Who is this who darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? (Job 38:2 NIV).
Job spoke much in his suffering. We too speak much in our suffering. It is a natural human reaction. Quite often this kind of talk is emotionally charged.
Sometimes these speeches rage against God though those who suffer may not intend to find fault with God. Their speeches then become expressions of severe agony which betrays their inability to understand the purpose of such suffering.
Many people have tried in vain to give a satisfactory explanation to suffering. Usually, there might be valid reasons behind someone’s suffering.
For example, if someone violates natural laws and tries to fly down from the rooftop of his house; he will instead fall down, injure himself and suffer for it.
The reason for suffering is obvious here. But there are many instances where suffering does not yield to such simple explanations. Sometimes someone’s sin can be a cause of suffering.
It can be one’s own sinful deeds that caused it or you might be the victim of someone else’s sinfulness. But even then there may not be any answer to why it should have happened to you.
Job also could find no reason why it should have happened to him. Finally, God confronts him with questions, beginning with the thought that Job was speaking words without knowledge.
After God completes His arguments which surprisingly never answered Job’s questions on his suffering (instead revealed Job’s ignorance about God’s creation and works), Job accepted his fault thus: “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (Job 42:3b NIV).
In moments of pain and suffering, let us seek God’s grace that we may not speak words without knowledge.
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