Before God (Job 40:1-5) The Lord Reasons With Job (Job 40:6-14) God's Creative Wisdom Shown In The Behemoth (Job 40:15-24)
JOB HUMBLES HIMSELF BEFORE GOD
God asks Job one question in this section:
"Job since you have already found me guilty - will you teach Me what is right? Go ahead and speak up - give me an answer."
Job does speak up - he says:
"I am unclean. I am vile. How can I answer You? I will shut my mouth. I will keep my lips still. I will lay my hand over my mouth. I have spoken - but now I can not speak. Yes - I have spoken more than twice - yet I will speak no further."
Isaiah when he walked into the presence of God said:
"Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts." Isaiah 6:5 (NKJV)
Job in verses four and five has pretty much said the same thing.
After Job responds the debate continues.
6 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7 "Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: 8 "Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? 9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? 10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, And array yourself with glory and beauty. 11 Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. 12 Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. 13 Hide them in the dust together, Bind their faces in hidden darkness. 14 Then I will also confess to you That your own right hand can save you. Job 40:6-14 (NKJV)
THE LORD REASONS WITH JOB
After God has allowed Job to give an answer - God continues:
"Job stand up and act like a man - I am going to question you and you will give me an answer."
God now asks Job four questions:
1. Job would you count my judgments as useless?
2. Job are you telling me that you are right and I am wrong?
3. Job are you as powerful as God?
4. Job is your voice louder than the thunder clap?
If any of these statements are true - than God instructs Job to:
1. Job put on majesty and splendor.
2. Job clothe yourself with glory and beauty.
3. Job show the power of your wrath.
4. Job humble all of those who are proud.
5. Job send forth justice on the wicked.
6. Job place the wicked in lowly places together.
7. Job bind the wicked in darkness.
"Job if you can do all these things - I will confess to you - that you are right and I was wrong. Job if you can do all these things - then I will admit to you that you are justified in all the things you have said."
Of course Job - as is the case of any man - is not justified by his own actions - that is the reason that we all need a Savior.
15 "Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. 16 See now, his strength is in his hips, And his power is in his stomach muscles. 17 He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18 His bones are like beams of bronze, His ribs like bars of iron. 19 He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword. 20 Surely the mountains yield food for him, And all the beasts of the field play there. 21 He lies under the lotus trees, In a covert of reeds and marsh. 22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him. 23 Indeed the river may rage, Yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, 24 Though he takes it in his eyes, Or one pierces his nose with a snare.
EW Commentary - Job 40 - The Power of God and the Power of Job
A. God's challenge and Job's response.
1. (40:1-2) God asks Job: "Will you now challenge Me?"
1 Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who rebukes God give an answer."
a. Moreover the LORD answered Job: This continued God's challenge to Job, where God answered Job's heart without specifically answering Job's questions. It came after the extended time of fellowship, wonder, and teaching described in Job 38 and 39.
b. Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him: Job, speaking from what he felt to be his God-absent agony, longed to contend with God. Yet after God appeared in His love and glory, Job now felt humbled about his previous demand. He rightly felt he was in no place to contend with the Almighty, much less to correct Him or rebuke Him.
i. We might say that Job and God had a wonderful time together in Job Chapters 38 and 39; God taught Job all about His greatness using the whole world as His classroom. Yet in it all, God remained God and Job remained a man.
2. (40:3-5) Job is speechless before God.
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 4 "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You? I put my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply; Or twice, and I will add nothing more."
a. Then Job answered the LORD: Job had prayed often throughout the dialogue with his friends; he was the only one of the five to speak to God. Yet now Job spoke after God's great revelation of Himself and will speak with a quite different tone than he had before.
i. The different tone was not because Job's circumstances had substantially changed. He was still in misery and had lost virtually everything. The tone changed because while he once felt that God had forsaken him, now he felt and knew that God was with Him.
ii. Job also spoke with a completely different tone than he had with his companions. "It was Job's turn to speak again. But there would be no long speeches, no more rage, no more challenging his Creator." (Smick)
iii. "What a different tone is here!... The Master is come, and the servant who had contended with his fellows takes a lowly place of humility and silence." (Meyer)
b. Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You: Job once wanted to question God and with great passion demanded to be brought into God's court (Job 31:35-37). Now, after the revelation of God and the restoration of a sense of relationship with Him, Job sensed his own relative position before God, and that he could not answer God.
i. Behold, I am vile: This "was a perfectly correct translation in the time of King James, because then vile did not mean what it has come to mean in the process of the years. In the Hebrew word there is no suggestion of moral failure. Quite literally it means, of no weight. Job did not here in the presence of the majesty of God confess moral perversity, but comparative insignificance." (Morgan)
ii. We must all be caused to see our "lightness" next to God. "Surely, if any man had a right to say I am not vile, it was Job; for, according to the testimony of God himself, he was 'a perfect and an upright man, one that feared God and eschewed evil.' Yet we find even this eminent saint when by his nearness to God he had received light enough to discover his own condition, exclaiming, 'Behold I am vile.'" (Spurgeon)
iii. "Job said, 'Behold, I am vile.' That word 'behold' implies that he was astonished. The discovery was unexpected. There are special times with the Lord's people, when they learn by experience that they are vile." (Spurgeon)
iv. All of the arguing of Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu could not bring Job to this place. Only the revelation of God could so humble Job and set him in his right place before the LORD. Job made his strong and sometimes outrageous statements when he felt, to the core of his soul, that the LORD had forsaken him. Now with his sense of the presence of the LORD restored, Job could better see his proper place before God.
v. It is important to remember that God never did forsake Job; that while He withdrew the sense of His presence (and this was the cause of profound misery to Job), God was present with Job all along, strengthening Him with His unseen hand. Job could have never survived this ordeal without that unseen, unsensed hand of God supporting him.
