"I have uttered what I did not understand" - By Grady Huggins

"And the Lord said to Job: ‘Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.’ … Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: 'Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right?" (Job 40:1-2,6-8, ESV).

Job's problem is not that he held fast to his integrity against his friends' accusations, but that he had begun to call God's integrity into question. At the start Job "did not sin or charge God with wrong" (1:22). But as his frustration builds throughout the dialogue, his emotions get the better of him at times. He pictures God as promoting injustice by covering the faces of earth’s judges and mocking at the calamity of the innocent (9:23-24).

Job never curses God as Satan claimed he would (1:11; 2:5). He never ceases to reach out to God for vindication and deliverance. While the friends often talk ABOUT God in their speeches, Job is continually crying out TO God. He looks to God as his only hope, his heavenly witness and redeemer (16:19; 19:25).

But Job is not entirely without fault in the book. As is evident from God’s rebuke above, Job has crossed the line in some of his speeches. He has multiplied “words without knowledge” (35:16; 38:2). In an effort to vindicate himself, Job has called into question God’s justice. He has found fault with God in ways that are far beyond the realm of his limited understanding or awareness.

When God appears to test the extent of Job’s knowledge, all he can do is stand in silent wonder. Job had claimed that he would lay his case before God and fill his mouth with arguments (23:4), but he cannot begin to respond to any of God's questions. “Then Job answered the Lord and said: ‘Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further’” (40:3-5, ESV).

Humbled by God's challenges, Job’s final response drives home the lesson of the book – “Then Job answered the LORD and said: 'I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. '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.” (42:1-3, ESV).

Job has come to recognize the gap between what he does and doesn't know. The only thing he can say WITH knowledge is that God is in control and His purpose will be accomplished. And ultimately, that is all Job needs to know. God doesn't have to explain to Job why He allowed all of this suffering to occur. As long as God knows the reason, that is enough. Job will endure in faith, trusting that God is infinitely more qualified to determine and accomplish justice in His world than he is.

What is the lesson for us? What we need most in our suffering is not an explanation from God, but a faith in the greatness of His power and the goodness of His will. We are in no position to demand an account of His actions, challenge His purpose, or stand in judgment over His will. In humility we must submit to His sovereignty, trusting that He will work all things out in the end according to His perfect justice and faithfulness. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Rom 8:28, ESV).