Job 40:1 - 42:17

God finishes His say

Job comes clean, admitting he has nothing to say in answer to God's reminding him of who God is.

I find the pattern of conversation interesting in this section:

• Job admits he has no answer
• God questions Job's ability to dispense justice
• God gives two examples from creation (behemoth and leviathan) of His might
• Job 'remembers' who God is

Remember Job has never cursed God throughout the book but he HAS questioned God's justice. So here God goes right to it, asking Job if he believes that he knows better than God how to dispense justice.
I don't think it is important that WE know what creatures are referred to when God speaks of behemoth and leviathan but my guess would be that the five guys present DO know what He is talking about and they understand the illustration: That God, who created these incredible beasts, also can control them in ways beyond man's comprehension.
After being severely dressed won by God Job confesses that he spoke of things he "did not understand".
God then turns to the 'friends' and says that they have not spoken of Him "what is right" as Job has.
It's easy to skip right through God's punishment of the 'friends' but I think it is some pretty significant stuff:

sacrifice 7 bulls and 7 rams:
Not a cheap offering to be sure, a rather costly one actually.
And not just one, but 7...a number representing perfection
And not just sacrifice but Job must also pray for them
Sacrifice AND intercession in order that God might forgive them of their folly.
Wow.
Of course then we get the happy ending where God's justice DOES seem to show up in a way we understand it and Job winds up better off than he had been before.

I'm almost tempted to want to start over with this book and study it much more in depth. There is a lot more here than I have imagined in the past...seems like a lot of early symbolism.

Good Stuff