vi. To bring Job to this place, we need not think that God was angry and harsh with Job in Chapters 38 and 39. It is still entirely possible - likely, indeed - that God's manner with Job in those chapters was marked by warm and loving fellowship more than harsh rebuke. We remember that it is the goodness of God that leads man to repentance (Romans 2:4).
vii. "Standing in the midst of the universe, a being conscious of the majesty and the might of the wisdom and power of God, I say with perfect honesty and accuracy, 'I am of small account.' Standing in the presence of the Son of God, and listening to His teaching, I find that I am of greater value than the whole world, and to the heart of God of such value, that in order to my recovery He gave His only begotten Son." (Morgan)
c. I lay my hand over my mouth: Job was now ashamed at the way he spoke about God and his situation. He would use his hand to stop his mouth, and he would proceed no further.
i. "Perhaps one of the most worshipful gestures of all is the uncommon one that Job here performs: covering the mouth with the hand. The act is a demonstration of total submission. One can fall on one's face and yet continue to blubber and babble. But to yield the tongue is to yield everything." (Mason)
B. God once again teaches Job.
1. (40:6-7) God's challenge to Job.
6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind and said, 7 "Now tighten the belt on your waist like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
a. Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: God was still present with Job in the midst of the strong, untamable storm. He had not morphed into a gentler presence.
i. "The whirlwind was renewed when God renewed his charge upon Job, whom he intended to humble more thoroughly than yet he had done." (Poole)
b. Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer Me: In using the same phrasing that began this encounter (Job 38:3), God indicated to Job that He was not yet finished. There was more to show Job and to teach him from creation.
i. "Resume new strength, and prepare yourself for a second encounter; for I have not yet done with you." (Trapp)
2. (40:8-14) God asks, "Job, are you fit to prove Me wrong or to save yourself?"
8 Will you really nullify My judgment? Will you condemn Me so that you may be justified? 9 Or do you have an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His? 10 "Adorn yourself with pride and dignity, And clothe yourself with honor and majesty. 11 Let out your outbursts of anger, And look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him. 12 Look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him, And trample down the wicked where they stand. 13 Hide them together in the dust; Imprison them in the hidden place. 14 Then I will also confess to you, That your own right hand can save you.
a. Would you condemn Me that you may be justified: Throughout Job's questioning of God, it could be said that he seemed more concerned with the defense of his own integrity rather than God's. This was natural (Job's integrity was under harsh attack), but not good.
i. We might say that Job fell into the trap of thinking that because he couldn't figure God out, that perhaps God wasn't fair. Yet in this larger section of God's revelation of Himself to Job, God has demonstrated that there are many things that Job doesn't know, and therefore was not a fit judge of God's ways.
b. Have you an arm like God: God here again reminded Job of the distance between Himself and Job. Yes, the sense of fellowship had been restored to Job; but it did not mean that God and Job were on the same level. There was still the distance that exists between God and man.
i. "In spite of its aggressive tone, this speech is really not a contradiction of anything that Job has said. In many respects it is very close to his own thought, and endorses his sustained contention that justice must be left to God. But it brings Job to the end of his quest by convincing him that he may and must hand the whole matter over completely to God more trustingly, less fretfully. And do it without insisting that God should first answer all his questions and give him a formal acquittal." (Andersen)
c. Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor... look on everyone who is proud, and humble him... tread down the wicked in their place: God challenged Job to do these things that only God can do. As Job recognized his inability, it reminded him of his proper place before God.
i. "'Can he,' he is asked, 'assume the royal robe of the Universal Monarch, can he array himself with honour and majesty? Can he with a glance abase the proud, and tread down the wicked? Has he the knowledge, has he the wisdom, has he the power, to seat himself in God's seat, and right the wrongs of the earth?'" (Bradley)
d. Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you: With this, God strongly brought the point to Job. Since he could not do these things that only God could do (described in Job 40:9-13), neither could he save himself with his own right hand.
i. "In other words: Salvation belongeth unto the Lord; no man can save his own soul by works of righteousness which he has done, is doing, or can possibly do, to all eternity. Without Jesus every human spirit must have perished everlastingly. Glory be to God for his unspeakable gift!" (Clarke)
ii. "These verses are presented as an aggressive challenge to Job... But they are lovingly designed to shake Job's spirit into realizing God is the only Creator and the only Savior there is." (Smick)
Job Chapter 40 - Commentary
Verses 1-2: God again challenged Job to respond: would he dare to bring charges against Him? Job had accused God; now God asked what right he had to do so.
Job 40:1 "Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,"
The Lord having discoursed largely of the works of nature, in order to reconcile the mind of Job to his works of providence, stopped and made a pause for a little space that Job might answer if he thought fit. But he being entirely silent, the Lord began again.
"And said": As follows.
Job 40:2 "Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct [him]? he that reproveth God, let him answer it."
God challenged Job to answer all the questions he had posed. God didn't need to know the answer, but Job needed to admit his weakness, inferiority, and inability to even try to figure out God's infinite mind. God's wisdom was so superior, His sovereign control of everything so complete, that this was all Job needed to know.
The LORD in the verse above, is Jehovah. Job had spoken a little forward, when he wanted to bring his case to the LORD face to face. We must remember the great stress and pain that Job was under at the time. He truly wanted to know what he had done to deserve this terrible punishment. We also must remember that Job was unaware of the challenge Satan had placed before God in his servant Job. One last thing we must remember is no matter how bad it got, Job did not curse God, as Satan had said he would.
