TRUST in the WISDOM and SOVEREIGNTY of GOD
May 27
Bible Reading: Job Chapters 10-12
TRUST in the WISDOM and SOVEREIGNTY of GOD
"But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you;
and the birds of the air, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it
will teach you; and the fish of the sea will explain to you. Who among all
these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in whose hand is
the life of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind? Does not the ear
test words and the mouth taste its food? Wisdom is with aged men, and with
length of days, understanding. With Him
are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding." (Job 12:7-13)
In Job
chapter 11, Zophar launched a personal attack on Job himself by calling him a
hypocrite for protesting his innocence in the face of contrary evidence (vv.
1–6). Without any sympathy, Zophar tried to convince Job that his troubles
stemmed from hidden sin, and God was punishing Job as a result of his sin. He
also contended that Job lacked a healthy respect for the wisdom of God, the
omniscient One who knows all about human wickedness despite efforts to conceal it
(vv. 7–12).
As a
rejoinder, Job wishes his miserable friends could understand that disaster
often comes on those least prepared and least deserving of it (Job 12:4–6).
Then Job reflected on the sovereign ways of God that are manifest in nature (vv. 7–9) and in man’s very existence (v. 10). In the
light of this lofty concept, the arguments of Job’s friends appeared to be
shallow (vv. 11–12). The only way Job could explain his condition was that
God’s omniscience and omnipotence were incomprehensible with respect to nature (vv. 13–15), individuals (vv. 16–21), the mysteries of the unseen (v. 22), and
the affairs of whole nations (vv.
23–25).
God Himself
tells us this unchanging reality: "For
My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the
Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher
than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55:8-9)
Let us trust in the wisdom and sovereignty of God – in the fact that He is working behind the scenes on our behalf and preparing us to be effective tools in His kingdom!
