What is the meaning of Job 36:26? Indeed, God is great Job’s young friend Elihu begins by declaring what every believer gladly confesses: • Scripture repeatedly proclaims God’s greatness: “Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3). • His greatness is evident in creation (Psalm 19:1), providence (Nehemiah 9:6), redemption (Exodus 15:11), and final judgment (Revelation 15:3). • Because the verse comes after Elihu’s call to “behold God’s works” (Job 36:24–25), the greatness here invites us to consider both what He does and who He is—infinitely majestic, morally perfect, and sovereign over every detail of life (1 Chronicles 29:11; Psalm 95:3–5). • For Job, battered by inexplicable suffering, this reminder anchors hope: God is never small, absent, or powerless. —beyond our knowledge Elihu next admits the natural limit of human understanding: • Job earlier asked, “Can you fathom the deep things of God?” (Job 11:7–8). The implied answer is no. • Isaiah echoes, “My thoughts are not your thoughts… as the heavens are higher than the earth” (Isaiah 55:8–9). Paul builds on this in Romans 11:33: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” • Even when God reveals truths we can grasp, there remains an infinite remainder known only to Him (Deuteronomy 29:29). • Practically, this means my worship is humble, my theology is reverent, and my questions about suffering are framed by trust rather than accusation (Proverbs 3:5–6; 1 Corinthians 13:12). the number of His years is unsearchable Finally, Elihu stresses God’s eternity: • Moses prays, “From everlasting to everlasting You are God” (Psalm 90:2). • Isaiah asks, “Do you not know?… The LORD is the everlasting God” (Isaiah 40:28). • God identifies Himself as “the Alpha and the Omega, who is and was and is to come” (Revelation 1:8). • Because God precedes time and outlasts it, His purposes never fail (Psalm 33:11). He is the same “yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), guaranteeing that His character, promises, and covenant love will never expire. • For Job—and for us—this eternal perspective means present pain is temporary, while God’s faithfulness stretches endlessly beyond it (2 Corinthians 4:17–18). summary Job 36:26 magnifies three facets of the living God: His unrivaled greatness, His unfathomable wisdom, and His eternal nature. When suffering clouds our vision, these truths steady the heart: the God who is infinitely mighty, incomprehensibly wise, and eternally constant holds our lives in His flawless hands. |
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