David Bahn – Reflections

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These reflections grow out of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Job 38-40; Psalm 26.

Job 38:1-7; 40:3-5

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

² “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
³ Dress for action like a man;
    I will question you, and you make it known to me.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
    Tell me, if you have understanding.
⁵ Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
    Or who stretched the line upon it?
⁶ On what were its bases sunk,
    or who laid its cornerstone,
⁷ when the morning stars sang together
    and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

^40:3 Then Job answered the LORD and said:

⁴ “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
    I lay my hand on my mouth.
⁵ I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
    twice, but I will proceed no further.”

Finally, God is no longer a spectator in this saga of suffering. He now speaks to Job – and speak he does. God does not, however, explain Job’s suffering. Instead, he re-orients Job’s vision. God will not give an account of why Job had to suffer so; he will remind Job of who is God – and who is not.

And God does this by recounting examples of his creative majesty and prerogatives:

• Lays the foundations of the earth – God alone ordered creation with wisdom and purpose before any human existed (38:4–7).
• Sets boundaries for the sea – The chaotic waters go only as far as God permits — no farther (38:8–11).
• Commands the morning and brings the dawn – Each day begins at God’s bidding, not by chance (38:12–15).
• Knows the depths of the sea and the gates of death – God sees what is hidden, dangerous, and beyond human reach (38:16–18).
• Controls light and darkness – Light is not just physical but ordered by God’s wisdom (38:19–21).
• Sends rain, snow, hail, and lightning – Weather answers to God, not to human control (38:22–30).
• Feeds wild animals and their young – God cares even for creatures humans overlook (38:39–41).
• Orders the seasons and the stars – Constellations move according to God’s command, not human knowledge (38:31–33).
• Gives strength and limits to powerful creatures – Behemoth and Leviathan exist under God’s authority, not as rivals (40:15–24; ch. 41).
• Sustains creation by wisdom, not explanation – God rules the world by wisdom deeper than human understanding (38:36).

I love this! First, however, he will confront Job. And he does so authoritatively: “Tell me if you have understanding.” Or as the NLT has it, “Tell me, if you know so much.”

Clearly Job has this coming. He says, “I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments.” (Job 23:4) But he won’t get the chance. So Job backtracks:

“Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?
    I lay my hand on my mouth.
I have spoken once, and I will not answer;
    twice, but I will proceed no further.” (Job 40:4-5)

C.S. Lewis wrote a powerful essay, God in the Dock, where he challenged the idea that we can ever call God to account for his actions. He doesn’t give an answer to us. We must give an account to him. He determines what is good and what is evil. The original sin wasn’t merely eating forbidden fruit. It was deciding that Adam and Eve knew better than God what was good and what was evil.

We’re all inclined to commit this sin. We all want God to conform to our sensibilities. But if he did, he would never have sent his Son to redeem and save us. He would not pour out his grace on ungrateful sinners.

God does not justify himself to Job nor does he justify himself to us. Instead, he justifies sinners. The God who will not be placed in the dock is the same God who, in Christ, places himself on the cross. And that is not an answer to our questions, but something far better: our salvation.