Why did God come down so hard on Job?

score:1

Accepted answer

It seems that the reason that God was so angry with Job was because of Job's pride and arrogance.

After chapters 38 and 39 where God displays his omnipresence and omnipotence to Job, God confronts Job saying, showing that Job's wisdom is power is limited and finite:

Job 40:8-9 (NASB)
8 “Will you really annul My judgment?
Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
9 “Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?

He goes on to say that in 40:10-14 that if Job can do these mighty things, then God will actually admit that Job can save himself:

Job 40:10-14
10 “Adorn yourself with eminence and dignity,
And clothe yourself with honor and majesty.
11 “Pour out the overflowings of your anger,
And look on everyone who is proud, and make him low.
12 “Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him,
And tread down the wicked where they stand.
13 “Hide them in the dust together;
Bind them in the hidden place.
14 “Then I will also confess to you,
That your own right hand can save you.

It's this pride and arrogance of Job that God is angry with.

Summary

We need to feel free to question God and bring all things before him. However, we need to be mindful to speak truly about God's nature and also be humble enough to realize our own limited natures. If we can keep these two things in mind, then we should take all things to God.

Upvote:0

If God was angry with Job at all, it must be because of Job lack of knowledge of true nature of God. Please, I stand to be corrected. I think Job did not know that God does no evil (James 1:13)-yes God do allow evil in our world. All that happened to Job was evil and yet -right from the word go- he was saying it was God that does it. Job totally forgets to pray for himself when the evil begin. I was of the opinion that if Job had call on God from start of the satan evil plan for deliverance (Psalms 50:15), God will have stop satan. It therefore means that if God stop satan on time because of Job’s prayers, Job will not end up saying things that make God to be angry with him. If we look at the Habakkuk and Jeremiah, we see that they prayed to God and it was when it looks as if God not answering them that they try to call God attention to their prayer as a form of complained.

Thanks

Upvote:7

I believe it is because Job's complaining went beyond merely complaining and went into self-justification and questioning God.

Job 40:1-5

Then the LORD said to Job, "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it.

Then Job answered the LORD and said,

"Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. "Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more."

and verse 8:

Will you really annul My judgment? Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?"

and finally, Job's confession of his own wrong-doing in his over-complaining:

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 declared that which I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know." 'Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You, and You instruct me.' "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; But now my eye sees You; Therefore I retract, And I repent in dust and ashes."

God is also angry at Job's "friends" (sidebar - with friends like those, who needs enemies?). And yes, God does say Job has spoken rightly about him as well - but there's some point beyond the right speaking that Job exceeded, too - as I understand it.

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