By “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. ‘Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.’ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42:1-6 ESV)
In all of the times I read this last section of Job, I have this morning seen something new. When Job says, “who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?” And, “hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me.”; he is quoting the Lord’s questions in chapter 38. These two questions are the first two question out of God’s mouth when he first addresses Job. In chapter 40, Job tries to simply place his hand over his mouth and remain silent in God’s presence. But now, he answers the questions which God asked of him. He essentially says he had no right to utter things he did not understand. He now has more than just a base level understanding of the Lord; he sees him as he is. For you and I to have this level of understanding, it is likely we would need to be in heaven. We were not with Job when God spoke to him out of the whirlwind. But, like Job, we hear of the Lord by the hearing of the ear. Our hearts experience the Lord through regeneration, and through the Holy Spirit. Yet our eyes will not see him until he comes, or we enter into his heavenly presence.
Job shows us here what true repentance is. It is an abhorrence and a rejection of self, along with an embracing and love of Jesus. May the eyes of our hearts be open to see the glory of God’s remedy for sin; namely Jesus Christ.
Leading Family Devotions 