The Life and Times of Joe Suttle

If you have been following this, you probably wondered when we'd get to the end. The hard thing is that there is so much to Job. As you listened to his friends Bildad, Eliphaz and Zophar more or less put him down as "you had to have done something wrong." In every case, Job's response was "I didn't do anything!" Yet, his friends persisted, based on their supposed knowledge of how life is – ie: "you do something bad, and something bad happens to you."

So after all the older, wiser men had their turn, a young guy named Elihu jumps in. He was courteous and let his elders speak first. But when he jumped in with both feet, he was not on the same page as the old guys. He starts with a sharp reminder that God does not do wickedness or wrong. His words must have cut like a very sharp knife when he declared "Surely, God will not act wickedly, and He will not pervert justice." In other words, justice will be justice – it will not be twisted or corrupted. God cannot do anything but be "just".

That is a far cry from where we humans exist. "Justice" becomes revenge or takes on a relative side. It's like saying that one plus one is two unless you are adding ____________, and you fill in the blank. Elihu seemed to have the message – "Our God is an awesome god – there is no other like Him." Remember Elihu in 37:23 said "Even if we cannot find Him, He is still above anything else we know of, and He not only cannot, but will not change what justice is." Maybe that's the key point.

Finally, after all God had to say in chapters 38 through 41, Job stops. His mouth forms the words "surrender" and he admits "I talked about what I really did not fully grasp." Job lays his life before God and says "Okay, I'm going to shutup and let you instruct me."

While the end of the story is about God rebuking Job's friends and then restoring all Job's fortunes, the real story is how God and Job treated one another.

Job stepped back from a precipice and simply said "You are great, and I know that I am nothing. Teach me so I can change." He was willing to listen and change.

God laid it out to his friends and said "Make an offering and have Job pray for you and I will accept his prayers and act justly." God accepted the prayers and God accepted Job and did not smash them for their foolish words. Not only did God restore what job had, he increased it twofold. Can you imagine the headlines (if there had been newspapers then)! "Richest man's fortune doubles overnight."

When God blesses, He blesses. All it took was recognizing who God is and letting Him show the way. Job decided to listen – to change – to follow.

What about us?

Right now, in chapter 40, that was about how Job had to be feeling. Not only has God already said "put on your fighting clothes", He has been sparring with him. Now, comes the real test.

"Since you have found so much wrong with Me (God), and you know everything that is wrong with Me and what I do, speak!" (verse 2)

Job knew he was in a corner and in deep trouble. He recognizes that he is nothing (the word was "insignificant"), and as a result he said "Hush my mouth!" After all the words of Job and his friends in chapters 1 through 37, Job is speechless. Not only that, his friends don't even utter a single word. There were probably scared witless as they watched and heard their friend being "drawn and quartered" by God.

This was not going to be pretty!

God kind of joked with Job by telling him again to get his "war clothes on" and face the test of your life. God said "I'm gonna ask some questions (like because I am dumb) and you teach Me." It's interesting here that God just by making that statement says again "You are so smart, tell the world!"

With the four questions in verses 8 and 9, God stretches Job's knowledge beyond it's limit…[html]<ul><li>Do you have the ability to change what I have decided?<li>Can you condemn Me so that you look right?<li>Who's arm is bigger – yours or mine?<li>Can your voice roar and rumble like thunder?</ul>[/html]
There is was…Job had no where to turn. He was boxed in. It's surprising that he did not just run for his life.

Job listened well here in chapters 40 and 41 as God reminded him again about His handiwork as he created the animals that bring fear to mankind. The real question was buried in the statements, but nonetheless, Job understood. He could well have uttered the words we hear in Psalm 8 verse 4 – "What is man that You even want to take time to think about him or even care about him."

Even in all his suffering, Job got the message – but will we?

God, in chapter 40, gives Job another chance to vent. Here it was, the opportunity again to tell God off! God gives Job an opening big enough to drive the proverbial truck through, and Job does not take it. God has been speaking using questions about natural things – clouds, weather, animals. Job has listened, but after all his desire to condemn God for punishing an innocent man, he is mute.

It is as though God says "You say I am wrong – me the Almighty? Well then, let the one who critizes God answer these questions I have been asking."

It's like some tough guy or gal who always bullies anyone who is not as strong as they are. They never really do anything physical, it is just the threat. And then Chuck Norris walks into the room and says "So you are a good fighter – let's go a round." Do you really think the bully would do that? Not in a million years.

We humans all know our limits. We talk a good game, but when it comes down to it, we really don't want to go up against some people. We know we'd be "dead meat."

Job finally got the message somewhere in these two chapters. Kind of like us when we finally are willing to admit we don't know everything. Or when our world is falling down around us and we are willing to admit we can't control everything. Job finally says "Look, I am like nothing – insignificant. What do I know that I can say to you?" He says he will slap his hand over his mouth and sounds like the accused in the room with the cops…"I ain't got nothing more to say."

God has come, not for the put down of all time, but rather to demonstrate that He is still in control. It was a wake up call for Job and his friends.

The picture here, as God asks "Do you have an arm like God, or a thunderous voice like His?" shows God reaching out. It shows that when God speaks, nothing can not hear. God is saying "I am here!"

He may not be finished with Job yet – there are still lessons to bring to his mind. Images of His greatness and power.

Imagine that you were Job. Would you have cracked? Would you have expected God to come down after all you had said and not just smash you? Imagine what Job is thinking about now in his life.