Job 40:9

God is not crushing His poor foolish servant, but appealing to his reason as well as his conscience. ... Will he set aside God's righteous judgment, and condemn God so that he may establish a petty human righteousness? This is really what lay at the bottom of Job's complaints. He was suffering affliction he did not deserve — a righteous man, treated as though he were unrighteous. So the conclusion was unavoidable: the One afflicting him was unjust! The Lord would press home upon Job how serious this sin was. He has dared to judge God — on what grounds? Has he divine power and majesty? Can he speak in a voice of thunder?

Wisdom goes beyond power, and nowhere more than in moral ways. Perhaps then, if Job fails here, he can compare in strength. Has he an arm like El? Does he thunder with a voice like His? Let us see him dress himself in majesty, grandeur, honour and beauty. What! That poor object of pity!

God's thunder is certainly heard, though He Himself is not seen. Men may lift up their voices in protest at His sovereign actions, but "who can thunder with a voice like His?" In the end, His voice will completely overpower the combined voices of all mankind.

Had his own right hand even stopped the raiders who drove away his possessions? Or turned aside the storm that swept away his children? He had needed a piece of broken pottery to scrape himself. His clothing was sackcloth, not glory and majesty. His seat was the ashes of a ruined life, not the throne of glory. Is it cruel of the Lord to deal like this with a poor heart-broken creature? Rather let us ask: would it have been kindness to leave him holding his pride around him like a garment, and complaining bitterly against the Almighty? Pride can only be brought low in one way — by being brought face to face with its nothingness in the presence of the majesty and boundless goodness of God.

If Job can sit in judgment on God, he surely is qualified to run all His affairs better than He does! He can crush the proud rebellion of every evildoer and bring men into the dust before him. Has he done that with his own proud and rebellious heart? Has he humbled even his friends? How much less the whole world.

Men talk as if God's purpose was merely to occupy us with His works. God, on the contrary, brings forward His works to turn us away from our own thoughts and bow us before Himself. If the works of God are so wonderful, who is He that did the work? And what is man, if he dares to judge such a God? ... He would turn us away from ourselves to trust in Himself.

Could Job's right hand save him? No more than he could humble everyone who is proud. Job had to learn that only the living God is the Saviour. He saves, not those who deserve it, but those who are humbled to the dust, so that they recognise they deserve nothing but judgment. God saves by grace, through the great value of the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus at Calvary. Of course at that time Job knew nothing of that great sacrifice, but he could still know that he was a sinner, dependent only on the grace of God.