Job had been humbled by the Lord’s first reply. Moreover, although he once believed he would desire to speak to God and declare his innocence and make his righteousness known before him, so the Lord would vindicate him in the presence of the friends and others who believed him to have been secretly wicked (Job 13:18-19, 22; 23:10), Job, now, declared he had spoken foolishly and no longer claimed any right to present his defense before God (Job 40:3-5). Therefore, the Lord resumed speaking out of the whirlwind (Job 40:6), telling Job to prepare himself in his Presence, because he would demand an answer from him by reason of what he was about to say (Job 40:7).
Earlier, Job has sought pity from his friends, because the Lord had deemed it good to persecute him (Job 19:21-22). He declared that God had overthrown him and refused to listen to his prayers (Job 19:6-7), implying God was unjust in his treatment of him. Now, the Lord speaks out of the whirlwind again and accuses Job of bringing the judgment of God into question in order that he (Job) could be righteous (Job 40:8). In other words, Job was so interested in his own reputation, that he seemed willing to tarnish the reputation or name of God in his effort to defend his own integrity.
What Job should have done was to confess his own confusion over the matter, which he did (Job 10:15), but then also confess that the Lord is righteous in all his judgments (Psalm 51:4; cp. Daniel 9:7). It was more important that Job bear the wrong his friends had done to him and wait for the Lord to vindicate him in his good timing. However, Job didn’t do this and longed for vindication, for things to be put right, and in that process, he caused the friends to believe Job was blaspheming God, and they felt they had to come to his defense. Thus, at least in their sight, Job declared himself righteous by saying God was unjust. This may not have been Job’s intention, but this is how his intention was perceived by the friends. So, the Lord asked Job, if he had “an arm like God” and could he “thunder with a voice like God” (Job 40:9) that shakes the ground when he utters his speech (cp. Psalm 29:3-8). In other words, if Job was going to disannul the Lord’s judgments and contend with him, has he considered the vast difference between his own power and wisdom and that of Almighty God?
Therefore, the Lord told Job to collect himself, and display as much pomp and magnificence as he would like, and, while doing so, cloth himself in as much glory and honor as he could muster (Job 40:10). Then, having done all this, go ahead and judge the wicked; be god for a day and cause your wrath to bring him to naught. Moreover, was Job able to simply look at the wicked one and completely humiliate him (Job 40:11-12; cp. 29:24)? Go, ahead, since you wish to challenge God, and if you think you are more capable of administering justice than the Lord, go ahead and exalt your power by killing every one of the wicked and imprison evil forever in the grave (Job 40:13).
God concludes by saying, if Job was able to do this thing, then God would admit that Job was able to save himself by his own power, meaning by his own righteousness (Job 40:14). That’s the whole point of the Lord’s argument. Job’s righteousness cannot save him. Therefore, why should he feel he had a right to judge the Lord’s treatment of the wicked. If Job was so dependent upon the Lord for mercy and his own salvation, where does he get the right to judge the Lord’s divine administration of his office? In other words, let God be God, and trust him for your heart’s desires, even when your world seems to be falling apart.
Smoodock's Blog 