Book of Job: Overview of Chapters 38-39

During the discussion with his four friends Job never curses God for the misfortune in his life. However Job challenges God five times for the opportunity to defend himself. Job 31:35-37 “Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my mark. Oh, that the Almighty would answer me, That my Prosecutor had written a book! 36 Surely I would carry it on my shoulder, And bind it on me like a crown; 37 I would declare to Him the number of my steps; Like a prince I would approach Him.” God has been listening intently to every word that Job and his friends are exchanging during the accusation by Job’s friends and Job’s self justification. Finally, God shows up! God asks Job a series of 74 questions that really put all of Job’s comments of his knowledge of God to rest. Job is a good man, who has lead a good life that was pleasing to God. Job 2:3 “Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil? And still he holds fast to his integrity, although you incited Me against him, to destroy him without cause.” As Job’s life is challenged and examined by his friends, leading to Job’s statements based on partial knowledge of God, God shows up to teach all of us an important lesson. God’s power is unlimited as God has stated in a conversation to a comment made by Jeremiah; “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. Jeremiah 32:17 Then God responded; “Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, saying, 27 “Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh. Is there anything too hard for Me? Jeremiah 32:26-27 God was teaching Satan, Satan’s fallen angels, God’s angels and us today that until we fully understand the power of God we will never understand all the reasons of why God does what He does. Sometimes the best thing to do when we see someone suffering is to listen, support and pray the way Job’s friends initially did before the great debate between Job and his friends began.

Job 38:1-10 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 2 “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge? 3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me. 4 “ Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb; 9 When I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band; 10 When I fixed My limit for it and set bars and doors; 11 When I said,‘This far you may come, but no farther and here your proud waves must stop!’

Job 38:12-21 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It takes on form like clay under a seal and stands out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld and the upraised arm is broken. 16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death? 18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this. 19 “ Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, 20 That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home? 21 Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great?

Job 38:22-30 “Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail, 23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war? 24 By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth? 25 “Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt, 26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man; 27 To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass? 28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew? 29 From whose womb comes the ice?And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth? 30 The waters harden like stone,And the surface of the deep is frozen.

Job 38:31-41 “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion? 32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth? 34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,That an abundance of water may cover you? 35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, ‘Here we are!’? 36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart? 37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, 38 When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together? 39 “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, Or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, 40 When they crouch in their dens, Or lurk in their lairs to lie in wait? 41 Who provides food for the raven,When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?

Job 39:1-12 “Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth? 2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young? 3 They bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their offspring. 4 Their young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them. 5 “Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager, 6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his dwelling? 7 He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver. 8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after every green thing. 9 “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger? 10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes?Or will he plow the valleys behind you? 11 Will you trust him because his strength is great?Or will you leave your labor to him? 12 Will you trust him to bring home your grain, And gather it to your threshing floor?

Job 39:13-26 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s? 14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground,And warms them in the dust; 15 She forgets that a foot may crush them,Or that a wild beast may break them. 16 She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern, 17 Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding. 18 When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider. 19 “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder? 20 Can you frighten him like a locust?His majestic snorting strikes terror. 21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms.22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword. 23 The quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin. 24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded. 25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.

Job 39:26-30 “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom,And spread its wings toward the south? 27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high? 28 On the rock it dwells and resides,On the crag of the rock and the stronghold. 29 From there it spies out the prey; Its eyes observe from afar. 30 Its young ones suck up blood; And where the slain are, there it is.”

Personal Application:  In today’s society there are many popular books like “The Secret” that give the formula for prosperity and happiness. The majority of these books focus on how you can create your own reality, just by how you think. If you think rich, you will become rich. If you think success you will be successful and so on. A right understanding of God is critical to real and true success in life. One of the wisest men in the world, Solomon, shared “his secret” with us. “Give instruction to a wise man, and he will be still wiser; Teach a just man, and he will increase in learning. 10 “ The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:9-10 “He who disdains instruction despises his own soul, But he who heeds rebuke gets understanding. 33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom, And before honor is humility” .Proverbs 15:32-33 There are many self proclaimed “new age” teachers that claim we can all be like God by how we think. The best way to understanding the wonder, power and love of God is to carefully examine who God is through His Word. As we begin to understand who God is we begin to better understand not only Job’s life, but our own. Sometimes we just will not understand the why behind the circumstances in our life or in the lives of our family or friends. A right understanding of God leads to a life with less questions of “why God?” to a life of “thank you God for Your mercy!” As Isaiah wrote over 2700 years ago; “Have you not known? Have you not heard? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? 22 It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. 23 He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the judges of the earth useless.” Isaiah 40:21-23 God is in control of your life today. Come to know and understand Him through His Word and trust God to direct your life for good.