Ignorance and Pride

“Brace yourself like a man, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.  “Will you discredit my justice and condemn me just to prove you are right?  Are you as strong as God?  Can you thunder with a voice like his? [Job 40.7-9]

If only we had the insight into every story, including own own, as we have into Job's!

How many times have see witneed people in crisis that lash out at God?  In most cases, it is quite easy to empathize with folks in their complaint against God for their trials whatever they may be.

However, at the core of lashing out against God, as we witnessed Job do, is ignorance and pride - ignorance in that there are things we simply know nothing of, and pride in that if we don't know it, it must not be so.

The thing is, there is no foul - no sin - in ignorance.  Unless we are required to know something, then we are unaccountable for that information.

Pride however is another story.  Pride is the number one thing God hates.  The irony of pride though is that it is most usually coupled with ignornace.  This is seen most clearly in Job's story.  Sure Job was wise and knowledgeable, but when he encountered God, well, suddenly Job seems so miniscule, ignorant, and small.  Besides, Job never created anything.  Neither did Job possess the power to overcome Behemoth or Leviathan - both created by God - so how could he claim superior knowledge to God therefore calling God to justice as if He were wrong and Job was right?  Ridiculous!

Right?

And yet, we (many of us anyway) do the same thing as Job all the time.  I, for one, have done so on numerous occasions right here in this blog.  I fear however if God were to address me directly as He did Job, I would not fare so well.  Am I such a lost cause though that God does not even bother to address me as He did Job?

Father, I know there is much more going on than I have any idea about.  I have been so foolishly proud - even calling You to justice - as if I could.  Help me on this journey to learn more of You - and as I do, to humble myself increasingly more as the revelation of Your absolute power and sovereignty sink in to my thick head.