God's Purpose Cannot Be Thwarted [Job 42]

¹Then Job answered the LORD and said,
    ²"I know that You can do all things,
         And that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted.
    ³'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
         "Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand,
         Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."
    ⁴'Hear, now, and I will speak;
         I will ask You, and You instruct me.'
    ⁵"I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear;
         But now my eye sees You;
    ⁶Therefore I retract,
         And I repent in dust and ashes."

Finally, Job was ready to hear the answers that God had for him.  Up until that point he wanted the answers to his specific questions but he was sure God would not answer him.  Now that God had spoken Job humbly recognized that he only had partial understanding of God's character.  He answered God's question, "'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know."

Job repented. In Hebrew the word repent [5162] means "to breath strongly, to sigh, by implication to be sorry."  Repentance is an important part of humility.  In the New Testament the word is metanoeo [3340] and it means "to think differently or afterwords, to reconsider." As you look at scripture you see that repentance is changing your mind about God.  Both words essentially include a change of mind, a change of purpose and a change of one's conduct.  Job is finally able to see his wrong thinking about God and recognize his own pride. 

When God had finished speaking to Job He addressed Eliphaz and his two friends.  Twice God told them that they had not spoken the truth about Him but Job had. Their conclusions about God were wrong.  It was not true that God only used suffering to punish evil.  It was not true that God's actions were determined by man's deeds.  They had it wrong when they concluded that God needed to be appeased.  These three friends needed to repent too. 

We praise You, God, that You want us to know the truth about Your character.  You are a God who wants to show us things too wonderful to comprehend.  You are a God who is powerful and sovereign AND who is compassionate and loving.  You desire us to know You.  We repent with Job that we have declared things we did not understand.  Thank You for patiently teaching us about Yourself.  And thank You for Jesus, who has made repentance possible.