Under Pressure – Job 38

In 2016 the United Nations tried a new format for selecting the next Secretary-General of the UN. They openly interviewed the candidates before the whole counsel. Can you imagine the pressure? How would that compare to being interviewed by God?

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:

“Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me.

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

“Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken.

“Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.

“Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may discern the paths to its home? You know, for you were born then, and the number of your days is great!

“Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

“Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?

“Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?

“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together?

“Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food? (Job 38, ESV)

Despite what Job has feared and what his friends have affirmed, God shows up.  And His first words are a rebuke of Job.  Job has spoken words without knowledge.  But instead of the dreaded heavy hand of punishment that Job expected and instead of a court case where God and he get to argue his case, God challenges him to answer some questions.  This already feels like a gracious response.

Yahweh’s first question emphasizes His prior existence to Job and His character as the source of all that is.  By the very nature of this character Job is foolish to suggest God did not know what Job’s true situation was.

His second question is heavy on sarcasm.  The answer of course is that Yahweh laid the foundations of the earth.

God’s third question highlights the extreme power and wisdom it required to make earth the way it is and highlights the fact that unlike Job, all the angels (morning stars, sons of God) understood how wonderful this was and how wonderful Yahweh is.

The question about the ocean seems to speak to God’s desire to limit chaos and evil even after allowing it in His creation.  Can Job not see that?

God’s bringing dawn to expose and get out the wicked who hide in darkness and bring them to justice seems a direct jab at Job’s contention that God has not always acted with justice.

God further focuses on Job’s lack of knowledge and challenges him to declare what he knows. His comment about the place where light dwells and that surely Job knows it because his days are so great and he was there (right?), further chastises Job in sarcasm.

Further questions about snow, light, wind, rain and lightning expose Job’s ignorance. God views the rain and ice as his children, speaking to the compassion He has for his creation. This an aspect Job has failed to figure on.

God has put in action rules to govern the heavens and the earth and humans can see these at work in the constellations, but Job has no part in making them happen.  How could he suppose he knows how to govern in this situation?   Job can’t control the weather, can he? And what we do understand comes from God.  God has the knowledge to bring rain when it is needed (as He has knowledge about when to allow suffering).

Neither can Job hunt prey for the lion, but just as God provides food for young ravens so He does for the lion.  He is intimately involved in His creation, caring for the needs of His creatures.  Of course, some creatures need to die to feed the lions.  Some lions starve.  Who has wisdom for all this?  Only God.

Discussion Questions

1. What is the most nerve-wracking interview you have ever had?
2. What do you think God’s attitude toward Job is and how would you defend that from this passage?
3. What do you think God’s intent is in asking Job these questions?
4. Why do you think the ocean speaks to chaos and evil?
5. How do you picture God working in and over His creation?
6. Is God big enough to handle your problems?