Job: Something else I wrote for class

God's Message to Job
One of the things we discussed in class was when Job makes his case against God, and then God answers him. What is God really trying to say here? Is He angry with Job, or is He just instructing him?
The first words in chapter 38 are “Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?” At first, it might seem like God is scolding Job, but as we said in class, I believe God is just showing His authority and being assertive; as you read the rest of the chapter, God never yells at Job or punishes him; rather, he rewards him for his faithfulness, thus implying that it might not have been bad for Job to question what God was doing. Perhaps since God creating us as thinking, curious individuals, He expects us to question Him from time to time, though to still keep our faith as did Job. Perhaps that is the purpose the writer of this chapter meant to portray. Job questioned what God was doing, but still trusted in Him and was blessed.
Anyways, so the first verse links to the rest of the chapter as God begins naming off all of the things He has done from the Creation of the world. He seems to be saying that if Job cannot understand any of these things, how can he expect to understand what is going on now? Some things just are; we are not intelligent and wise enough to understand them, and so there was no use in God trying to explain. I think this also makes sense too because in God being kept mysterious in some aspects to us, it shows us that God truly is superior. If we understood God fully, there would be no God; in fact, we ourselves then could all be called gods.
Also, I think the theme of being virtuous and being blessed can still be seen here. Though Job was faithful and certainly did go through a lot, in the end, he proved himself a true believer in God and was blessed. So maybe, in that sense, the simple theory of the righteous being blessed really does apply here, even if it took some bad stuff happening first.
So, to sum it all up, I think that the author of this passage is telling us that sometimes, bad things happen, and while God may have a reason, it is too great for us to comprehend, just as the very concept of God is really too great for us to comprehend; after all, we can’t really imagine what God is or looks like; we just call Him “God,” because in our own minds, something must have a name in order to exist. So if we can’t understand God Himself, how can we expect to understand His works?