Job 37:1-13

For many Chapter s, Job and his friends had talked about God. Some things that they said were correct. But other things were wrong. Job and his friends were talking about things that they did not know (Job 38:2).

Soon, the men would have an experience of God’s greatness. God himself would speak to Job. Then the men would start to realise how great God is.

Elihu had a special task. First, he advised Job by the Holy Spirit. Elihu corrected some errors that Job and his friends had made. Then Elihu introduced God to the men.

But God is too great for a mere man (Job 33:6) to introduce him. Nobody can control God (Job 36:23). Nobody can force God to act (Job 34:29). So really, God introduced himself.

God speaks to people by many different methods (Job 33:14). Elihu described a dream (Job 33:15) and a servant of God (Job 33:23). Sometimes God has spoken to people in a very quiet way (1 Kings 19:11-13). But God spoke to Job from a storm (Job 38:1).

Before God spoke, Elihu described the storm. There were lessons about God that people could learn from the storm:

• The storm was powerful. And it was loud (verse 2 and verse 4). Nobody could continue to work during the storm (verse 7). But God is much more powerful than any storm.

• Things happened during the storm that surprised the men. There was snow (verse 6). And there was lightning (verse 11). And God’s deeds often surprise us. For example, the first Christians did not expect that God would send them to tell God’s message to foreigners (Acts 11:1-18).

• Sometimes rain is good news, because the rain provides our water supply. But a terrible storm is bad news (verse 13). So whenever God acts, he helps good people. But he punishes bad people.

God’s wonderful works

v14 Listen, Job! Stand still! Think about God’s wonderful works! v15 You do not know:

• how God controls the clouds;

• how God causes the lightning to flash;

• v16 how clouds stay in the sky;

• or the wonderful works of God, whose knowledge is perfect.

v17 You are so hot when there is a south wind. v18 But you cannot help God to make the sky, which seems as solid as metal.