God’s Not Human

Job 33:8-12

Verse 9  ‘I am pure, I have done no wrong; I am clean and free from sin.’

    This passage shows just how much Elihu was paying attention to the discussions which had been going on between Job and the other three friends.  The young friend had been taking mental notes so he could quote the previous conversations.  Can you picture him as a court scribe with a stick in the dirt?  No, it is unlikely he was making notes in the dirt as they sat there and since they didn’t have paper and such he was most likely putting it to memory.  This kid was a smart guy.

    Elihu hadn’t merely memorized the words Job had spoken but he kept in mind the context and feeling behind them.  We mentioned the other day how Elihu could relate with Job in how he had done his best to live a sin free life.  There was one big difference between the two in their perspectives.  While Job saw these circumstances he had been dealt as God viewing him as an enemy, Elihu saw how God uses various situations for our betterment.

    Job’s young friend had the solution to the older man’s misunderstanding about God.  While Job was seeing all the calamities of his life as a way that God was rejecting Job’s work at righteousness, he was missing the truth about who God is.  Job seemed to be viewing his living righteously as a means of getting in tight with God, as if he was trying to buy his place in God’s favor.

    As young as Elihu was, he had already figured out God wasn’t keeping a point system or sitting up in heaven waiting for humans to fail.  God doesn’t see one sin in a human’s life and throw them into the enemy category.  If that were the way the Almighty did things He wouldn’t be a God of grace and mercy.  In fact, to think of God in such a way is like equating Him with humans, saying the Creator is no different than the created.

    Elihu chose this point to make his first attempt of defending God and His character.  He boldly pointed out how God was not an equal to man and must never be thought of that way.  It is so easy to put God in a box which has Him thinking like we do and that is just not the case.  He has His own standards and sees things from a purity we could never achieve.  He sees the full picture of life and knows what is best for us, even if we can’t see it.  Or if it comes in a way we don’t want it to.

Making It Personal

    Do you view God as if He thinks like a human?  When have you missed the truth about God in a situation?  Is there something going on in your life where you are questioning God work?

Making It Personal Kids

    What are some ways God is different from humans?  What is your favorite thing about Him?  Are there things you wish He would do differently?

Closing Prayer

    Father, forgive us for putting You in a human thinking box.  Help us come to know You in the fullest way and help us desire to see things Your way.  In Jesus’ name, amen.