“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook or press down his tongue with a cord? Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?3 Will he make many pleas to you? Will he speak to you soft words? Will he make a covenant with you to take him for your servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you put him on a leash for your girls? Will traders bargain over him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again! Behold, the hope of a man is false; he is laid low even at the sight of him. No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up. Who then is he who can stand before me?"
Brothers and sisters, may we stay away from pride. It was pride that led Job and his three friends to think that they had a complete understanding of God. Not one of them was able to explain to Job why these terrible things had happened to him. His "friends" scoffed him, and said that he must be wicked--they knew how God worked. They knew the formula exactly: wicked people are punished and good people are rewarded. How short sighted they were to ignore the eternity that follows this brief time on earth. We in the same way think that we have great knowledge of God. We speak on His behalf on many matters. We console others in the faith with explanations for why things happened in such and such a way. I would give a warning to those who always have advice: shut up and let God speak. We are too quick to give an answer without prayer. We open our mouths before we open our hearts and ears to hear what God might have us say. We have such pride in that we think we understand God. Job's pride was in that he thought he could stand before almighty God. However, if we are unable to stand in the presence of one of God's creations, how could we ever stand before Him? If we are unable to harness and grasp the creation, how dare we state that we have grasped the knowledge of God completely. In all reality, we shall never meet the end of God's knowledge. He is so far outside of our understanding. We explore His creation, and cannot find an end to it. We have split the atom, and found even smaller pieces. We have built a larger telescope, and have still not found the end of His universe. How could we ever understand God, when we can not even understand His creation? Let us humble ourselves and come to God as Job does:
Job 42:1-6
"Then Job answered the Lord and said:
'I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be thwarted. "Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?" Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. "Hear, and I will speak; I will question you, and you make it known to me." I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes.'”
Confess that God is almighty, and we are nothing, ask for forgiveness for our careless words, repent and turn from our pride to the all knowing, all powerful living God.
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