be careful little mouth what you say

“…you have not spoken truth.” (Job 42:7)

My Sabbath morning study has been in the book of Job for the past few weeks, and today I was confronted with this —

After Yahweh had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, “My anger rages with you and with your two friends, for you have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has.”

Job 42:7

I think we’ve all experienced someone aiming their rage at us. It’s uncomfortable. Sometimes, even scary. They’re “hot under the collar” as we say.

That’s a bit of the sense of the word here. “My anger rages.” It means to burn, to grow in heat and intensity. To get hot. And what’s shocking here is that this is Yahweh talking. Yahweh is “hot under the collar,” Yahweh is raging, Yahweh’s anger is burning. Can you imagine? The God of the universe aiming his rage at you?

“It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”

Hebrews 10:31

I’m a pastor. I live out a calling on my life from this same God to speak his words, to help people understand him, what he expects of them, all that he has for them. To speak the truth of that.

And that’s why I said I was confronted in Job this morning, because the seething anger of God, the what hot-intensity of his rage, was blistering because Job’s friends had not done that. They had not spoken truth about God, as Job had. The story reveals that God takes such a transgression incredibly seriously. He is jealous for his name, and his reputation.

“Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters; you know that we will be judged more severely.”

James 3:1

“Judged more severely.”

Because we’re speaking words about God.
And we better get it right, and true.

God help me.