Limited Understanding

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.” (Job 38:4 AV)

God’s question to Job goes to the root of man’s quest to fully understand God.  He cannot.  The word ‘understanding’ is important here.  The bible use of the word means to comprehend and combine facts so that one understands the implication or application of the facts one knows.  In short, the LORD is asking Job; and by extension mankind; can we really understand every detail of God’s hand in creation?  Modern man would posit that indeed, mankind is smart enough to understand all the complexities of the natural universe.  The theorems of our brightest sound rather profound and possible.  Yet, now one was present when God created so to say that mankind can know is the height of arrogance.  We can only know that which we can interact with.  We know much biology as manifested by medicine.  But how much to we really know?  If we knew all that was to know, immortality would be the result.  Yet death still reigns.

I am not a patient word-puzzle person.  If the puzzle is not relatively easy, I have no interest.  There is a word-puzzle app on my phone.  There are nine varieties of word puzzles included each day.  Word search is no problem.  The Wordle style puzzle is simple enough.  There are three or four puzzles where knowledge of pop culture like movies or music, is a constant theme.  There is another puzzle that changes the current word to a new one by changing one letter.  The puzzle gives you a crossword style clue.  Whoever writes these puzzles is not from my home country, so many of the clues are useless.  The crossword puzzles seem to be somewhat like this as well.  Google searches become my friend.  I have learned much playing these word puzzles because I have to search to find an answer.  Working these puzzles is quickly becoming a chore rather than a pleasure.  I will cease to occupy myself with things I cannot understand when it becomes more work than joy.

Mankind is miserable because they will not let God be God.  This was Job’s struggle.  He needed an answer to ‘why’.  He wanted to understand the complexities of God before he was willing to be content in his limited ability to understand God.  This is the LORD’s doing.  The answer to Job’s situation was simple and understandable.  But many things are not.  The complexity of what God does, or why and how He does it, are not able to be known by finite man.  God’s point to Job was that Job needed to learn submission, contentment, and even joy in the reality of ignorance.  After all, if the answer to his question did come, would it really change anything?  Getting the answer would not bring his children back.  Getting the answer would not produce instant wealth.  Getting the answer would not miraculously heal his body.  The answer to ‘why’ is a separate consideration.  It is not the cure.  Man is foolish if he thinks he can understand all there is not know of the hand of God.  Absolute arrogance!  Faith is the answer.  Taking God at His word and trusting Him, even though we have scant ability to understand, is the only answer to a troubled heart.