Verses 3-5: Job's first response to God was I am guilty as charged. I will say not more. He knows he should not have found fault with the Almighty. He should not have insisted on his own understanding. He should not have thought God unjust. So he was reduced to silence at last.
Job's reply is one of humble submission in the face of an omnipotent and omniscient God: "Behold I am vile" (verse 4).
With great respect, Job confesses his insignificance in the presence of the Lord in his first response. Covering his "mouth" and refusing to answer signaled that Job clearly regretted his words and would not venture to make yet another mistake. All his complaints against God were empty and futile.
Job 40:3 "Then Job answered the LORD, and said,"
Job, whose confusion had made him silent, at length answered with great humility.
"And said": In the next scripture.
Job 40:4 "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth."
I am a mean, sinful, and wretched creature, and not worthy to speak unto thy majesty.
"What shall I answer thee?" Nor do I know what to answer.
"I will lay my hand upon my mouth": I will, for the future, check and suppress all passionate thoughts that may arise in my mind, and, by keeping my mouth, as it were, with a bridle, will prevent them from breaking out in intemperate speeches. I will humbly and willingly submit myself to thee.
Job realized that he had spoken a little too boldly to the LORD. He said, "I will say no more".
Job 40:5 "Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further."
Or speak again. I confess my fault and folly, and will contend no more with thee.
"Yea, twice": That is, often-times; or again and again. The definite number being used indefinitely.
"But I will proceed no further": In such bold and presumptuous expressions, and accusations of thy providence toward me. Vain, therefore, are the excuses which some interpreters make for Job, as if he were faultless in his foregoing speeches, when both God charges him with blame therein. And Job himself confesses that he was to blame.
Job admitted that he had spoken twice, as if he would instruct God and that was a mistake. I do not believe that God would find too much error in this, since Job was really inquiring what he had done wrong.
Verses 40:6 to 41:34: As if the first was not enough, God's second interrogation of Job commenced along the very same lines, only focusing on two unique animals in God's creation: Behemoth (40:15-24), and Leviathan (41:1-34), two creatures powerful and fearful who embodied all that is overwhelming, uncontrollable, and terrorizing in this world., Man can't control them, but God can.
Verses 6-14: God's second series of questions begins with an affirmation of His administration of the moral order. Job had questioned God's justice in order to protect his own innocence: "Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?" (verse 8). God says in essence: "if you are as powerful as I (verse 9), then you bring judgment on the proud (verse 11); then I will admit your power" (verse 14).
God again spoke from the whirlwind, daring Job to try running the universe according to the retribution principle. If Job could do it, then he would vindicate himself ("thine own right hand").
Job had partially capitulated to his friends' perspective on retributive judgment. In His second speech, Yahweh presents incontrovertible arguments that nothing compares to Him, not even "Leviathan" (see notes on 41:1-11).
Job 40:6 "Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,"
See the notes at (Job 38:1). God here resumes the argument which had been interrupted in order to give Job an opportunity to speak and to carry his cause before the Almighty, as he had desired (see Job 40:2). Since Job had nothing to say, the argument, which had been suspended, is resumed and completed.
Job 40:7 "Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me."
And prepare to give an answer to what should be demanded of him. The same way of speaking is used (in Job 38:3; see notes).
This message, like the previous message spoken from the whirlwind, was spoken to Job by God. The difference here, is that the reprimand this time was for Job, instead of Elihu. God will show Job the workings of God more fully in this.
Verses 8-14: God unleashed another torrent of crushing rebukes to Job, in which He mocked Job's questionings of Him by telling the sufferer that if he really thought he knew what was best for him rather than God (verse 8), then he should take over being God! (Verses 9-14).
Job 40:8 "Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?"
Wilt thou not only contend with, but set aside My judgment or justice in the government of the world?
"Wilt thou condemn me": Declare Me unrighteous, in order that thou mayest be accounted righteous (innocent; undeservingly afflicted).
God had not said that Job had sinned. He reprimanded Job for questioning His judgement. He realized that Job thought himself to be a righteous man. God knew Job was a righteous man in His sight, but he did not want Job thinking he was righteous in his own right.
Job 40:9 "Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?"
Hast thou, a poor, weak worm of the earth, an arm comparable to his, who upholds all things? The power of creatures, even of angels themselves, is derived from God, limited by him, dependent on him. But the power of God is original, independent, and unlimited: he can do everything without us; we can do nothing without him. And therefore, we have not an arm like God. The meaning is: Thou art infinitely short of God in power, and therefore in justice: for all his perfections are equal and infinite. Injustice is much more likely to be in thee, an impotent creature, than in the Almighty God (see Job 40:2).
"Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?" No: his voice will soon drown thine; and one of his mighty thunders will overpower and overrule thy weak speeches. Therefore, do not presume to contend with him.
God felt that He must continue showing Job His power and greatness. Job had apologized for speaking out of line, but God wanted Job to further realize his position.
Job 40:10 "Deck thyself now [with] majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty."
God is at all times "clothed with majesty and strength" (Psalm 93:1). "With glory and beauty" (Psalm 104:1). He "decks himself with light as with a garment" (Psalm 104:2). Job is challenged to array himself similarly.
God was describing his own dress. He is Majesty and Strength at all times. God is engulfed in Light so bright, it is above the light of the sun. God showed Job that he could not dress himself with such as this. God had dressed Job in his robe of righteousness however.
Job 40:11 "Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one [that is] proud, and abase him."
Work thyself up into a passion, at least seemingly; put on all the airs of a wrathful and enraged king on a throne of state, whose wrath is like the roaring of a lion, and as messengers of death. Pour out menaces plentifully, threatening what thou wilt do; and try if by such means thou canst humble the spirit of a proud man, as follows.
