“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?” (Job 11:7)
The more we analyze the ways in which Job’s friends tried to counsel him through his trial, the more we become turned off by their bedside manners. Zophar, in particular, seems rather cold-hearted in the way he addresses Job. In one of his rants, he not only affirms the other friends’ idea that Job is suffering because he’s being punished for sins, but he also mercilessly reminds Job that God’s ways are too lofty for him to ever know: But a stupid man will get understanding when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man! (Job 11:12)
Zophar asks, “Can you find out the deep things of God?” as a way to silence Job and perhaps nudge him toward repentance. But as we’ve seen in our studies of The Book of Job, the questions that are raised provide an opportunity for us to grapple with truth. It is true that God’s ways are past finding out. It is true that the wisdom of human beings is microscopic compared to that wisdom of God!
In some sense, Zophar, like Job’s other friends, is onto something. But, also like his other friends, he falls short of seeing the whole picture.
The fact that God’s wisdom and ways are high above man’s and therefore, by our own effort, we can never attain to perfect understanding, is not meant to drive us to despair. Nor should this truth be used as a club to hit someone over the head and get him to do what you want him to do. Rather, this truth shows us that there is a great chasm between God and man, a chasm that we can only trust in God’s mercy that he will fill himself.
And God does just that! He fills the chasm, he bridges the gap. He imparts wisdom by taking initiative and revealing himself, his ways, and his wisdom to man! God doesn’t tell us all that we ever wanted to know, but he does tell us what we need to know in order to have a right relationship with him!
Of course, the gospel is ultimately what closes the loop; but the Book of Job does indeed present to us a God who reveals, who speaks, who makes himself known!
Can you find out the deep things of God?
Not everything. We see through a glass dimly.
However, we serve a God who delights in making himself known! His wisdom, which is too lofty for us, has been given to us, in his word. God speaks to us! Do you understand what a privilege it is to hear the voice of God? Are you treasuring his word? What are you doing with the wisdom that you do have?
May we be humbled by the fact that any wisdom we have is the result of God’s revelation of himself, and may we treasure, study, and proclaim that wisdom far and wide, that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord!