Connect Job 22:3 with Romans 11:35-36 on God's independence from human actions. A Necessary Reminder: God Needs Nothing from Us - God is perfectly complete in Himself; nothing outside of Him can add to His being, wisdom, power, or joy. - Psalm 50:12: “If I were hungry, I would not tell you, for the world is Mine, and the fullness thereof.” - Acts 17:24-25 affirms He is “not served by human hands, as if He needed anything.” Job 22:3 – Eliphaz’s Question, God’s Unchanging Delight “Does it delight the Almighty that you are righteous? Does He profit if your ways are blameless?” - Eliphaz assumes Job thinks his righteousness benefits God. - The question highlights that even genuine obedience adds nothing to God’s essence. - God delights in righteousness (Proverbs 11:20), yet His delight is not born of lack; it springs from love and holiness already complete in Himself. Romans 11:35-36 – Paul’s Hymn of Divine Self-Sufficiency “Who has first given to God, that God should repay him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.” - Paul echoes Isaiah 40:13-14, underscoring that no creature can place God in its debt. - “From Him” – origin: God is the Source. - “Through Him” – means: God sustains all. - “To Him” – goal: everything exists for His glory. Bringing the Verses Together - Job 22:3 asks if God profits from human righteousness; Romans 11:35 answers that no one can give God anything first. - Both texts converge on God’s independence: • He does not need righteousness from us (Job 22:3). • He owes no repayment because everything already belongs to Him (Romans 11:35-36). - Our obedience, worship, and service are real and required, yet they are responses to God’s prior grace, not contributions that fill a divine deficiency (Ephesians 2:8-10). Living in Light of God’s Independence - Humility: Recognize that salvation and sanctification are gifts, not wages (Titus 3:5). - Gratitude: Offer praise freely, knowing it magnifies His glory without supplying a lack (Psalm 115:1). - Confidence: Rest in a God whose purposes cannot be disrupted by human failure (Isaiah 46:9-10). - Generosity: Serve and give, realizing all resources come “from Him,” flow “through Him,” and return “to Him,” making every act stewardship, not donation (1 Chron 29:14). |
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