"And behold everyone that is proud, and abase him": Look sternly at him, put on a fierce, furious, and menacing countenance, and see if thou canst dash a proud man out of countenance, and humble him before thee, as I am able. Among the many instances of divine power the Lord settles upon this one, and proposes it to Job to try his skill and power upon, the humbling of a proud man.
God was showing Job, that power of this kind belonged to God alone.
Job 40:12 "Look on every one [that is] proud, [and] bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place."
Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret. The idea of (verse 11), is still further insisted on. Let Job manifest himself as a power among men, if he cannot rival God in nature. Let him set the world to rights. Then he may claim to be heard with respect to the moral government of God.
Job 40:13 "Hide them in the dust together; [and] bind their faces in secret."
Either in the dust of death, that they may be seen no more in this world, in the same place and circumstances where they showed their pride and haughtiness. Or in the dust of the grave, and let them have an inglorious burial, like that of malefactors thrown into some common pit together. As, when multitudes are slain in battle, a large pit is dug, and the bodies are cast in together without any order or decency. Or it may be rendered "alike", let them be treated equally alike, no preference given to one above another.
"And bind their faces in secret": Alluding, as it is thought, to malefactors when condemned and about to be executed, whose faces are then covered, as Haman's was (Esther 7:8). Or to the dead when buried, whose faces are bound with napkins, as Lazarus's was (John 11:44). The meaning of all these expressions is, that Job would abase and destroy, if he could, every proud man he met with, as God does, in the course of his providence, sooner or later. There had been instances of divine power in this way before, or in the times of Job, which might come to his knowledge. As the casting down of the proud angels out of heaven (2 Peter 2:4); and of casting proud Adam out of paradise (Gen. 3:24); the drowning the proud giants of the old world (Gen. 7:23). And of dispersing the proud builders of Babel, (Gen. 11:8); and of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah by fire (Gen. 19:24), one of whose reigning sins was pride (Ezek. 16:49); and of drowning proud Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea (Exodus 15:4).
Of course He was not intending for Job to do these things. He was showing Job that vengeance is of the LORD. Job could not and would not try to right all the wrong in the world. That is the job of God.
Job 40:14 "Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee."
If you can do all this, it will be full proof that you can save yourself, and that you do not need the divine interposition. If he could do all this, then it might be admitted that he was qualified to pronounce a judgment on the divine counsels and dealings. He would then show that he had qualifications for conducting the affairs of the universe. But since thou can do none of these things, it behooves thee to submit to me, and to acquiesce in my dealings with thee.
The Right Hand of God is the Savior of the world. Job's right hand, or for that matter, not anyone else's right hand can save anyone. There is only one way to be saved, and that is through Jesus Christ (the Right Hand of God). So, How could Job pretend to be God's equal when he could not even control what God had created?
Job 40 Bible Commentary (Gill's Exposition)
In this chapter Job is called upon to give in his answer, Job 40:1, which he does in the most humble manner, acknowledging his vileness and folly, Job 40:3; and then the Lord proceeds to give him further conviction of his superior justice and power, Job 40:6; and one thing he proposes to him, to humble the proud, if he could, and then he would own his own right hand could save him, Job 40:10; and observes to him another instance of his power in a creature called behemoth, which he had made, and gives a description of, Job 40:15.
Verse 1. Moreover the Lord answered Job,.... The Lord having discoursed largely of the works of nature, in order to reconcile the mind of Job to his works of providence, stopped and made a pause for a little space, that Job might answer if he thought fit; but he being entirely silent, the Lord began again: and said; as follows:
Verse 2. Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct [him]?.... Is he capable of it? He ought to be that takes upon him to dispute with God, to object or reply to him; that brings a charge against him, enters the debate, and litigates a point with him; which Job wanted to do. But could he or any other instruct him, who is the God of knowledge, the all wise and only wise God; who gives man wisdom, and teaches him knowledge? What folly is it to pretend to instruct him! Or can such an one be "instructed?" as the Targum: he is not in the way of instruction; he that submits to the chastising hand of God may be instructed thereby, but not he that contends with him; see Psalm 94:12. Or should he be one that is instructed? no, he ought to be an instructor, and not one instructed; a teacher, and not one that is taught; he should be above all instruction from God or man that will dispute with the Almighty, The word for instruct has the signification of chastisement, because instruction sometimes comes that way; and then the sense either is, shall a man contend with the Almighty that chastises him? Does it become a son or a servant to strive against a parent or a master that corrects him? Or does not he deserve to be chastised that acts such a part? Some derive the word from one that signifies to remove or depart, and give the sense, shall the abundance, the all sufficiency of God, go from him to another, to a man; and so he, instead of God, be the all sufficient one? Or rather the meaning of the clause is, has there not been much, enough, and more than enough said, Job, to chastise thee, and convince thee of thy mistakes? must more be said? is there any need of it?
he that reproveth God, let him answer it; he that reproves God, for his words, or works, or ways, finding fault with either of them, ought to answer to the question now put; or to any or all of those in the preceding chapters, and not be silent as Job now was.
