God’s mysterious questions are more worthwhile than man’s professed answers to life.
You can’t avoid the cosmic battle between good and evil. You are the battlefield. The book of Job may appear to be exceptional in the way the conflict is engaged, but—one way or another—we all find ourselves in the enemy’s crosshairs. G.K. Chesterton opined that “centuries hence the world will still be seeking for the secret of Job, which is in a sense the secret of everything.” It is the story of the human race at large, and of every individual in it. Of course, Job’s story is anguish in extremis, told near the beginning of human history to provide a blood-stained banner of hope. If this man could not only survive but thrive through such heart-rending sorrow, if “the fire of God” falling from heaven (Job 1:16), and all that accompanied it could in the end cause Job to “come forth as gold” (23:10), there’s hope for us all. But hearsay cannot suffice. The man in the divine spotlight will confess, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You” (42:5). It isn’t enough to give a masterly exposition of the book. We must experience God Himself if we are to be able to make the dangerous and often tortuous journey through this world. As the Lord Jesus told the Jews of His day, “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (Jn 5:39). Unlike other great books, opening the inspired Word is the certain pathway into the heart and mind of God. And as Henry Gariepy points out, “We will encounter the longest recorded discourse with God [in the Bible] as in unsurpassed poetic beauty He cites the ravishing mystery, might, and magnificence of His creation” (Portraits of Perseverance, p 12). Our journey through Job will be worth it. The Lord will see to that!