In Job, chapter thirty-eight, verse four, God’s speeches dealt entirely with the natural world of creation and nature. He described the mystery and complexity of the universe and revealed that His method of ruling the world is far beyond human comprehension. God wanted Job to understand that His activity in nature is analogous to His rule in the moral and spiritual order of the universe. However, understanding God’s ways will never be found in this life. But the book of Job reveals when truth is known, God’s ways and actions are as just and righteous.
God reproved Job for speaking without knowledge, as in verse two, and humbled him by making his suffering servant realize that human reasoning is no match for the infinite and eternal God, as in chapter forty, verses one through five. Without rejecting Job’s claims of moral integrity, God called into question Job’s suggestion that he might not be ruling the world justly, as in the examples of chapters twenty-one and twenty-four. But God went on to assure Job that in his dialogues with the counselors, he had spoken rightly about God, as in forty-two, verse seven. In other words, God considered Job’s error in judgment as stemming from a lack of understanding, not a failure of faith or sincere love for His Lord.
At the beginning of Hosea four, verse six declares, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” Many people are born into the world and die without knowing the truth about God and His righteous standards. However, in rebellion, people decide not to receive the truth unless they agree to submit. Yet, many encounter deception and are spiritually blinded to see the truth about God. Proverbs sixteen, verse twenty-five, declares, “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Today, as believers encounter a problem they do not agree with or understand, their first reaction is to question God or even be upset with Him. Especially if family or friends notice or are aware of it, which adds more pressure and frustration towards the Heavenly Father. The complaints and murmuring become more and more severe, and some even turn away from God. As the Lord said to Job, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.” We may understand our situation, but actually, we do not.