Then Job answered the LORD:
"I know that thou canst do all things,
and that no purpose of thine can be thwarted.
'Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?'
Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand,
things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.
'Hear, and I will speak;
I will question you, and you declare to me.'
I had heard of thee by the hearing of the ear,
but now my eye sees thee;
therefore I despise myself,
and repent in dust and ashes." Job 42:1–6 (RSV)
But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." For he was astonished, and all that were with him, at the catch of fish which they had taken; and so also were James and John, sons of Zebedee, who were partners with Simon. And Jesus said to Simon, "Do not be afraid; henceforth you will be catching men." And when they had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed him. Luke 5:8–11 (RSV)
Job and Simon Peter have an encounter with the divine. Though separated by sixteen centuries, their response is the same. Neither can stand in the presence of God; there is only repentance, on their knees. My mind cannot begin to comprehend the wonder, awe, fear, and complete sense of their sin they must have known.
Job's encounter with God comes at the end of his long struggle to understand why he has suffered. He has lost nearly everything of worth in his life, yet no response from God as to why. We can empathize with Job when suffering comes upon us with no reason we can grasp. We want an explanation from God. We, like Job, have no answer beyond what Job heard, "I am God."
Peter wished that Jesus would leave him, for Peter could only see his sin. He could only know that he did not deserve to be in the same boat with Jesus. We don't know anything about Peter's life before that morning. We know what his life would be after that morning. "Follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
Neither Job nor Peter would pretend that their encounter with God gave them great insight into the nature of God. If anything, their lives were shrouded in the mystery that is God. Their lives were never the same. How could they be? They have more of the divine nature revealed to them than anyone I have ever known. Still, they can barely begin to understand God. They would live in awe of God all the days they had left before them.
I cannot speak for anyone save myself, but my encounter with the divine is nothing compared to Job and Peter's. They were blessed to see a glimpse of the majestic holiness of God. They knew that repentance is all they could do in the presence. Peter was more fortunate as he saw the fulfillment of God's promises that Job could only greet from afar.
What we know of God is what He has chosen to reveal to us. The Father has chosen to reveal Himself through His Son. Jesus is enough for us while we live in our flesh. Only with through our risen sight will we see the glory of God. Until that day, we like Job and Peter live in repentance, trusting in the grace of God through our Lord Jesus that this is enough.