I have never lived through an earthquake. Those who have will testify that it is a terrible experience. We assume solid ground is just that–solid–and that when we walk on it, we know where we stand. But when an earthquake strikes, to our horror, solid ground shakes. Job is living through a kind of moral or religious earthquake, and it shakes his convictions about God.

Job used to believe just what Bildad believes (as do Eliphaz and Zophar). ″Indeed, I know that it is true,″ he begins (Job 9:2). Job has believed that good things happen to good people, and bad things to bad people. But now, he is beginning to doubt it: ″But how can . . .″ (v. 2). Job is beginning to honestly question what he had previously believed.

What matters most to Job is to be in a right relationship with God (v. 2). But how can he do this? God is so strong (vv. 3-4), and–this is the problem–He is shaking the earth (vv. 5-6). There is a moral earthquake: bad things are happening to a good person, and Job cannot understand it. His friends assume his sufferings must mean he is secretly a bad person, but Job knows (as do we, the readers) that this is not true (see 1:1, 8; 2:3). God is simply too strong for Job: He is invisible and invincible to Job (9:11-13). Job longs to talk to God, to reason with Him, and to ask Him to answer his question, ″Why?″ But God will not listen (vv. 14-20).

And then, in a moment of extraordinary daring, Job simply accuses God of being unjust. In verses 21-24, he says God ″destroys both the blameless″–like Job–″and the wicked″. As far as Job can see, when there are unjust judges, it must be God who causes them to be unjust. For ″If it is not he, then who is it?″ (v. 24).

Job doesn't know what to do about this. Maybe he should just forget about the problem and smile anyway (v. 27); perhaps he should try harder to be good (vv. 30-31). But neither of these will work. Or–and this is a great insight–maybe, just maybe, he could find ″someone to mediate between us″ (v. 33), to bring him into God's presence that he might speak with Him without fear (v. 35). That longing for a mediator is a seed thought that will bear gospel fruit later.