Verse 3. Then Job answered the Lord,.... Finding that he was obliged to answer, he did, but with some reluctance: and said; as follows:
Verse 4. Behold, I am vile,.... Or "light" {a}; which may have respect either to his words and arguments, which he thought had force in them, but now he saw they had none; or to his works and actions, the integrity of his life, and the uprightness of his ways, which he imagined were weighty and of great importance, but now being weighed in the balances of justice were found wanting; or it may refer to his original meanness and distance from God, being dust and ashes, and nothing in comparison of him; and so the Septuagint version is, "I am nothing"; see Isaiah 40:17; or rather to the original vileness and sinfulness of his nature he had now a sight of, and saw how he had been breaking forth in unbecoming expressions concerning God and his providence: the nature of man is exceeding vile and sinful; his heart desperately wicked; his thoughts, and the imaginations of them, evil, and that continually; his mind and conscience are defiled; his affections inordinate, and his understanding and will sadly depraved; he is vile in soul and body; of all which an enlightened man is convinced, and will acknowledge;
what shall I answer thee? I am not able to answer thee, who am but dust and ashes; what more can I say than to acknowledge my levity, vanity, and vileness? he that talked so big, and in such a blustering manner of answering God, as in Job 13:22; now has nothing to say for himself;
I will lay mine hand upon my mouth; impose silence upon himself, and as it were lay a restraint upon himself from speaking: it looks as if there were some workings in Job's heart; he thought he could say something, and make some reply, but durst not, for fear of offending yet more and more, and therefore curbed it in; see Psalm 39:1.
{a} ytlq "levis sum," Cocceius, Michaelis; "leviter locutus sum," V. L.
Verse 5. Once have I spoken; but I will not answer,.... Some think this refers to what he had just now said of his vileness, he had owned that, and that was all he had to say, or would say, he would give no other answer; Jarchi says, some suppose he has respect to his words in Job 9:22;
yea, twice; but I will proceed no further; the meaning seems to be, that he who had once and again, or very often, at least in some instances, spoken very imprudently and indecently, for the future would take care not to speak in such a manner: for this confession was not quite free and full; and therefore the Lord takes him in hand again, to bring him to make a more full and ingenuous one, as he does in Job 42:1.
Verse 6. Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind,.... Some think that the whirlwind ceased while the Lord spake the words in Job 40:2; which encouraged Job to make the answer he did; but others are of opinion that it continued, and now increased, and was more boisterous than before. The Targum calls it the whirlwind of tribulation: comfort does not always follow immediately on first convictions; Job, though humbled, was not yet humbled enough: God will have a fuller confession of sin from him: it was not sufficient to say he was vile, he must declare his sorrow for his sin, his abhorrence of it, and of himself for it, and his repentance of it; and that he had said things of God he ought not to have said, and which he understood not; and though he had said he would answer no more, God will make him say more, and therefore continued the whirlwind, and to speak out of it; for he had more to say to him, and give him further proof of his power to his full conviction; and said; as follows.
Verse 7. Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and, declare thou unto me,.... And prepare to give an answer to what should be demanded of him. The same way of speaking is used in Job 38:3; See Gill on "Job 38:3."
Verse 8. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment?.... The decrees and purposes of God concerning his dealings with men, particularly the afflictions of them, which are framed with the highest wisdom and reason, and according to the strictest justice, and can never be frustrated or made void; or the sentence of God concerning them, that is gone out of his mouth and cannot be altered; or the execution of it, which cannot be hindered: it respects the wisdom of God in the government of the world, as Aben Ezra observes, and the particular dealings of his providence with men, which ought to be submitted to; to do otherwise is for a man to set up his own judgment against the Lord's, which is as much as in him lies to disannul it; whereas God is a God of judgment, and his judgment is according to truth, and in righteousness, and will take place, let men do or say what they please;
wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous? Is there no other way of vindicating thine own innocence and integrity, without charging me with unrighteousness; at least saying such things as are judged by others to be an arraignment of my justice, wisdom, and goodness, in the government of the world? Now though Job did not expressly and directly condemn the Lord, and arraign his justice, yet when he talked of his own righteousness and integrity, he was not upon his guard as he should have been with respect to the justice of God in his afflictions; for though a man may justify his own character when abused, he should take care to speak well of God; and be it as it will between man and man, God is not to be brought into the question; and though some of his providences are not so easily reconciled to his promises, yet let God be true and every man a liar.
Verse 9. Hast thou an arm like God?.... Such power as he has, which is infinite, almighty, and uncontrollable, and therefore there is no contending with him; as he has an arm on which good men may lean on and trust in, and by which they are supported, protected, and saved, so he has an arm to crush like a moth all that strive with him or against him;
or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? thunder is his voice; see Job 37:4, &c. and is expressive of his power, Job 26:14; and his powerful voice may be observed in calling all things out of nothing into being in creation; in commanding and ordering all things in providence according to his pleasure; and in quickening sinners through his Gospel, by his Spirit and grace in conversion, and will be in calling men out of their graves and summoning them to judgment at the last day. God can both overpower and out voice men, and therefore it is in vain to oppose him and contend with him.
Verse 10. Deck thyself now [with] majesty and excellency,.... With excellent majesty, as I am decked and clothed, Psalm 93:1;
and array thyself with glory and beauty; appear in the most glorious and splendid manner thou canst, make the best figure thou art able, put on royal robes, and take thy seat and throne, and sit as a king or judge in state and pomp, and exert thyself to do the following things; or take my seat and throne as the judge of the whole earth, and try if thou canst govern the world better than I do; for these and the expressions following are said in an ironic manner.
Verse 11. Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath,.... Work thyself up into a passion, at least seemingly; put on all the airs of a wrathful and enraged king on a throne of state, whose wrath is like the roaring of a lion, and as messengers of death; pour out menaces plentifully, threatening what thou wilt do; and try if by such means thou canst humble the spirit of a proud man, as follows;
and behold everyone [that is] proud, and abase him; look sternly at him, put on a fierce, furious, and menacing countenance, and see if thou canst dash a proud man out of countenance, and humble him before thee, as I am able; among the many instances of divine power the Lord settles upon this one, and proposes it to Job to try his skill and power upon, the humbling of a proud man.
