When asked something ....we often simply don't know the answer.

How do we respond to these situations??

Sometimes we humbly admit we don't know.

Sometimes we proudly pretend we do know.

But, more often we get excited ...and get caught up in the moment.  And we actually think it through quickly, without actually thinking it through.  We get so eager to express our opinion, we just begin speaking ...and it sounds kind of good to us.  We kind of think we know ...and even convince ourselves that we know, and if we have the attention of others, we often feel they agree.  In this case, none of this is intentional on our part.

This appears to be the case with Job's friends.  Knowledge can be legitimate ...yet, when built upon and conclusions drawn concerning things that aren't really known, it's like filling in the gaps without considering the troublesome one between our ears.

It's great to be learned, and to have an increased understanding of God's character ...yet, it is two different things to know God's precise statement on something, and to know how He is going to respond to our shortcomings, in view of the precise statement.

How He responds to our shortcomings often is expressed as grace ...and we often are not too graceful with our own views or how we respond to those same shortcomings that we see in others.

Grace means unmerited or undeserving favor ...and it's God's favor, not ours that makes the difference.  Yet, in knowing how God's grace is extended to us, we should keep that in mind when we are viewing the lives of others.