Job’s got a bit of what we ‘Merkans call a smart mouth. These first few lines of his response to his two friends, Eliphaz and Zophar, who have with no uncertainties expressed their doubts about what’s been going on behind closed doors at Job’s house, are dripping with sarcasm, much in the same way I have spoken to my own friends at times in the past. Verse 2, as written in my NLT version, is fantastic: “You people really know everything, don’t you? And when you die, wisdom will die with you!” HAHAHAHAHAHA! If you don’t find that funny, then leave. Jk. But it’s funny, right? It’s not funny because it’s haha funny. It’s funny because it’s plain and simple proof that people in the Bible were sassy, just like we are today. But, alas, the passage does go way beyond sarcasm. Wow. Does it ever. In fact, Job gets so philosophical here that he very nearly starts to stumble upon the very answer he’s been looking for. Hmmmmmm, me thinks there is a lesson in his words somewhere. Look what Job does: he starts asking questions he already knows the answers to. He starts comparing his life and his tragedies to those of kings and animals. On one hand, God has punished kings and even priests. Yet, look at the animals: God uses His power over them in the exact same way. So, why would God NOT test Job as well? Why is it so incredible to think that God did not choose Job to demonstrate these very things? Job is having a moment with God in this verse. Through his questions and begging and thinking and listening to his friends, Job is about to discover and reveal the Holy Spirit working within himself through the power of Our Mighty God. Do you see it? Do you feel the connection Job just made?
Writing prompt: roundabout
Sometimes we can only appreciate the Glory of God after arriving at a place in our lives in what I call a “roundabout way,” or through a full cycle of emotions. Write about something wonderful that happened to you in a roundabout way.
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