Bible Reading: Genesis 45; Job 11; Mark 15; Romans 15
Job 11:7-8 Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?
Zophar, Job's friend did not like the fact that Job wanted to talk with God and discuss what was going on in Job's life. He accused Job of lying and then proceeded to explain that a man cannot find out God. His argument is that the knowledge of God is higher than the heaven and deeper than hell. Could anyone search that far to discover God? Could anyone ascend up to heaven and meet God? Could anyone descend to God to fully understand the immensity of God?
Job knew the answer to this. He knew that he could not directly approach God, but that he needed a mediator. He called him a daysman.
Job 9:32-33 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. 33 Neither is there any daysman betwixt us, that might lay his hand upon us both.
Zophar's argument has been used by many to say that knowledge of God is impossible. However, the Bible actually addresses Zophar's words for us and teaches us how near God really is.
Romans 10:6-9 But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:) 7 Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) 8 But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
The righteousness which is of faith instructs us not to say that we should ascend into heaven. Can we bring Christ down from above? No, but he has come down in the virgin birth when he became flesh and dwelt among us. What about going into the depths of hell to find out about God? No, that is to bring Christ back from the dead. However, he has already been there and is raised from the dead!
The word is nigh thee. Christ is near. We must hear the word preached and believe. God is not far from any one of us if we will hear and believe. Zophar is wrong. God is near and you can know him.
In Christ,
Rody
