"THEN THE LORD ANSWERED JOB OUT OF THE WHIRLWIND": God's answer to Job was accompanied by. violent windstorm. Sometimes God used storms to dramatize awesome occasions (Exodus 19:16-17; 1 Kings 19:11-13). Notice that God speaks in His own time, He is not drawn into the argument simply like one more c... [ Continue Reading ]
"WHO IS THIS THAT DARKENS COUNSEL BY WORDS WITHOUT KNOWLEDGE?" The first thing that Job hears from God, is. rebuke. Job's comments and questions had confused the issue rather than shedding any light. "For Job to suggest that God had become his enemy would only confuse others about God" _(Bible Knowl... [ Continue Reading ]
"NOW GIRD UP YOUR LOINS LIKE. MAN": "When undertaking. strenuous task such as running, working, or fighting,. man in biblical times would gather up his flowing robe and tuck it into. sash-belt (Exodus 12:11; 1 Kings 18:46). Thus this figure of speech suggests that Job was to be alert and prepared fo... [ Continue Reading ]
"WHERE WERE YOU WHEN. LAID THE FOUNDATION OF THE EARTH?": "The creation of the earth was depicted as the construction of. building, with its foundation, dimensions (the meaning of "measurements"), measuring line, footings (the meaning of "bases"), and cornerstone. Of course Job knew that God had cre... [ Continue Reading ]
The morning stars could be Venus and Mercury. "The star's singing is. poetic personification. In Psalms 148:2-3 angels and stars are together commanded to praise the Lord" _(p. 767)._ This reveals that the angels rejoiced when they saw what God had made! Joyful singing was present when the earth was... [ Continue Reading ]
While the origin of the earth was pictured as the construction of. building (Job 38:4-7), the origin of the oceans is described in terms associated with childbirth. "In Mesopotamian and Ugaritic mythology, the sea is pictured as an adversary to be defeated by the gods,. great chaotic monster. But he... [ Continue Reading ]
God's control of the earth is also demonstrated by the daily sequence of dawn and darkness. God brings the dawn every single day, and this is something that Job had never done in his lifetime. The "dawn knows its place", that is, the sun always rises in the east.... [ Continue Reading ]
The sunrise is described as taking hold of the ends of the earth as if the darkness were. blanket over the globe and shakes the wicked out of it. "Dawn exposes and disperses the evildoers, who prefer darkness to light (John 3:19)" _(Zuck p. 167)._ In addition, evildoers often prefer actual physical... [ Continue Reading ]
As the sun comes up the contours and features of the earth become evident, causing it to appear "changed" like clay is suddenly changed when impressed by. seal. In addition, daylight changes the features of the earth as if the earth had suddenly put on. new bright and colorful garment.... [ Continue Reading ]
Day light also stems the purposes or power of evil men. It often prevents them from carrying out their violent purposes or forces them back into their holds until nightfall. Please note that. point about God's justice is being made here.... [ Continue Reading ]
Job was equally ignorant of things he could not see, like the true nature of the ocean beds. The bottom of the ocean is not flat and sandy, but filled with deep recesses and subterranean springs. In modern times we have discovered that some of these recesses are over 30,000 feet deep.... [ Continue Reading ]
Even far more mysterious and hidden is death itself, death here is pictured as having gates that open for its entrants. To this day modern man stands helpless and ignorant of death.... [ Continue Reading ]
How about the width of the earth?... [ Continue Reading ]
Light and darkness are pictured as having dwelling-places. Where does light go at night and where does darkness go in the morning? "Their places and dwellings are inaccessible in the sense that Job could not explain how God moved the earth around the sun" _(Bible Knowledge Comm. p. 768)._... [ Continue Reading ]
Here is God's way of ironically affirming that Job did not know, since he was not around, when God set the earth's rotation in motion. His years were few compared to God's eternal nature. Note that if God came down this hard on Job for merely questioning God's justice, how is God going to react to... [ Continue Reading ]
God now has various questions about the weather, which man is still unable to control or influence much to this day. Yes, man tries to "seed" the clouds, but even this does not seem to be very successful. Snow and hail appear to be kept in storehouses and released by God when He desires. He uses the... [ Continue Reading ]
"WHERE IS THE WAY THAT THE LIGHT IS DIVIDED": "Did he know how light has been distributed around the globe, or how the east wind is scattered" _(Jackson p. 80)._ To this day with all our technology, man still only can try to "predict" the weather. Yet changes in the weather still catch even the expe... [ Continue Reading ]
Job was equally ignorant of how God cuts. channel or path for the rain and the thunderbolt, seeing that no visible "channel" is seen. God's gracious providence also extends far beyond mankind. God sends rain upon the deserts in which no man lives. God not only cares for the birds (Matthew 6:26), He... [ Continue Reading ]
Job was also ignorant of the origin of rain, dew, and ice. Yes modern man can make ice on. limited scale, but nothing like what is seen in nature. To this man is helpless in the face of drought and. limited snow pack.... [ Continue Reading ]
Job knew that God had made the constellations, Pleiades, Orion, and the Bear (the big dipper), but where God showed Job his impotence was by asking if he were able to hold together. cluster of stars or loosen them. Notice the expressions "lead forth" and "guide" in verse 32. "The Pleiades appear in... [ Continue Reading ]
Does Job understand the laws or ordinances by which the stars function? If the stars operate on the basis of laws then there must be. lawgiver! "The laws which control the heavenly bodies are the most sublime that are known to man. Astrologers, both ancient and modern, have mistakenly assumed that t... [ Continue Reading ]
Job clearly cannot command the clouds to unleash their moisture, so much for various "rain dances".... [ Continue Reading ]
Neither can he command or direct lightning.... [ Continue Reading ]
This is. difficult verse to translate, for the word "heart" can mean also "cloud-layers" and the word "mind" can mean "celestial phenomenon", yet God seems to be saying that God gives man wisdom; yet man in all his wisdom cannot tabulate the number of the clouds nor bring the rain. "The clouds are s... [ Continue Reading ]
Is Job the author of the instinct that enables lions to hunt for their prey, or does he have the power and wisdom to feed all the lions each day? What. task, to feed the lions every day, yet God does this without asking anyone for help or raising our taxes!... [ Continue Reading ]
God also cares for the ravens (Luke 12:24), even though the adults often leave the young alone by themselves. The point is that if God cares for lions and ravens, then obviously God cares for Job and has not abandoned him.... [ Continue Reading ]