Initially, I was excited about today’s reading because 13 has been my lucky number (I know, “lucky numbers” aren’t exactly biblical) since my first cheerleader tryouts, but then I realized what section of scripture we were studying and I got even more excited. At the heart of today’s reading is one of my favorite verses:
How great is God–beyond our understanding! (Job 36:26, NIV)
Therefore, my entire thought process for today’s journaling revolve around God’s glorious majesty and how beyond us He truly is.
Today’s scripture reading: Job, chapters 35-37
You and I are but human; Job and his friends were merely human. We all have human pride, human will, human sin, and purely human nature. We are not God. We attempt to play “God” at times, but we don’t even come close to understanding what or who we are trying to imitate.
We spend today, again, with Elihu:
If you are righteous, what do you give to him,
or what does he receive from your hand?
Your wickedness affects only a man like yourself,
and your righteousness only the sons of men. (35:7-8, NIV)
If they obey and serve him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.
But if they do not listen, they will perish by the sword and die without knowledge. (36:11-12, NIV)
These go to back to our discussion a few days ago, “The fear of the Lord–that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding” (28:28, NIV). We just don’t get it. We just don’t have it. All you and I can do is fear God, our Maker, the Lord, our Father, and shun evil; in return, the Bible tells me that I will gain whatever level of understanding of God that I can comprehend. All I have, then, is my absolute reverence for God. But, you know what, that’s good enough for me! I don’t want to play God and I don’t have a desire to know all there is to know about Him.
At this my heart pounds and leaps from its place. (37:1, NIV)
The way I see it, knowing all of the secrets ruins the surprise of it all. In some areas of my life, I just want to have that childlike faith that Jesus will teach us about much later in the year (we are reading chronologically, after all, and we’re barely out of Creation now).
God is exalted in his power.
Who is a teacher like him?
Who has prescribed his ways for him,
or said to him, ‘You have done wrong’?
Remember to extol his work,
which men have praised in song.
All mankind has seen it;
men gaze on it from afar.
How great is God–
beyond our understanding!
He is beyond our understanding! There have been times that I have felt so close to Him, that I actually (in my very human, prideful stupidity) have felt that I had some glimpse of understanding Him, in all of His glory. But truly, friends, we can’t even come close.
I imagine Elihu speaking to me as well as to Job here,
“Listen to this, Job;
stop and consider God’s wonders.
Do you know how God controls the clouds
and makes his lightning flash?
Do you know how the clouds hand poised,
those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?”
(37:14-16, NIV)
“When his voice resounds,
he holds nothing back.
God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.”
(37:4-5, NIV)
When I stop and consider that literally every breath I take, every hair on my head, every beat of my heart are counted and preordained by Him, it humbles me. In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind (12:10, NIV). He is truly awesome!
As a young girl, I remember always wanting to know what certain people I respected would ask God when they got to heaven. I have this great picture in my mind’s eye of all of His children huddled at His holy feet, like an aged grandfather with his brood of grand kids gathered on the front porch, listening to stories of the good old days. We, God’s children, have a natural curiosity. We wonder of him who is perfect in knowledge (37:16, NIV). Wonder and curiosity about our Maker are healthy, as they bring us to this place we are today, in His Word, studying His inspired writing and learning more about Him, our foundation. He is our guiding light, our shining star, and our leader through life everlasting; all honor and glory are His alone.
Out of the north he comes in golden splendor;
God comes in awesome majesty.
The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power;
in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.
Therefore, men revere him,
for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart? (37:22-24, NIV)
My Bible has an interesting footnote pertaining to this last line of scripture, an alternate translation:
Therefore, men revere him
for he does not have regard for any who think they are wise
Friends, let us be inspired by Him, and live in reverence of His awesome majesty! Let us, in all of our human ignorance, not think more of ourselves than we ought (which we’ll also find later in the book of Romans), or think we are wise in the eyes of God. Let us, instead, live our lives to serve Him and others, and to build upon this foundation in honor of Him.
Make it a great day,
Marilyn
Dear God, Thank You for every breath I take, every hair on my head, and every beat of my heart. Thank You for this day and all of the days to come that You are granting me so that I can work my hardest to help in furthering Your kingdom. Lord, do your work here and bring everyone in the world to Your throne of righteousness. Lord, whether someone reads about You here in my writing or in any other form, I pray for souls to be saved in Your name around the world and throughout existence. I am in awe of you, Lord. Amen.
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