Verse 12. Look on everyone [that is] proud, [and] bring him low,.... As the Lord often does; see Isaiah 2:11; this is the same as before;
and tread down the wicked in their place; the same with the proud, for pride makes men wicked; it is a sin, and very odious in the sight of God, and is highly resented by him; he resists the proud: now Job is bid, when he has brought proud men low, and laid their honour in the dust, to keep them there, to trample upon them, and tread them as mire in the street; and that in their own place, or wherever he should find them; the Septuagint render it "immediately"; see Isaiah 28:3.
Verse 13. Hide them in the dust together,.... Either in the dust of death, that they may be seen no more in this world, in the same place and circumstances where they showed their pride and haughtiness; or in the dust of the grave, and let them have an inglorious burial, like that of malefactors thrown into some common pit together; as, when multitudes are slain in battle, a large pit is dug, and the bodies are cast in together without any order or decency; or it may be rendered "alike" {b}, let them be treated equally alike, no preference given to one above another;
[and] bind their faces in secret; alluding, as it is thought, to malefactors when condemned and about to be executed, whose faces are then covered, as Haman's was, Esther 7:8; or to the dead when buried, whose faces are bound with napkins, as Lazarus's was, John 11:44; the meaning of all these expressions is, that Job would abase and destroy, if he could, every proud man he met with, as God does, in the course of his providence, sooner or later. There had been instances of divine power in this way before, or in the times of Job, which might come to his knowledge; as the casting down of the proud angels out of heaven, 2 Peter 2:4; and of casting proud Adam out of paradise, Genesis 3:24; the drowning the proud giants of the old world, Genesis 7:23; and of dispersing the proud builders of Babel, Genesis 11:8; and of destroying Sodom and Gomorrah by fire, Genesis 19:24, one of whose reigning sins was pride, Ezekiel 16:49; and of drowning proud Pharaoh and his host in the Red sea, Exodus 15:4: which last seems to have been done much about the time Job lived.
{b} dxy "pariter," Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Schultens.
Verse 14. Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee. From all his enemies temporal and spiritual, and out of all evils and calamities whatsoever; and that he stood in no need of his help and assistance, yea, that he was a match for him, and might be allowed to contend with him; but whereas he was not able to do the above things proposed to him, it could not be admitted that his own right hand could save him; and therefore ought quietly to submit to the sovereignty of God over him, and to all the dispensations of his providence, and be humbled under his mighty hand, since no hand but his could save him; as no man's right hand can save him from temporal evils and enemies, and much less from spiritual ones, or with an everlasting salvation; nor any works of righteousness done by him, only the arm of the Lord has wrought salvation, and his right hand only supports and saves. Two instances are given in this and the following chapter, the one of a land animal, the other of a sea animal, as is generally supposed; or it may be of amphibious ones, that live both on land and water.
Job 40 Pulpit Commentary
Job 40:1
Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,
Verses 1-5. - Between the first and the second part of the Divine discourse, at the end of which Job wholly humbles himself (Job 42:1-6), is interposed a short appeal on the part of the Almighty, and a short reply on Job's part, which, however, is insufficient. God calls upon Job to make good his charges (vers. 1, 2). Job declines, acknowledges himself to be of no account, and promises silence and submission for the future (vers. 3-5). But something more is needed; and therefore the discourse is further prolonged. Verses 1, 2. - Moreover the Lord. Jehovah' as in Job 38:1 and in the opening chapters (see the comment on Job 12:9). Answered Job, and said, Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? rather, Can he that reproveth contend with the Almighty? (see the Revised Version). Does Job, the reprover, think that he can really contend with the Almighty? If so, then he that reproveth God, let him answer it; or, let him answer this; let him answer, that is, what has been urged in ch. 38 and 39.
Job 40:2 - Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
Job 40:3 - Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Verses 3, 4. - Then Job answered, the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile; literally, I am light; i.e. I am of small account (see the Revised Version). It would be absurd for one so weak and contemptible to attempt to argue with the Almighty. What shall I answer thee? or, What should I answer thee! What should I say, if I were to attempt a reply? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth (see the comment on Job 21:5).
Job 40:4 - Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
Job 40:5 - Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
Verse 5. - Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but l will proceed no further. The meaning is, "I have already spoken, not once, but more than once. Now I will be silent; I will say no more.' There is a sort of recognition that the arguments used were futile, but not a full and complete confession, as in Job 42:3.
Job 40:6 - Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Verses 6-24. - Job's confession not having been sufficiently ample, the Divine discourse is continued through the remainder of this chapter, and through the whole of the next, the object being to break down the last remnants of pride and self-trust in the soul of the patriarch, and to bring him to complete submission and dependence on the Divine will. The argument falls under three heads - Can Job cope with God in his general providence (vers? 6-14)? can he even cope with two of God's creatures - with behemoth or the hippopotamus (vers. 15-24); with leviathan, or the crocodile (Job 41:1-34)? Verse 6. - Then answered the Lord unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said (comp. Job 38:1). The storm still continued, or, after a lull, had returned.
Job 40:7
Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Verse 7. - Gird up thy loins now like a man (see the comment on Job 38:3): I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Job is given every opportunity of making good his pleas before God. If he has anything to say that he really wishes to urge, God is ready, nay, anxious, to hear him.
Job 40:8 - Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
Verse 8. - Wilt thou also (rather, even) dis-annul my judgment? i.e. maintain that my judgment towards thee has not been just and equitable, and therefore, so far as it lies in thy power, disannul it? Wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous? Dost thou think it necessary to accuse me of injustice, and condemn me. in order to establish thine own innocence? But there is no such necessity. The two things - my justice and thy innocence - are quite compatible. Only lay aside the notion that afflictions must be punitive.
