Do You Have an Arm Like God's?

Do You Have an Arm Like God's?
Job 40:9

Intro: Have you noticed that guys are into things such as strength and muscles? One part of the body that is used to demonstrate strength is the arm. If a man has a big arm, most think that he is strong. A man with twenty-inch biceps would be somebody that I personally would not want to mess with. He is somebody that I might want to have with me as a bodyguard.

The Situation: In this portion of Job, God is challenging Job’s thought process as he has tried to justify why he should not be suffering. Job has looked at his life and can find no reason why God would allow calamity to befall him.

1. Job’s children have been killed.
2. Job has lost everything by way of his business.
3. Job is suffering physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

In so doing, Job is calling out God to justify His actions (See Job 23:1-7). Job believes if he could present his case, he would somehow be delivered. The sense is that Job believes that he knows better than God does.

Beginning at Job 38, God responds to Job and gives him the audience that he desires. But first God has some questions that he puts before him.

One of these questions is found in Job 40:9. The simple fact is that Job—nor anybody has an arm like God. Exodus 6:6 teaches that God's arm was mighty to deliver Israel from Egyptian bondaged. Numbers 11:23 makes it clear that God is able by His arm to supply in abundance. Moses told the Israelites in Deuteronomy 33:27 that the everlasting arms of God will hold them up. The psalmist knew that it was only by the arm of the LORD that victory was possible (Psalm 98:1). And Jeremiah knew that nothing was too difficult for God (Jeremiah 32:17). I may have thought at times that nothing was too difficult for me--experience is a great teacher!

The Meditation: We are in many ways just like Job. We grate against that which is not “good” in our lives and our reaction often times reflects what we would not ever think of saying--we know better than God. In fact, sometimes our reactions communicate that we would do things differently than how God does things. Somebody once said that they would like to have God's power for one day to make some changes. Yet this person also realized that if they had God's power with God's wisdom, they would change a thing!

Thankfully, we do not have an arm like God! We do not have the power of God. We do not have the ability of God. To exercise God’s power without God’s wisdom, knowledge, goodness, and love would be to bring a chain of destructive sequences into our lives and those around us.

The Application: The Scriptures show that blessings of strength and spiritual success come to those that understand they do not have an arm like God. They that do not trust in the arm of God struggle. How can we benefit from the arm of the LORD?

1. Delight in God’s perfections, power, and plan even when they do not make sense.

2. Desist from foolish thinking – See Jeremiah 17:5-6.

3. Depend on the arm of the LORD for your need - See Jeremiah 17:7-10.

I do not have an arm like God. Today I thank God that He does not have an arm like mine. He is the matchless and almighty God who alone does wondrous things!