His wisdom is profound, his power is vast. Who has resisted him and come out unscathed? He moves mountains without their knowing it and overturns them in his anger. He shakes the earth from its place and makes its pillars tremble. He speaks to the sun and it does not shine; he seals off the light of the stars. He alone stretches out the heavens and treads on the waves of the sea. He is the Maker of the Bear and Orion, the Pleiades and the constellations of the south. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted. When he passes me, I cannot see him; when he goes by, I cannot perceive him. If he snatches away, who can stop him? Who can say to him, ‘What are you doing?’ God does not restrain his anger; even the cohorts of Rahab cowered at his feet. “How then can I dispute with him? How can I find words to argue with him? Though I were innocent, I could not answer him; I could only plead with my Judge for mercy. Job 9:4-15 NIV
If it is a matter of strength, he is mighty! And if it is a matter of justice, who can challenge him? Job 9:19 NIV
He is not a mere mortal like me that I might answer him, that we might confront each other in court. Job 9:32 NIV
At the heart of Job’s righteousness was an overwhelming respect for the power and authority of God. Job stood in awe of God! He understood there was no one greater, no higher authority. A true understanding of who God is will always lead us to choose righteousness over sin. Satan does everything he can to distract us and make us lose sight of God’s authority. The enemy was hoping to get Job’s focus off of God and onto himself and his own suffering. We are always more vulnerable to sin when we focus on ourselves instead of our awesome God!
But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. Job 12:7-10 NIV
To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his. What he tears down cannot be rebuilt; those he imprisons cannot be released. If he holds back the waters, there is drought; if he lets them loose, they devastate the land. To him belong strength and insight; both deceived and deceiver are his. He leads rulers away stripped and makes fools of judges. He takes off the shackles put on by kings and ties a loincloth around their waist. He leads priests away stripped and overthrows officials long established. He silences the lips of trusted advisers and takes away the discernment of elders. He pours contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty. He reveals the deep things of darkness and brings utter darkness into the light. He makes nations great, and destroys them; he enlarges nations, and disperses them. He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason; he makes them wander in a trackless waste. They grope in darkness with no light; he makes them stagger like drunkards. Job 12:13-25 NIV
A healthy understanding of who God is will always include an understanding that man, even one who has achieved earthly power, is no match for God! We spend countless hours fretting over world leaders as if they are in control of our future, but ultimately, God is in control. If we spent as many hours seeking God and studying his word as we spend engaging in politics and world events our lives might begin to mirror the righteousness that God appreciated in Job. Don’t misunderstand, Job himself, before his world came crashing down, was a man of authority and influence. The world needs righteous leaders and Godly people to engage in politics, but there must be a healthy balance. God must be the priority. We should not spend more time engaging in or thinking about anything more than we spend seeking God. It was the priority Job gave God in his life coupled with his understanding of God’s authority that allowed him to put his own suffering in perspective and enabled him to maintain righteousness even under the cruelty of Satan’s attack.