Job 40:9 - Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
Verse 9. - Hast thou an arm like God? The might of God's arm is often dwelt upon in Scripture. He brought Israel out of Egypt ,' with a mighty hand and stretched-out arm" (Deuteronomy 5:15; Deuteronomy 7:19, etc.). "Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand," says one of the psalmists (Psalm 89:13). "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord!" says Isaiah (Isaiah 51:9). No human strength, not the strength of all men put together, can compare with it. Or canst thou thunder with a voice like him? (comp. Job 38:34, 35; and for the idea of thunder being the actual "voice of God," see Job 37:4, 5; Psalm 68:33; Psalm 77:18, etc.).
Job 40:10 - Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
Verse 10. - Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty. God is at all times "clothed with majesty and strength" (Psalm 93:1), "with glory and beauty" (Psalm 104:1). He "decks himself with light as with a garment" (Psalm 104:2). Job is challenged to array himself similarly.
Job 40:11 - Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
Verse 11. - Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath. "Give vent," i.e., "to thy anger against the wicked, and let it be seen what thou canst do in the way of restraining evil and punishing transgressors." Behold every one that is proud, and abase him. If my moral government does not satisfy thee., Improve upon it. Put down those wicked ones whom thou sayest that I allow to prosper (Job 24:2-23); "abase" them in the dust; do what thou accusest me of not doing. Then wilt thou have established something of a claim to enter into controversy with me.
Job 40:12 - Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
Verses 12, 13. - Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret. The idea of ver. 11 is still further insisted on. Lot Job manifest himself as a power among men, if he cannot rival God in nature. Let him set the world to rights. Then he may claim to be heard with respect to the moral government of God.
Job 40:13 - Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
Job 40:14- Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
Verse 14. - Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand and save thee. When he has done what he has been challenged to do in vers. 9-13, then Job may venture to contend with God. He will have established his own independence, and God will acknowledge him as an antagonist entitled to argue with him.
Job 40 Commentary: God to Job ' 1-2
And so now, God is going to take a little break in the questioning of Job about particular phenomena in creation. And the questions that God wants to ask Job now have to do with whether or not Job has seen how foolish he's been to question God's goodness and justice.
1 Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who rebukes God]give an answer."
And we need to remind ourselves of how foolish it is to do what Job has done and what God is reprimanding him for now. To contend with the All-Mighty! To reprove or accuse God!
Whenever we might find ourselves contending with God and accusing him - we are so wrong.
Do we really feel as though we're in the position to instruct the all-knowing Instructor?
Here's one way that we'd know that we're qualified to instruct God. We would be able to answer all of the questions that God has posed so far - all 59 or so! Can you do that?
Well, since none of us can answer the questions that God has asked Job, that means that none of us is in any position to contend with or accuse God.
Job 40 Commentary: Job to the Lord ' 3-5
And that's exactly what Job realizes as he finally responds to God's questions in verses 3-5.
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 4 "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I say in response to You? I put my hand on my mouth. 5 I have spoken once, and I will not reply; Or twice, and I will add nothing more."
So, how is that for a response? I'd say it's just about the only one that's worthy in this situation.
Job recognizes how insignificant he is. He's unable to answer any of God's questions. And so - instead of responding to God's questions and instead of continuing to question God's goodness and justice - Job has determined that he would remain silent.
And this certainly isn't a seething bitter silence. Job is not going to be stewing in anger while he's biting his tongue. This is a humble and submissive silence that is called-for in the presence of God.
The author of Ecclesiastes tells us that God is in heaven and we are on earth - reminding us of the great chasm that separates us from him - and so Ecclesiastes urges us to let our words be few when it comes to addressing God. And probably the sense behind that admonition is to be careful about what you say - don't just say any old thing that comes to your mind.
And that's the course that Job is taking now. He spoke once and twice - and really, we know he spoke much more than that! - and he accused God of wrongdoing.
But now he's not interested in saying those kinds of things anymore. He will remain silent.
Job 40 Commentary: God to Job ' 6-24
And so, that's the end, right? God made his point. Job yielded. All is well?
That's what we might think.
And yet, that is not at all what God thinks. God is not done yet with Job. He has more to say to this hushed and quieted man.
6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind and said, 7 "Now tighten the belt on your waist like a man; I will ask you, and you instruct Me.
So, this is a repetition of what God has said earlier to Job. So, God is not done questioning Job. He's actually got another section of questions ready for Job. Only in this section, God focuses on a smaller number of topics - with the majority of the material focused on two creatures - Behemoth and Leviathan.
Job 40 Commentary: Q60-61: God Bad, Job Good? ' 8
But before the Lord gets to those two creatures, he has some questions for Job concerning the way that Job was thinking about and portraying him both in his own heart and as he spoke with his three friends.
8 Will you really nullify My judgment? Will you condemn Me so that you may be justified?
And this is exactly what we heard from Elihu earlier - that the effect of Job's justifying himself was the condemnation of God.
And let's just remind ourselves of how that worked. Job was suffering. His three friends assumed that he must have sinned to earn such punishment - because of course sinners receive punishment from God.
And in his own defense, Job maintained that he was innocent. But he then expressed great confusion with this scenario because of course innocent people receive blessings from God. At least, that was the conventional wisdom that Job and his friends were working with.
But God wasn't holding to his end of the bargain. Instead of blessing, he was punishing Job. God seemed to be doing wrong - to Job at least.
And so, in all of his self-justifying, Job was portraying God as if he was mistaken - as if he was being unjust - or ignorant of Job's true condition, at best.
Job had demanded a day in court with God. And Job expressed that he knew that if he had his day in court, he'd be able to set God straight.
