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Job 38: God's Sarcastic Side

by James Barringer  
9/16/2009 / Bible Studies


"Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?"

This is one of my very favorite passages in the entire Bible. The book of Job, however, is a brutal read. Job starts out wealthy, happy, and with a large family. Gradually he loses everything, including his health, until he's left completely destitute. His wife urges him, "Curse God and die!" Even some of his friends come along and try to convince him that God doesn't really have his best interests in mind, that God is just playing him like a fiddle.

Finally, Job gets cheeky and starts questioning God, prompting God to show up and put Job in his place. Job 38 records God's answer, which basically amounts to "I'm sorry, which one of us created the world again? I seem to have forgotten."

There are two awesome things about the answer God gives. First is God's use of sarcasm. In verses 20 and 21, God asks Job if he knows where light and darkness reside, then adds, "Surely you know, for you were already born! You have lived so many years!" I like the idea of God being sassy. A lot of people have this impression of Jesus as a weak guy, kind of a pushover, pacifistic and gentle like a kindergarten teacher. This passage shows that God doesn't take guff from anybody; he's utterly unafraid to tell it like it is and put Job completely in his place. If you read chapters 38-40, you'll see that God's monologue definitely has that effect!

The second awesome thing is that God has no problem with Job questioning him. You might think from this tone that God is really peeved at Job daring to question him, that God is just waiting for a chance to blast Job with the old lightning bolt. Nothing could be further from the truth. Questioning God, crying out to God, even getting angry at God - none of these are sins. Job 1:22 says, "In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing." Remember that, strong and mighty as he is, God is still interested in a relationship with us. He knows that sons and daughters sometimes get mad at their parents, challenge their parents, and get puffed up with hubris. In his grace, God chooses not to even consider these things to be sinful. The only sin is to accuse God of doing wrong, or to suggest that you could do it better than God could - that is pride, and according to Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14, pride is the sin that got Satan kicked out of heaven to begin with.

In essence, combating pride is the whole reason that God gave the answer he gave to Job. Summed up, God's answer is: "Look buddy, one of us created every planet and every star, one of us created every living thing, one of us created light and dark, and one of us sends thunderstorms to water the land. Is it you? No, it's me. So what exactly are your credentials for questioning the way I do things?"

I understand Job's frustration because many times it does look like God chooses strange or even inferior ways to handle situations. From my limited human point of view, I might be inclined to question God. However, if I do so, I forget three crucial things. One, he is God and I am not. He can see the whole picture, and I cannot. Two, his plan is good, acceptable, and perfect (Romans 12:2). There is absolutely no way God could handle things that's better than the way he's going to handle it. His plan is perfect. Three, he causes all things to work together for the good of those who love him (Romans 8:28). He's so powerful that he's even in control of all my circumstances, manipulating them and causing them to work together for my good. That's pretty cool!

Life is really much more fulfilling when you realize that you don't have to fight God. He is already on your side! Better still, he's already enacting a good and perfect plan for your life. All you have to do is submit completely to him, stop trying to run things, and let him be God. When you do, when you run with God instead of pushing against him, you'll find out just how good his plan can be!

And that's why I'm not afraid of anything that might happen to me in life. God's plan is best! He is God! He knows what he is doing! He was God long before I wandered onto the scene, and he will continue to be God long after I am rotting in a coffin. Of course he knows the best way to do things! Psalm 34:8 says, "Taste and see that the LORD is good." If you've never tasted God's way of doing things, never been a part of his perfect plan, I'd encourage you to stop challenging him and just let him be God. You'll see that he is good!

Jim Barringer is a 38-year-old writer, musician, and teacher. More of his work can be found at facebook.com/jmbarringer. This work may be reprinted for any purpose so long as this bio and statement of copyright is included.

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