Revelation, not Explanation. 

This was the title of a sermon I heard recently in Prince George in the CRC. The pastor there was doing a series on Job, and he was at the point where God speaks to Job in chapters 38 to 41.  Which, by the way, is high on my list of favourite Scriptures! 

Most Christians know the story of Job from the Bible.  Job likely lived in the time of Abraham, in the land of Uz.  Like Abraham, he was incredibly wealthy and prosperous. He believed in Yahweh. He had thousands of animals, many servants and best of all, Job and his wife had 10 children….7 sons and 3 daughters.  

However, he becomes the object of contempt in Satan’s eyes.  He is in heaven (we don’t really know why!) and God asks him to “consider his servant Job”…Job is righteous, but Satan challenges God, saying that the only reason he’s so righteous is because God made him so prosperous. He’s comfortable! Not a care in the world. He has all life has to offer.   But take it away? Then Job will fall apart, and even curse God.  Of course, our Sovereign God had ordained this before the foundations of the world were laid.  And so he gave permission to Satan to take all that he had.  But not to touch Job. There is a limit to what Satan can do – he too is under God’s control.    

So Satan goes out, and literally in the space of one day, takes away everything…all his animals, servants, and all 10 children. As he tore his robe in grief and shaved his head, he actually worshipped with these incredible words of trust and faith: “ “I came naked from my mother’s womb, and I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had, and the Lord has taken it away.  Praise the name of the Lord!”  In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.” (Job 1:20-22, NLT)  Which probably ticked Satan off.

So Satan goes back to God….”he’s fine now, but if you take away his health, well then, certainly he’ll curse you! “.  So, God gives him permission again, this time with the limit of not taking Job’s life. Again, God is in control. And so Satan inflicts Job with horrible skin boils and more….pus, heat, itchy…ouch.   Job is done. He sits in an ash heap.  Scratches himself with broken pottery (can you imagine the potential for infection?).  He’s miserable. And then, to add insult to injury, his loving, supportive wife basically tells him that he’s an idiot for still believing in Yahweh…he should just curse God and die!  Yikes. With a wife like that, who needs enemies?  I’m sure that hurt him more than his physical woes. But he rebukes her: “ “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong.” (Job 2:10, NLT)  His 3 friends come from their homes, and they sit “shiva” with Job.  For 7 days they sit with him in silence, mourning with Job. Can you imagine?  7 days of SILENCE.  Finally, in Chapter 3, Job breaks the silence and basically curses the day he was born…a total of 26 verses of pouring out his grief and pain in words to his friends. And much to Satan’s chagrin, he does not curse God. 

Then from chapters 4 to 37 there follows a conversation between Job and his friends.  Not a great conversation.  While some of their theology was good, much wasn’t. “God has punished you, because you must have sinned. Repent.”  Some of Job’s theology was a bit off too.  He maintained his innocence, his righteousness.  But through it, he did question God. Why? Many why’s.   And we’ve all had times in our lives where something happens and we’re left asking God “Why did you allow this?  What possible reason could there be for this trial? How is this fair?  Answer me, Lord! “. King David, the Psalmist also had questions and cried out to God. The prophet Jeremiah did too. I wonder how the Apostle Paul dealt with all his trials.

Sound familiar?  Unfortunately, Job does not get the answers he desires.  God gives him no explanation.  And poor Job never finds out either that it was a challenge between God and Satan.  Can you imagine that??  Maybe it’s best he never knew that!  

As parents, our kids ask us questions too.  “It’s bedtime, go to bed.”.    “But why? I’m not sleepy!”.  “Because I said so.”.   Arrrgh.  Kids can get so frustrated with us!  But we also know better than they do.  We know what’s best for them. And although experts today tell us that we should explain everything to our kids when they ask questions, there is a time for “Because I’m the Mom or Dad and I said so.”

This, in essence, is where God comes from when He finally answers Job from within the whirlwind.  Instead of explaining why he’s gone through those terrible things, God REVEALS Himself.  

Whoa.  Why would God do that?  We know why. God does not owe us an explanation for anything He does.  He owes us nothing.  We don’t deserve anything from God!  

Ch 38: 2 says, “Who is this who obscures my counsel with ignorant words? Get ready to answer me like a man; when I question you, you will inform me.” (CSB)   

NLT: “Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.”

