Job 10:1-7; 11:4-12, Job, Zophar and the Mystery of God

(I am in a situation without much internet access and need it as I work through the word studies.  For the next three days I plan to use what I call "odds and ends," posts that are primarily devotional in nature.  We plan to be gack to the word studies after that.)

The words of Job in 10:1-7 are quite “revealing.”  He really speaks of God in a dishonoring way, especially v3-5 when we, with good hindsight, understand what God’s plan was, that He would take on flesh and dwell among us, experiencing every test that we experience.  Job questioned how God could understand his pain because He, God, had never experienced that kind of pain.  Job didn’t have our “hindsight.”  Yet, as a godly man, Job did see dimly into the “mystery of God.”  Job saw the need of the Incarnation, when God would be tempted in all points as we are (Heb. 4:14-16).  All of this God will deal with in Job 38-41, and Job will receive it humbly.  Job will be conformed to the death of Christ so that he can then have a resurrection-faith (Phil. 3:10-11).

To his credit, Zophar (Job’s friend #3, Job 11 and 20) recognized that Job lacked understanding of the mystery of God.  He argues that Job, who claimed his doctrine was pure, needed God to show you the secrets of wisdom (11:4-6). Zophar asked Job, Can you search out the deep things of God (11:7)? 

But upon closer examination, Zophar has no grip on the “deep things of God” either.  His illustration of this is when a wild donkey’s colt is born a man (11:12).  How ridiculous.  But this is common to the way men think.  Mystical religions contain “mysteries” that are foolishness!  Humans with multiple arms or breasts, beings that are half human/half animal or that live in jars or that have some one super-power and so forth.  Why are they so strange?  Because it is assumed that the human race has reached it’s fullness and that the “gods” must therefore be some perversion of humanity, like a donkey giving birth to a man.

The “deep things of God” involve the Creator being found in fashion as a Man (Phil. 2:8), and thus a Man, Christ Jesus the Lord, in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9).  He walked the earth, being available to be seen and touched (1 John 1:1), and subjecting Himself to experience our temptations (Heb. 4:14-16).  He even suffered death, the atoning death on the cross by which we are saved.  He was our “forerunner” (Heb. 6:20), running successfully the race that we run (Heb. 12:1-2).  This is the “wisdom of God,” the message of the cross that is a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to the rest (1 Cor. 1:23). 

Job, as we have said, did not understand all this.  But he did affirm, that with Him are wisdom and strength, He has counsel and understanding (12:13).  And, most importantly, He put his faith in God.  Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him (13:15).  That is “resurrection faith.”