creator

Who Do You Think You Are? – Job 38 &40

/ Bob

In the story of Job it is time for God to speak and He speaks with a stormy voice – both figuratively and literally. He spoke from a whirlwind and basically challenged Job with the question, “Just who do you think you are?” He followed with questions such as “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?” and “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries?” and “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear?”

Job was left speechless. In fact he says (and I would imagine with a very quiet and subdued demeanor) something like “I’m going to shut up now.” Wise move on his part.

When we are confronted with the Holiness of God, the Majesty of God, the Power of God, and the Eternally Transcendent and All-Knowing Presence of God, we can respond by bowing down in worship or standing up, shaking our fist at God in outrageous defiance. Tragically, the latter choice is akin to standing on the rim of a volcano in mid-eruption and telling it to simmer down.

In James 4:6-10 we read, “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.  Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.”

Our Declaration of Independence speaks of “the pursuit of happiness,” and indeed we have pursued happiness in every way possible. The thought of lamenting and mourning over our arrogant and sinful ways does not fit into our plans. We want to do things our way. “I have to be me.” “It’s my way or the highway.” We even have an anthem – “I Did It My Way.” If we could simply submit to the One Who created us – humbling ourselves before Him in heartfelt confession of our sin and disobedience – and allow Him to lift us up, we could truly be the best version of ourselves because we could become all He created us to be. At that point we could know true joy which would far surpass any “happiness” we could pursue on our own.

This Bible study was presented to the Agape Life Bible Study Class of the First Baptist Church in Brenham, Texas, on Sunday, August 25, 2024. It is part of a series in a Bible study curriculum called Connect 360, published by the GC2 Press of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. The overall title of the current set of lessons is Praise Him in the Storm: When Life Falls Apart – A Study of Job. You can find printed and digital versions of this series online at https://gc2press.org/praise-him-in-the-storm-job-study-guide/ .Handouts with slide content can be requested at: fromthebackporchintexas@gmail.com . Handouts are also available at: fromthebackporch.org .


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Class Notes – 08.18.2024 – Job 38 & 40 – Just Who Do You Think You AreDownload

To Infinity and Beyond

/ Bob

Take a moment to consider the heavens – the work of God’s fingers; the moon and the stars which He has set set in place. With our most creative imaginations we cannot begin to comprehend the vastness of the universe which God created with nothing but a spoken word.

This NASA image was captured by the Webb telescope during its mirror alignment, known as “fine phasing.” The object of the photo, the bright star in the middle of the photo, is named 2MASS J17554042+6551277. I would have called it something a little more personal . . . like maybe, oh, I don’t know – Bob.

Bob is some 2,000 light years from earth and Bob is gorgeous – which is what we would expect from a star named Bob. However, the most amazing part of this photo is who is photobombing Bob’s glamour shot. Webb’s optics are so sensitive that the galaxies and stars seen in the background show up very clearly even though they are millions, if not billions of light years from the Earth. Look closely and you will see galaxies shaped much like our own Milky Way.

The universe is vast, but no more vast than the love the Creator has for us. He has not only created Bob and the wonders of space, but He has also created you. He has made you and loves you so much that He has made provision, though the death and resurrection of Jesus, for you to live eternally with Him. People often ponder what we will do for all eternity. I plan to wave to Bob as I sail by him on the way to visit all of those galaxies behind him and the ones we can’t see. Now that’s what I call a road trip. To Infinity and Beyond!