And God's response that we just saw is something like, "Really?!" "Are you really going to try to discredit my justice in this world?" "Are you really going to try to make me look bad so that you can look good?"
Job 40 Commentary: Q62-63: Being God ' 9-14
And then the Lord brings Job through a ridiculous scenario that he's already hinted at for the last few chapters. God wants to challenge Job to just try to be ... God.
9 Or do you have an arm like God, And can you thunder with a voice like His?
So, is Job as powerful as God physically? Well, if he isn't as physically powerful as God - how does his voice compare to the Almighty?
And of course, in both of those questions there is a great deal of sarcasm. God and Job and everyone knows that Job does not compare to God in terms of strength - physically and vocally.
Well, it's as if God - for the sake of argument - assumes an affirmative answer from Job - yes, he is as powerful as God. Because now the Lord is going to command Job to do things that only God himself can do.
10 "Adorn yourself with pride and dignity, And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
So, Job is commanded by God to assume the physical appearance of deity. How easy and realistic is that?!
But God continues and orders Job to deal with the wicked like God really does ultimately deal with them.
11 Let out your outbursts of anger, And look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him.
So, Job has been questioning God's dealings with the wicked. Job has maintained that God is incorrectly treating him as if he were wicked. And at the same time, Job maintains that there are times when God ignores the wicked and their evil - and he just kind of turns a blind eye to them.
In short, Job is not all that satisfied with how God deals with wicked people.
But God - as it were - hands Job the keys to the car and in effect says, "Alright, then you try it."
And really, God defends how he deals with the wicked even as he instructs Job on how to deal with the wicked. God asserts that he pours out wrath on them. And he admits that he does indeed humble those who are proud.
So, far from ignoring the wicked - God affirms that his anger and humbling effects do catch up with them.
And the Lord continues his command to Job to deal with the wicked the way that only God can and does.
12 Look at everyone who is arrogant, and humble him, And trample down the wicked where they stand.
So, once more, God admits to humbling the proud and crushing the wicked on the spot.
And as he commands Job to do this, of course, the irony is thick. There's no way that Job could ever do this.
And so certainly Job wouldn't be able to execute the death sentence against these people, either.
13 Hide them together in the dust; Imprison them in the hidden place.
And this is yet again another way in which Job would have no idea how to do what God does. Job wouldn't know the first thing about bringing wicked people to the grave.
So, God has brought out several ways in which Job is unable to be God. But if Job somehow were able to do these things, then the following would be the case...
14 Then I will also confess to you, That your own right hand can save you.
And this is a way for God to speak of Job as if he were self-sufficient - that his right could save him. Several times in the Psalms, the author speaks of God saving him with his right hand. This is something that God alone can do.
And so then of course, it's also something that Job cannot do.
And this kind of reminds me of something that happened this weekend. Watertown, where we live, has a nice Park and Recreation league for youth soccer. It's actually very large in my estimation and gets many many young people involved from 4 year olds to 8th grade.
The problem is that that many kids requires a number of coaches. Volunteer coaches. But most parents start out like me - they think they wouldn't be able to do it.
But for me, it only took one year of seeing my son being coached by a high school girl who never played soccer to realize that I can do at least what she was doing! So, I've been coaching our oldest son for two years and now I'm coaching our youngest son this season.
And at the level I'm coaching, the coaches are the referees as well. We ref and coach, which maybe explains why I'm so tired these days!
Anyway, the other team we were playing this weekend had no coach for a while into the season. None of the parents were willing to step forward. They all want their son in soccer - but none of them were willing to make that possible by being the coach.
Well, finally someone did step up and took that responsibility. But I don't know who that is because for whatever reason yesterday he scheduled an oil change during the game. So it was just me - coaching and ref'ing two teams of around seven 1st graders each with numerous family members of these kids sitting and watching the proceedings.
And all of that was fine. But the most frustrating part of the whole ordeal was that a sizeable section of the fans was actually rather critical of me. They were challenging my calls. They were calling out penalties that they thought I should have called, but didn't.
And of course I am liable to make bad calls and to miss good calls. But I was struck with the combination of two realities at work with these "fans." The first, is that they have no desire - or perhaps even ability - to put themselves in my position as a referee. And second, despite their total lack of interest in being a creative part of a solution, they feel like somehow they have the ability to make all the right calls at the right time.
Isn't it amazing how that works? Sometimes, the things that we are least able or even inclined to do, sometimes we get the idea that we are fully capable of doing. That we could do better than what's currently being done - even though we have no interest whatsoever in doing anything!
And that's just where Job finds himself. He has been making some very strong statements. He has been calling God to court to explain himself. He has been insinuating that God has been unjust to him.
And God is now coming to him and is in effect saying what I would like to have said to those couch potato fans at that game yesterday - "You want to give this a try? Be my guest!"
Only, the difference between God and myself in that illustration is that God is fully capable of filling his position whereas I'm just an amateur who's willing to be a fool for the sake of my kids.
And God is willing to be a little "foolish" for the sake of his child Job. If Job thinks that he can do a better job than the Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth - well, then, God says, "Go for it!"
And when faced with that offer from God - of course, Job is going to have to decline. God is God. And Job is a limited man - limited in terms of power and of knowledge. Job is Job - and not God.
And therefore, Job and we ourselves do well to allow God to be God in our lives. We don't need to go through the same thing that we see in Job's life. You don't need God to throw you the keys to the universe and say, "Good luck!"
What we need is what Job needed. We need to trust God's wisdom. Not only when things make sense - that's when it's easy to trust God wisdom. But we need to trust him even when things are hard - when God's ways don't make sense to us. That's especially when we need to trust his wisdom.
So, may the Lord help us to do just that this week.
