Job 40:6-14

     6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: 

      7 “Brace yourself like a man; 
         I will question you, 
         and you shall answer me. 

      8 “Would you discredit my justice? 
         Would you condemn me to justify yourself? 
      9 Do you have an arm like God’s, 
         and can your voice thunder like his? 
      10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, 
         and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. 
      11 Unleash the fury of your wrath, 
         look at all who are proud and bring them low, 
      12 look at all who are proud and humble them, 
         crush the wicked where they stand. 
      13 Bury them all in the dust together; 
         shroud their faces in the grave. 
      14 Then I myself will admit to you 
         that your own right hand can save you

The New International Version (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011), Job 40:6–14.

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If we are not careful, we will miss something important here in verses 1 and 6. God is identified as the LORD. This is the name most hallowed by Jewish people from time immemorial. They do not speak it aloud out of deepest reverence. Whereas Job’s three friends and their young protege spoke of God by his other names, when God speaks, everyone knows it is the LORD. 

The LORD speaks again out of the storm. He prepares Job for Round Two. Job does not want to go another round with the LORD. Listen to how he replies to the LORD in verses 3-5:

3 Then Job answered the LORD: 

      4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? 
         I put my hand over my mouth. 
      5 I spoke once, but I have no answer— 
         twice, but I will say no more.

Job may have been the person who came up with the original idea that it is never too early to shut up.

The LORD told Job to brace himself. More questions were coming like those in chapters 38 and 39. The first three land like a boxer’s blows against a wearied opponent.

      8 “Would you discredit my justice? 
         Would you condemn me to justify yourself? 
      9 Do you have an arm like God’s, 
         and can your voice thunder like his?

You know Job wanted to shout at this point, “No, no, no! A thousand times no!” The LORD then lands ten blows in the form of imperatives, commands, in verses 10 and following. (Highlights added.)

      10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, 
         and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. 
      11 Unleash the fury of your wrath, 
         look at all who are proud and **bring** them low, 
      12 look at all who are proud and **humble** them, 
         crush the wicked where they stand. 
      13 Bury them all in the dust together; 
         shroud their faces in the grave. 
      14 Then I myself will admit to you 
         that your own right hand can save you.

The LORD, arrayed with glory and splendor, honor and majesty, welcomes anyone to compare himself or herself with him. My friends, you and I and everyone we know discovers soon enough how our arms are too short to box with God. Our intellects are too puny to compare our thoughts with his. 

The Apostle Paul declared to the church in Corinth, 

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I will know and experience God in the high points and hard times of my life.

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Our Father, as the old song says, you are more than wonderful. You never abandon us. You never fail. You are with us in every valley as assuredly as on every mountain peak. You are the LORD and you shepherd us all the days of our lives. What more could we want? What more could we need? Amen.