God is saying:  I will ask you questions. And you will answer me.   Not the other way around!  We don’t have a right to ask AND expect answers.  But God. And only God. 

And in revealing Himself, He does so with questions that have only one answer.  One. The answer is God, not man.  He’s in control, not man. He makes and governs and is sovereign over everything from the breeze to Leviathan.

In chapter 38, God asks 32 questions.  Some with multiple layers.  Where were you? Who? On what? Have you? What is? Can you? Do you? Who gives? 

Job is speechless. Although, I’d imagine that he’s absolutely terrified, 

Chapter 39 has 16 questions. But it also has many “declarations” from God about what He has made and how things operate.  

Chapter 40 has only 5 questions.  But God takes a breath, and in Ch 40:5, Job dares to pipe up, but in humility. He says that he is unworthy, how could he even reply to God?  But God’s not done. The majority of chapter 40 are more declarations from God….note though, they are not explanations. He is telling Job, and us, WHO He is.   He gives us a revelation.  

Chapter 41 has 13 questions, and from verse 12 to 34, God provides a terrifying picture of Leviathan.  The beast no one could overpower, control, tame or calm.  Only God can do that.  And He makes sure Job, and us! know this full well. 

He revealed Himself to Job from out of the whirlwind, out of the storm.  He continues to reveal Himself in many ways throughout Scripture, even through storms. Just think of Moses and Mount Sinai. Not to mention the pictures in Revelation. 

What is most important?  That we know WHO God is.  That we know that God is all powerful. All knowing. All seeing. Creator. Sustainer. Provider.  He is sovereign, and all His ways are perfect, and every plan is exactly what He conceived of before the beginning of time.  The more we know Who God is, the more we will we love Him, and the more we love Him, the more we will glorify Him.

And then today, Sunday September 29, 2024, we heard 2 sermons from Pastor Aidan Plug that built on the sermon I heard last Sunday.  The first sermon was based on Psalm 131 “I Have Calmed and Quieted My Soul.”  Without going into too much detail, he taught us how David approached the Sovereign Lord with humility, acknowledging his limits, and God’s limitlessness. Acknowledging that God is in control – not him.  We too, even when things don’t make sense, must approach God with humility knowing that He’s got the steering wheel and is driving the car and has complete control.  And he’ll never let go. And when we understand this, we will experience a calmed and quieted soul. We hope in the Lord – whose love is never failing, is ever present and unchangeable.  We are completely known and completely loved!  (check out Matt Boswell and Matt Papa’s hymn with that title – Completely Known, Completely Loved). And in his second sermon – based on the Heidelberg Catechism Lord’s Day 10 and Genesis 50, he taught us that “Our God is in Complete Control”!  And when we are hit with trials and pain and grief, we need to look back over time – see how God has been faithful and know that even if we still don’t understand the why of things, we know He intends it for good.  We need to look beyond ourselves – to God.  Trust in Him – knowing that sometimes He works through us for the good of others.  To look within ourselves – knowing that God is using all manner of things to shape and mold our character to reflect Him.  

All 3 sermons hammered home the same thing.  I guess I needed to hear it.  

Those who know me will also likely know of our life.  Of Martin’s ill health – the unrelenting  headaches, the sensory challenges, the ‘brain’ seizures, the pituitary tumor and brain surgery leading to him being unable to work, or be in group settings, or drive more than short distances – and never at night. And more.  All of which led to being on long term disability.  Of my own serious struggle with severe depression and anxiety that eventually led to me being unable to work as a maternity nurse, and also being on long term disability.  We make a great pair.  🙄. Then of course, the massive, painful trials with 2 of our 4 kids who have turned their backs on God and chosen lifestyles that are completely against God’s will and ways.  And the reality that we have not seen or heard from our daughter since December 23, 2022.  

Why? What good could possibly come from these trials and pain?  For them? For us? Why, why, why? 

God says, “I Am Who I Am.” 

God says, “I am the Alpha and Omega, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”

All of the Bible from Genesis 1:1 – Revelation 22:21, is God revealing Himself. 

In our life struggles, remember: 

Revelation, not Explanation.  

Grace and peace!