Job 26:1-4

1 Then Job replied: 2 “How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the arm that is feeble! 3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom! And what great insight you have displayed! 4 Who has helped you utter these words? And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?”

Without the context of the rest of the Book of Job, one might think that Job is talking about God here, helping the powerless, advising ones without wisdom…but actually, Job is addressing the last of three “friends” who have been trying (and failing) to advise him since God has apparently stricken him with many curses.

(In fact, Job is in the middle of an argument between God and Satan. Satan wants to see Job curse God, and God knows it can’t be done, but Satan’s trying everything he can anyway, tearing everything away from Job [family, livelihood, even health]. And though Job is suffering, he still clings to his faith, as God knew he would.)

But the three friends who are trying to advise Job keep on talking about how depraved and worthless humanity is, especially the last guy who just talked before Job in chapter 25. So Job responds to him in a tone of utter sarcasm: “Yeah, man, telling me how worthless I am is REALLY helping me. You’re doing a GREAT job. You oughta get a degree in this or something. *rolling eyes*”

What Job is getting at is that yes, humanity is weak, impure, and sinful, especially when compared to God. But GOD DOESN’T CARE. God loves us anyway, and He yearns to reconnect with each one of us. Even through all the junk Job has been through, he knows the character of God: loving, eternally. And, as Job mentions at the end, his would-be advisor is not exempt from being human, either. God is way bigger than anyone can imagine, and His love is bigger than we can imagine, too.

In these first few verses, Job is contrasting his all-too-human advisor with God. Where his advisor can only ridicule or lecture him, God can truly help him, save him, and give him insight. God is greater than our troubles, greater than sin, greater than everything, and Job still trusted in Him despite all of his current woes.

Where other humans can only try to help us and love us (and often fail), God can help us and heal us completely, because He is the only one who loves us unconditionally. God truly loves us despite our frailty, despite our sins, and that love, when we accept it, is what saves us.