Job 38:1-8
The Persistence of Job
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said:
2 "Who is this that darkens my counsel
with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
4 "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation?
Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set,
or who laid its cornerstone-
7 while the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
8 "Who shut up the sea behind doors
when it burst forth from the womb...
The LORD speaks to Job, after Job's discussion with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar...The LORD asks Job many questions throughout chapters 38-41...Job can only answer in:
Job 42:1-6
Epilogue of Job
1 Then Job replied to the LORD:
2 "I know that you can do all things;
no plan of yours can be thwarted.
3 You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me to know.
4 "You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.'
5 My ears had heard of you
but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."
James 5:11
The Perseverance of Job
11 As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.
I have heard about the patience of Job in the King James Version of the Bible in the Book of James...Many say Job was patient...I believe that Job was persistent...And the NIV in the Book of James, he writes of Job's perseverance...Job had many questions for God, and Job, all the while, thought he needed the answers to his questions on his personal suffering and what had happened to him...What Job as he spoke wanted God to answer his questions...Instead of answers, what Job got was the Presence of God...God did not answer one question of Job's...And after he felt God's Presence, his questions seem to fade away and maybe be gone...
Job tells God he spoke of things he just did not understand...After being heavily questioned by God, Job quickly realized that he did not not have the knowledge to answer God's questions...But that did not seem to matter to Job...He had seen and felt God's Presence...And he knew God was near him...That was enough for him -knowing that God existed and near him meant so much, even as he suffered...
God restored Job's health and God makes Job twice as wealthy as he was before and has a large family which he sees to the fourth generation...Job lives a full life after living many years after his troubles, tragedies, and sufferings...And he lived them happily...
Understanding, sometimes is not what we need...But during suffering, it is normal to question and ask why...Job endured...Job persisted...And when he felt God, his questions faded...We must learn from Job and be both persistent and patient and endure in our faith...Seeking God and Him being near us, is of utmost importance...Because it is God's Presence that is the greatest comfort of all, and Job got to find this out...Job experienced this feeling of God. and he felt better...
St. James tells us -as you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered...You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the LORD finally brought about (to and for Job)...The LORD is full of compassion and mercy...