Daily Devotional | How Great Is Our God

The Israelites were trapped between the Egyptian army and the Red Sea (Exodus 14–15). There seemed to be no way out, until God parted the waters. Then, the people walked through on dry ground, while their former enslavers drowned. Moses and Miriam led a spirited song of rejoicing: “Who among the gods is like you, LORD? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?”

Fear, praise, and worship are a fitting response to God’s greatness and power. Job responded to God’s first speech properly. He put his hand over his mouth, indicating that he would stop complaining and accusing God of wrongdoing (vv. 1–5). More was needed, however, so God made a second speech (vv. 6–14). Here we read of God’s greatness and power, framed as a challenge to Job. God hammers home the point that human beings are nowhere near qualified to hold an opinion on the activities of the Almighty. It’s like a six-year-old Little Leaguer critiquing Hank Aaron!

What can God do that Job cannot? He adorns Himself with glory, splendor, honor, and majesty that He richly and solely deserves (v. 10). He unleashes the fury of His righteous wrath against proud evildoers (vv. 11–12). He has the right, authority, and power to judge, indeed, He holds in His hands the power over life and death (vv. 13–14).

If Job can do any of these things, God will concede the point (v. 14). “Would you condemn me to justify yourself?” He demanded (v. 8). Job was not remotely qualified to critique God’s justice. How did he respond the second time around? Much more humbly and worshipfully (Job 42:1–6). One might say that he’d finally grasped the fear of the Lord.