Day 37 YHWH Speaks...We listen

Job 38 Then Lord answered Job out of the Storm.
YHWH bypasses Elihu's speech and the three friends, God had Job in his "line of sight".

I like the image of the "Storm" we can interpret this as being literal, God stirs himself and this creates enormous energy in the heavens, or we see this as, God being in the Storm of life with Job and God now will give the clarity Job needs out of the storm.
YHWH asks "Who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge"? TNIV
"Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge"? NIV

This reflects what Elihu says in Job35v 16 "So Job opens his mouth with empty talk;without knowledge he multiplies words."

I am reminded that with "many words sin is not absent" Proverbs 10:19
"Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God"
Ecces 5V7

In all of this YHWH doesn't explain to Job how Satan came before him to cause him such grief, pain and discomfort. No explanation of his situation, his righteousness before His throne, where his dead family are...nothing.

This line is repeated a few times in the closing chapters and Job reflects in chapter 42v2-6 "You asked, 'Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?'
Surely I spoke of things I did not understand,things too wonderful for me to know.
"You said, 'Listen now, and I will speak;I will question you,and you shall answer me.'My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.Therefore I despise myself
and repent in dust and ashes."

We are left with a summary of God's greatness and with Abraham can only say
"Won't the Judge of all the earth do right"? Gen18:25 (Abraham speaking to YHWH re saving the righteous out of Sodom and Gomorrah) Siobhan

Day 34 with friends like these......Eliphaz

I thought it would be good to reflect on what the core advice is from each of the friends.
Eliphaz Ch 4:6: "Should not your piety be your confidence and your blameless ways your hope"? Trust in your own righteousness. Well we all know where that gets us!

v15 He then tells him he has seen "a vision" and uses the promptings of the ghost to guide the rest of the advice. How often have we heard a "Thus saith the Lord" to guide and correct in our congregations?

Ch 5v 6 "For hardship does not spring from the soil,nor does trouble sprout from the ground". As this is the basis for a lot of his arguments, he should read Gen 2. That was the essence of the curse. Hardship, pain and toil are part of life. (Granted, sometimes we may meet it more than half way but that isn't the case with Job)