Originally posted: 9/08/2020
“Behold, let me tell you, you are not right in this,
For God is greater than man,” (33:12).
There’s a lot of confusion going on. Job, so confused about why God has brought all this calamity into his life. Job’s three friends, now silenced, are left wondering why Job just won’t repent already. And now there is Elihu, the youngest of Job’s so-called counselors.
It’s interesting how much he says that is absolutely spot-on about Almighty God. But there’s this one thing… he has absolutely no clue about the scene that preceded all this in Job’s life. You know, that scene around His throne room that ushered in all the devastation and loss in Job’s life.
So, while there’s much in what Elihu says that is true, he seems to be forgetting one major point, even though he voiced it himself: God Is Greater than Man. Period.
God’s timing is perfect. I desperately needed this today, to remember He Is Greater than Man. The days have been hard. Besides the turmoil of the nationwide crises we now endure, I have family and friends in pain, suffering unbearably. We lost a family member today, very unexpectedly. None of us saw it coming. And I confess, I started sinking in the confusion. I needed to dig in His Word and spend time contemplating His Greatness today. Perhaps you do too.
Consider Him Who Is Greater than Man
- He Is Greater than Man and all gods.
- For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
He is to be feared above all gods, (Psalm 96:4).
- For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;
- He Is Greater than Man and there is none like Him.
- There is none like You, O Lord;
You are great, and great is Your name in might,” (Jeremiah 10:6).
- There is none like You, O Lord;
Everything that He Is, Is Greater than Man; He has confirmed it…
- …confirmed by His Works:
- “O Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your strong hand; for what god is there in heaven or on earth who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours?” (Deuteronomy 3:24).
- …confirmed by His Fidelity:
- For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself, (1 Samuel 12:22).
- …confirmed by His Wrath:
- Go, inquire of the Lord for me and the people and all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found, for great is the wrath of the Lord that burns against us, because our fathers have not listened to the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us,” (2 Kings 2 2:13).
- …confirmed by His Mercy:
- “…please let me fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are very great. But do not let me fall into the hand of man,” (1 Chronicles 21:13).
- …confirmed by His Dominion:
- “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the dominion, O Lord, and You exalt Yourself as head over all,” (1 Chronicles 29:11).
- …confirmed by His Covenant:
- “I beseech You, O Lord God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who preserves the covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,” (Nehemiah 1:5).
- …confirmed by His Compassion:
- “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them,
For You are a gracious and compassionate God,” (Nehemiah 9:31).
- “Nevertheless, in Your great compassion You did not make an end of them or forsake them,
- …confirmed by His Supremacy:
- For the Lord Most High is to be feared,
A great King over all the earth, (Psalm 47:2).
- For the Lord Most High is to be feared,
- …confirmed by His Lovingkindness and Truth:
- For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens,
And Your truth reaches to the skies, (Psalm 108:4).
- For Your lovingkindness is great above the heavens,
- …confirmed by All He Has Done For Us:
- The Lord has done great things for us;
We are glad, (Psalm 126:3).
- The Lord has done great things for us;
- …confirmed by His Wonders:
- To Him who alone does great wonders,
For His lovingkindness is everlasting, (Psalm 136:4).
- To Him who alone does great wonders,
- …confirmed by His Holiness:
- Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
For great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel, (Isaiah 12:6).
- Cry aloud and shout for joy, O inhabitant of Zion,
- …confirmed by His Wisdom:
- This also comes from the LORD of Hosts.
He gives wonderful advice; He gives great wisdom, (Isaiah 28:29 HCSB).
- This also comes from the LORD of Hosts.
- …confirmed by His Might and Power:
- Lift up your eyes on high
And see who has created these stars,
The One who leads forth their host by number,
He calls them all by name;
Because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power,
Not one of them is missing, (Isaiah 40:26).
- Lift up your eyes on high
- …confirmed by His Counsel and Deeds:
- “…great and mighty God. The Lord of hosts is His name; 19 great in counsel and mighty in deed…” (Jeremiah 32:18-19).
- …confirmed by His Faithfulness:
- The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness, (Lamentations 3:22-23).
- The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
How do we respond to Him Who Is Greater than Man?
We desperately need to come to His Word that abounds with His immeasurably multifaceted Greatness. Because just like Job and Elihu, there is much that goes on in the heavenlies that we simply don’t know. But this we do know: He Is Greater than Man and every created thing, for He Is the Creator of all. And even in all His Majestic Greatness, He is concerned and thinks about… us.
“What is man that You magnify him,
And that You are concerned about him, (Job 7:17).
O Lord, what is man, that You take knowledge of him?
Or the son of man, that You think of him?
4 Man is like a mere breath;
His days are like a passing shadow, (Psalm 144:3-4).
And this the truly astounding thing. He Is So Much Greater than Man, and yet He thinks of us, He cares for us, and He has given us authority here on earth.
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers,
The moon and the stars, which You have ordained;
4 What is man that You take thought of him,
And the son of man that You care for him?
5 Yet You have made him a little lower than God,
And You crown him with glory and majesty!
6 You make him to rule over the works of Your hands;
You have put all things under his feet, (Psalm 8:4).
He has given us authority over the earth, but we must always live in submission to Him. While we may know many truths about Him that He has revealed in His Word and has confirmed by His ways and works, we will never have full knowledge of all His thoughts or ways; for He Is so much Greater than Man.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord.
9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
So are My ways higher than your ways
And My thoughts than your thoughts,” (Isaiah 55:8-9).
What we know is what He has revealed and confirmed. And this we also know: because He Is Greater than Man, He Is Greater than every obstacle, struggle, temptation, and sorrow; nothing is too difficult for Him.
“Ah Lord God! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You,” (Jeremiah 32:17).
Today, let us choose to remember, He Is Greater than Man. Nothing is too difficult, and nothing is impossible. And when life throws confusing curves our way, let us choose to walk in faith, believing that every plan He has for us is Greater than we can imagine.
but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard,
And which have not entered the heart of man,
All that God has prepared for those who love Him,” (1 Corinthians 2:9).
Oh, that we would live each and every day convinced of His Greatness, that we would daily overflow in worship and great praise as we fix our minds on Him Who Is Greater than Man.
Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised;
His greatness is unsearchable, (Psalm 145:3 BSB).