God & Job’s Personhood

Synopsis     Job 39:1-40:2     7/30/2021 

After Job’s many complaints in front of his friends, God finally spoke directly to him. But unlike Job’s anticipation, God asked the questions instead of answering Job’s complaints. 

In this way, God firmly claimed to be the origin and ongoing source of everything. So, His questions didn’t merely point out the difference between God’s knowledge and Job’s knowledge. Instead, through His questions, God pointed out that He was the ongoing cause behind everything that exists. 

Thus, using known examples, God described how He gave the wild ass his freedom. And, He withheld wisdom from the ostrich. Similarly, He caused the eagle to nest on high cliffs.  

God’s Personhood & Job’s Personhood 

In this way, God helped Job understand that His surpassing excellence wasn’t merely His all-knowing, omniscience. But rather, God made clear one essential difference between human persons and God. God’s omnipotence comes before the existence of any other person or thing.  

God showed Job that He was the source of all being. So, Job’s demand for justice lost its meaning from this perspective. 

Center of My Person 

I am the center of my field of experience. This is an unavoidable reality. But this truth doesn’t make me the center of the universe. The inability to make this distinction is the very ground of original sin. And from there, every other sin known to man.  

“God is not a human being who speaks falsely, nor a mortal, who feels regret. Is God one to speak and not act, to decree and not bring it to pass?” Num 23:19