Have You Seen God?

“I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you;
therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).

Job had gone through a rough ordeal – losing everything and having “friends” who had no sympathy, only judgment for him. But when God spoke to him he saw himself in a completely different light. His vision of God caused him to look at himself and see that, in contrast to the holiness of God, he was nothing – he had nothing that he could claim for himself to be right with God. He saw the filth of his own heart and the need for repentance. The fact that he had to “repent” in itself is an admission of guilt – the guilt of sin.

Although his friends could prove no sin in his life, Job knew that he was sinful. He was plagued with the same sin problem that we all have. He had thought that he was pretty good. But once He saw the holiness of God he saw clearly that he was not so good and needed to change.

Job’s response to this revelation of God was with deep humility: “I repent in dust and ashes”. He did not see any particular sin to repent of. What he saw was a pattern of sin – a natural inclination to sin that was rooted in his heart and made obvious by the great contrast with the holiness of God. Such a contrast was overwhelming leading to only one possible solution: throwing himself at the mercy of God in abject humility. As a result God restored Job and blessed him.

Have you seen God as Job saw God? Do you see that you are a sinner in need of repentance? As you read or hear God’s Word with an open heart He will reveal Himself to you. You cannot remain the same once you have had such an encounter with Him!