Devotionals

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"Then Job replied to the Lord: 'I know that You can do anything, and no one can stop You. You ask, 'Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I. And I was talking about things that I did not understand, things far too wonderful for me. You said, 'Listen and I will speak! I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.' I had heard about You before, but now I have seen You with my own eyes. I take back everything I said, and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance'" (Job 42:1-6).

I imagine the Lord listens to humanity and asks that very question quite often: "Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorance?" We are all prone to opinion and self-justification. In other words, when things go wrong we usually look to ourselves last instead of first. It is in our nature to blame something or someone else before looking at our own heart, motives, and actions.

We can look at the Book of Job, however, and gain some wisdom from his trial. He said, "I had heard about You before, but now I have seen You with my own eyes." This statement sums up the reason Job was so blinded by pride and self-righteousness. His whole argument up until this point was that he knew God's law and he was in no way guilty of breaking any laws. We can sum it up this way: Job thought he was without sin. But then his eyes were opened and he realized that he really just knew God in theory, not in intimacy.

You may remember the time Jesus said to His disciples, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him" (John 14:6-7). Philip questions Jesus about this statement and says, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us." Jesus' response to Philip is a lot like the revelation that Job had. Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip" (verses 8-9)? Job realized the same thing. He had confessed to having "known" God, but in an instant he realized that he never really did, until his eyes were opened and he literally "saw" God.

I believe this is still true today. It is the primary reason Paul prayed for the church to have "...the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened..." (Ephesians 1:17-18). We can hear about God all the time, but that does not mean we know Him. I hear about President Bush on television and radio all the time, but I don't know him. Paul prayed for God's children to have "wisdom and revelation" in order to have real vision. This is very important because wisdom is literally the ability to use knowledge. Knowledge in and of itself just puffs up. It is the cause for pride and self-righteousness. But when we apply wisdom to our wealth of knowledge, then eyes are opened and that's when we truly begin to see.

"Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everyting with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now" (1 Corinthians 13:12). This is how God wants us to know Him... just as He knows us. But it requires vision of the heart, not just the mind.

The other thing about Job that I think is important to note is his heart of repentance. Job said, "You ask, 'Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorance?' It is I." Job recognized his sin and confessed it. David was called "a man after God's own heart" because he too had a heart of repentance. Concerning his revelation of missing the mark, David said, "Against You, and You only, have I sinned" (Psalm 51:4). When Job quickly and clearly responded to God with "It is I" instead of once again trying to blame something or someone else, Job found forgiveness. We too, need to be quick to repent. When the Holy Spirit convicts our heart, we need to respond with repentance. There's no need to wait. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).

How can God show forth His faithfulness if we withhold our repentance? When David confessed his sin, God revealed to him that it was not sacrifice that He desires, but "the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and contrite heart, these O God, You will not despise" (Psalm 51:17). Repentance means to be bruised with sorrow over sin. Is God trying to communicate to us that He wants us to suffer awhile when we err? No, of course not! It simply indicates that God cannot show forth His mercy and faithfulness to you and I until our eyes are opened and we realize "oops, I messed up - I need a Savior!" If our heart can't say that, then we are in pride and self-righteousness.

One of the most deceptive sins is that of self-righteousness. In the Book of Job, Chapter 31, Job lists all his good deeds believing he is without sin. But his sin was not that of breaking the law; his sin was his belief that he was without sin! You see, self-righteousness is self-deception and self-deception is self-justification. It's a vicious cycle and the devil is all in the middle of it! The devil is the one who attempts to keep God's children in ignorance. Paul said, "Lest Satan take advantage of us, we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Corinthians 2:11). Like Job, when we are ignorant concerning God and our real relationship with Him, then we are just as guilty as Job. And God is apt to say to us (just like He did to him): "Who is this that questions My wisdom with such ignorance?"

The good news is this: "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). Allow God to show you His faithfulness. Let us go to Him in prayer and say (as the Psalmist did), "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties; And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:23-24).

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