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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Wednesday, 11 February 2025:
Job 12:1-6 — Then Job answered and said… In the thought of one who is at ease there is contempt for misfortune….
Job responds not defensively, but incisively. His words carry both restraint and sharp clarity. He exposes the imbalance in the conversation: those who are comfortable speak easily about suffering. Certainty is effortless when pain is theoretical. Job does not deny God’s justice; he challenges the shallow confidence with which others apply it.
Job observes something unsettling but undeniably true: Those who provoke God often appear secure, while the faithful suffer. This does not mean God is unjust, but it does mean that simplistic moral formulas cannot explain lived reality. Job refuses to accept a theology that comforts observers while crushing sufferers.
This anticipates the New Testament’s repeated warning against confusing outward ease with divine approval. Jesus Himself noted that prosperity and suffering are not reliable indicators of righteousness. Job is not rejecting God; he is rejecting the misuse of God.
Job 12:7-10 — But ask the beasts, and they will teach you… In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Job turns to creation itself as a witness. He does not argue from mysticism or tradition, but from observation. The created order declares what his friends refuse to acknowledge: God’s sovereignty is comprehensive, not selective. Life, breath, strength, and weakness all rest in His hand.
Creation testifies relentlessly. Animals, birds, fish, seasons, and cycles all reveal dependence on divine governance. Job’s point is not abstract theology; it is theological humility. If even the natural world reflects God’s authority, then human certainty about cause and effect must be restrained.
“If you want to know the ways of the Lord, says Job, just look around you. You can theologize all you want, but if your theories do not mesh with the nature of things as they are, then what good are such theories? Even a dog has more knowledge of God than you do!” (Mike Mason)
Job 12:9 — Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this?
Job makes an unmistakable claim: creation itself testifies to God. This echoes the wisdom tradition that declares only a fool denies God’s reality. The heavens declare His glory not through argument but through existence. Order, design, dependency, and continuity point beyond themselves.
In every generation, there are those who dismiss God not because evidence is lacking, but because submission is resisted. Today, this often takes the form of a false religion disguised as science, one that presumes to explain everything while refusing to acknowledge the Author. True science observes; it does not rule out God. Wisdom recognizes that God is not threatened by discovery — He is revealed by it.
Job’s assertion confronts both ancient and modern arrogance. God is not an occasional actor in history; He is the sustaining source of all things. Wisdom walks with God not because circumstances are understandable, but because God is trustworthy.
- Psalm 53:1 — The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”
- Romans 1:28 — And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.
Job 12:11-13 — Does not the ear test words as the palate tastes food? With God are wisdom and might; he has counsel and understanding.
Job challenges his friends to exercise discernment. Wisdom must be tested, not merely repeated. Age, tradition, and confidence do not guarantee truth. God alone possesses unassailable wisdom. Human insight is partial at best and dangerous when absolutized.
This prepares the way for a major theme in Job: God’s wisdom cannot be reduced to formulas. His purposes are not immediately visible. Faith is not the ability to explain suffering, but the willingness to trust God when explanation fails.
Job 12:14-25 — He breaks down, and it cannot be rebuilt… He pours contempt on princes… He makes nations great, and he destroys them….
Job expands his argument from creation to history. God’s sovereignty governs individuals, leaders, institutions, and nations. He builds and dismantles. He grants authority and removes it. Power, intelligence, success, and stability are all contingent.
This section dismantles any theology that equates position with righteousness or success with divine endorsement. God’s governance is not constrained by human expectation. He humbles the wise, disorients the confident, and exposes the fragility of human systems.
Job is not accusing God of cruelty; he is affirming God’s supremacy. His suffering does not mean God has lost control. It means Job must learn to trust a God whose wisdom exceeds his understanding.
The New Testament affirms this same truth: God chooses what is weak to shame the strong, what is foolish to shame the wise. Human confidence collapses when removed from dependence on God.
Job’s confession that life and breath are in God’s hand finds its fullest expression in Christ. Jesus upholds all things by the word of His power. He calms creation, commands disease, and surrenders His own breath into the Father’s hands.
At the cross, sovereignty and suffering intersect. God remains fully in control even as the righteous sufferer bears injustice. What Job knows partially, the gospel reveals fully: God governs all things not only with power, but with redemptive purpose.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 11 February 2025: Examine where you may be tempted to explain suffering instead of trusting God through it. Ask yourself: Do I rely on tidy answers, or on God’s character? Choose one act today that reflects humble trust — acknowledge mystery, resist judgment, and worship God for who He is rather than what He does or appears to do.
Pray: “Father, You are sovereign over all creation and faithful beyond my understanding. Forgive me when I try to reduce You to explanations that make me comfortable rather than trusting You when I do not understand. Teach me to walk humbly, to listen wisely, and to rest in Your control over all things. Thank You for Christ, through whom all things hold together and through whom suffering is never wasted. Help me trust You fully, even when answers are withheld. In Jesus’ name, amen.”
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 