Read Job 34—35
Listen to me, you men of understanding. Far be it from God to
do evil, from the Almighty to do wrong.
Job 34:10
Theology (“the science of God”) used to be called “the queen of sciences” because it deals with the most important knowledge we can
have: the knowledge of God. Theology is a difficult science, for it is
our attempt to know the Unknowable (Rom. 11:33–36).
“The essence of idolatry,” wrote A. W. Tozer, “is the entertainment of thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him.”1
So, whoever
attempts to explain and defend the Almighty must have the humble
heart of a worshipper; for “knowledge puffs up, but love builds up”
(1 Cor. 8:1).
As we read Elihu’s speeches, we get the impression that he was not
growing; he was swelling. We also get the impression that his listeners’
minds were wandering (Job 33:1, 31, 33; 34:2, 10, 16). Yet Elihu
emphasized that God is sovereign, and the book of Job magnifies the
sovereignty of God. During the debate, it appears that God is absent,
but He is aware of how Job feels and what Job and his friends are saying. Elihu was right on target: God is sovereign and cannot do wrong.
Something to Ponder
What are some questions of theology that have come up in your interactions with skeptics or people of other faiths?
1 A. W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: HarperOne, 1978), 11