Read Job 12
Job
12 Then Job replied:
2 “Doubtless you are the only people who matter,
and wisdom will die with you!
3 But I have a mind as well as you;
I am not inferior to you.
Who does not know all these things?
4 “I have become a laughingstock to my friends,
though I called on God and he answered—
a mere laughingstock, though righteous and blameless!
5 Those who are at ease have contempt for misfortune
as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.
6 The tents of marauders are undisturbed,
and those who provoke God are secure—
those God has in his hand.
7 “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;
8 or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish in the sea inform you.
9 Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the Lord has done this?
10 In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.
11 Does not the ear test words
as the tongue tastes food?
12 Is not wisdom found among the aged?
Does not long life bring understanding?
13 “To God belong wisdom and power;
counsel and understanding are his.
14 What he tears down cannot be rebuilt;
those he imprisons cannot be released.
15 If he holds back the waters, there is drought;
if he lets them loose, they devastate the land.
16 To him belong strength and insight;
both deceived and deceiver are his.
17 He leads rulers away stripped
and makes fools of judges.
18 He takes off the shackles put on by kings
and ties a loincloth around their waist.
19 He leads priests away stripped
and overthrows officials long established.
20 He silences the lips of trusted advisers
and takes away the discernment of elders.
21 He pours contempt on nobles
and disarms the mighty.
22 He reveals the deep things of darkness
and brings utter darkness into the light.
23 He makes nations great, and destroys them;
he enlarges nations, and disperses them.
24 He deprives the leaders of the earth of their reason;
he makes them wander in a trackless waste.
25 They grope in darkness with no light;
he makes them stagger like drunkards.
Go Deeper
Job 12 encompasses Job’s reply to Zophar, and he begins by stating that all men are limited in their ability to know wisdom by being human in a way that the Lord is not limited by. As the chapter progresses Job reveals that he has been falsely rebuked by his friends. These verses (v. 4-6) remind us of Jesus, because He was and is perfect and holy. Nevertheless, He was accused, rebuked, and ridiculed for sins He did not commit and yet He still suffered on the cross when He sacrificed Himself for all, defeating death, giving us an opportunity to be reconciled to God, and joining God the Father in heaven three days later for eternity.
In the second half of Job 12, Job begins to address the Lord’s character. Job urges himself to remember the faithfulness of God by speaking on how all creatures exist to worship Him. Worship is the natural expression of creation praising its creator, and the Lord constantly reveals Himself as sovereign to humans through His creation. Job, despite not fully understanding God’s motive, practices faith in this moment. He chooses to exercise faith in hard circumstances because of his dependence on the character of God. Even if present situations make it hard to trust that God is who He says He is, every believer can grow in faith by remembering creation and remembering His faithfulness to us in the past.
Why does this matter? We can easily become entangled in the circumstances of our lives and attempt to take control, believing that our plan is the best plan, despite the Lord having one for us before we even came to exist. In the times when our plan doesn’t happen how we want it to, it is easy to run away from the Lord or listen to what the crowd of people around us is saying.
Yet through Job 12, we can see that the best way to handle things not going our way is to reflect on the past. It is then we can begin to realize how sovereign, faithful, and wise the Lord truly is in our past, present, and future circumstances. If life had always gone the way we wanted it to when we were younger, it would be a disaster because we are humanly limited and do not know what is best for ourselves. So, the times that things do not go the way we planned for them to go may be the exact times that the Lord desires to grow our faith and intimacy with Him.
Questions
- How has God stretched your faith through difficult seasons in your life? What did you learn from those experiences?
- If your life had gone the way you wanted it to when you were 8, 15, 18, or any age, how much different would it look now?
- In what current circumstance(s) do you find it hard to trust the Lord in right now?
Pray This
Father, thank you for Your Word and the opportunity to learn from it each day. I pray that, in the midst of painful seasons, I will remember Your faithfulness. Help me learn and grow my faith during these experiences. Help me maintain a proper perspective in the face of trials. In Your name, Amen.
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3 responses to “Job 12”
13 “To God belong wisdom and power; counsel and understanding are his.”
It is amazing to me how Job despairs, laments, and pleads, but still holds reverence for God. To me, it is reminiscent of the verse from Ephesians 4, “be angry, but do not sin”.
“Though he slay me, yet I will hope in him” (v15).
“I know I will be vindicated” (v18).
Job seems to be fighting for truth. Despite the musings and verdicts of his friends, he wrestles to cling to what he knows to be true. Authentic hope is to be found in God alone, no other source can compare to him or has the power to exonerate the human condition. (Take a listen to this song by Shane & be encouraged.)
https://youtu.be/VlTtWQRNock?si=ooqJVBzKBbWZwKle
REFLECTIONS ON JOB 12
“Job’s Lament, in the Key of C (God’s Character)”
For many years, my husband and I have subscribed to the Waco Symphony. We’ve enjoyed countless glorious performances that have me jumping to my feet, clapping and cheering until my hands hurt and my throat is raw.
Now, not every work moves me that way, no matter how brilliantly it’s performed. But thanks to the comprehensive notes in the symphony program, I can usually understand the piece enough to appreciate it. And listen thoughtfully — even through long stretches of dissonance — until harmonic resolution finally arrives.
And then — there are the other times. When the arrangement feels like nothing more than a complicated musical exercise. When sitting through it feels like obligation, rather than entertainment. When a particular movement just doesn’t “move” me — except to leave me bored, restless and tempted to slip out at intermission.
When the most I can do is stay put and offer perfunctory applause.
Job 12 feels like one of those long, unresolved movements.
Job does not offer harmony here. He holds us in theological dissonance — refusing easy resolution, resisting the demand to explain God’s reasons.
And what sustains him is not his own understanding — but his deep comprehension of God’s character. Job’s trust remains anchored not in explaining God’s actions, but in knowing God’s nature.
And to me this is the crux of this chapter:
When pain screams, consolation stutters and reason stays silent — faith survives.
Not because we can explain what God DOES — but because we are confident in who God IS.
Like Job, I long to stay in the music. To stay in the same key, anchored in God’s goodness, justice and integrity — even as my soul shrinks from so much spiritual discord. To know a faith sustained by more than promises of resolution — but by the confidence that the music has been carefully arranged by a loving and faithful hand.
When I trust my Composer, that seat is the safest place to stay.