Rumours about God

Do you know that it is possible to live by rumours about God? Do you know that some of those rumours may even be “backed up” with scriptures?

Last week I was in an elevator when someone opined that the recent pandemic is an act of God to show the developed world how powerful He is. This person must have heard and believed in some rumours about God.
Job at a time believed in some rumours about God. However, at the end of the book he repented and renounced the things he had said about God in earlier chapters and verses:

Job 42:5-6
New American Bible (Revised Edition) (NABRE)
By hearsay I had heard of you, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes.

Amplified Bible
“I had heard of You [only] by the hearing of the ear, But now my [spiritual] eye sees You. “Therefore I retract [my words and hate myself] And I repent in dust and ashes.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB)
I had heard rumors about You, but now my eyes have seen You. Therefore I take back my words and repent in dust and ashes.

The Message
I admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears! I’m sorry—forgive me. I’ll never do that again, I promise! I’ll never again live on crusts of hearsay, crumbs of rumor.”

Job renounced his earlier claims. Yet, sometimes we find ourselves digging out “revelations” from the things he retracted. This is just one example.

That is why Paul instructed Timothy (a minister) to study to be able to rightly divide the word of truth, and to reject ungodly myths. He repeatedly admonished Timothy to take heed to himself and sound doctrine in order to save himself and his hearers.

What we hear affects what we believe and what we believe affects how we live.
Let us build on the solid nourishment of sound doctrine and not on the chaff of superstition and rumours about God.