First Reading Job 38:1-11; 42:1-6
Second Reading Revelation 19:4-16
Job 38:1-11; 42:1-6
38:1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare 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 heavenly beings shouted for joy?
8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors
when it burst out from the womb? —
9 when I made the clouds its garment,
and thick darkness its swaddling band,
10 and prescribed bounds for it,
and set bars and doors,
11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,
and here shall your proud waves be stopped’?”
42:1 Then Job answered the Lord:
2 “I know that you can do all things,
and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted.
3 Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
4 ‘Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.’
5 I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees you;
6 therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes.”
Where do we turn when everything starts going wrong? No one could fault you for reading Job. Job, you remember, was the righteous man of Uz—who got caught on the wrong side of a bargain between God and the devil. The devil claimed that Job only praised God because he lived a blessed life—land, wealth, children, God’s own favor. So God takes it all away, and the rest of the book finds Job’s “comforters” attempting to pick up the pieces of his ruined life, explaining them to their heartbroken friend. The friends all say, in some way or another, “you must have done something to deserve this.” It’s easy to think this way when something has gone wrong. “I’ve lost a job—I must deserve it.” “I’ve gotten sick—I must have done something wrong.” Even if we’re to blame, at least the world makes sense. But Job doesn’t let God off the hook, insisting the whole time that he has done nothing wrong. Eventually Job’s complaint is heard by God, who responds in our reading today. It’s not an answer so much as a rejection of the terms of the argument: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” A poem follows, delighting in the creation of all things beyond human wisdom or understanding. The poem affirms our limitations in light of God’s greatness—who are we to ever understand? All understanding is a kind of grace. Job realizes this in the end, responding to God through repentance. That’s where he ends. When we’re confused about the world—how could this happen? Where is God?—repentance isn’t a bad place to start instead.
Holy God, all your works are beyond us, and we praise you for entrusting us with life and witness in the midst of your abundant creation. For all the things we have done wrong—against you, against our neighbor—we are sorry, and we repent. Let a humble Spirit remain within us, that we might always trust to your righteousness, and not our own, in the Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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