Job 38

“I had a million questions to ask God; but when I met Him, they all fled my mind; and it didn’t seem to matter.” —C M

The storm that Elihu had been describing finally broke, and God spoke to Job out of the storm. The answer to Job’s problems was not an explanation about God, such as the three friends and Elihu had given, but a revelation of God. The four men had declared and defended the greatness of God but had failed to persuade Job. When God displayed His majesty and greatness, it humbled Job and brought him to the place of silent submission before God. That was the turning point.

Swiss psychologist Dr. Paul Tournier wrote in his book Guilt and Grace (Harper & Row, 86), “For God’s answer is not an idea, a proposition, like the conclusion of a theorem; it is Himself. He revealed Himself to Job; Job found personal contact with God.”

We prefer that God speak to us in the sunshine, but sometimes He must speak out of the storm. This is how He spoke to Israel on Mount Sinai (Ex. 19:16–19; Heb. 12:18) and centuries later to Elijah (1 Kings 19:8–11). Ezekiel saw the glory of God in a storm and heard the voice of God speaking to him (Ezek. 1—2). Experiencing this majestic demonstration of God’s power made Job very susceptible to the message God had for him.

God’s address to Job centered on His works in nature and consisted of seventy-seven questions interspersed with divine commentary relating to the questions. The whole purpose of this interrogation was to make Job realize his own inadequacy and inability to meet God as an equal and defend his cause.

“Then summon me, and I will answer,” Job had challenged God, “or let me speak, and you reply” (Job 13: niv). God had now responded to Job’s challenge.

God’s address can be summarized in three questions:

1. “Can you explain My creation?” (38:1–38)

2. “Can you oversee My creation?” (38:39—39:30) Job’s first response (40:1–5)

3. “Can you subdue My creation?” (40:6—41:34) Job’s second response (42:1–6)

The first question dealt with God’s power and wisdom in bringing the universe into being. The second dealt with His providential care of His creatures, and the third centered on two creatures (probably the hippopotamus and the crocodile) that defy man’s ability to subdue them. When Job repented of his self-righteousness, God restored him (vv. 7–17).

God is now called “the Lord,” that is, Jehovah God, a name that (except for 12:9) has not been used in the book of Job since the first two chapters. In their speeches, the men have called Him “God” and “the Almighty” but not “Jehovah.” This is the name that God revealed to Israel centuries later (Ex. 3:13ff.), the name that speaks of His self-existence (“I AM THAT I AM”) and His personal covenant relationship to His people.

Job was sure that his speeches had been filled with wisdom and knowledge, but God’s first question put an end to that delusion: “Who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge?” (Job 38: niv). The Living Bible paraphrases it, “Why are you using your ignorance to deny my providence?” God didn’t question Job’s integrity or sincerity; He only questioned Job’s ability to explain the ways of God in the world. Job had spoken the truth about God (42:7), but his speeches had lacked humility. Job thought he knew about God, but he didn’t realize how much he didn’t know about God. Knowledge of our own ignorance is the first step toward true wisdom.

God began with the creation of the earth (38:4–7) and compared Himself to a builder who surveys the site, marks off the dimensions, pours the footings, lays the cornerstone, and erects the structure. Creation was so wonderful that the stars sang in chorus and the angels (1:6; 2:1) shouted for joy, but Job wasn’t on the scene! How, then, can he claim to know so much about the works of God?

From the beginning, God planned His creation to be a garden of joyful beauty; but sin has turned creation into a battlefield of ugliness and misery. Man in his selfishness is wasting natural resources, polluting land, air, water, and outer space, and so ravaging God’s creation that scientists wonder how long our planet will support life as we know it. Mahatma Gandhi was right: “There is a sufficiency in the world for man’s need but not for man’s greed.”

The Lord then moved to a consideration of the seas (38:8–11). The image here is not building but birth: The seas were “knit together” in secret (v. 8; see Ps. 139:13) and then burst forth like a baby emerging from the womb. They were clothed with clouds and darkness, and their limits were set by God. “Who did all of this?” asked God of Job, and Job knew the answer.

The next aspect of creation that God mentioned was the sun (Job 38:12–15). Here God pictured Himself as a general commanding His troops (the heavenly host). Had Job ever told the sun to rise and dispel the darkness? As the light spreads across the world, it reveals the details of the landscape, like the impression of a seal on clay or the unfolding of a beautiful garment taken out of a dark closet. But the light also puts an end to the evil deeds done in the darkness (John 3:19–21) and stops the criminal from attacking his victim.

The next eleven questions (Job 38:16–24) relate to the vast dimensions of creation. The average child today knows more about the heights and depths of the universe than Job and his friends could ever have imagined. Had Job ever taken a walk in the depths of the sea and visited “the gates of Sheol”? Did he know how far down he had to go to find the ocean’s floor? (The greatest depth measured so far is in the Pacific Ocean—35,810 feet or 6. miles.) And as for the reaches of space, Voyager 2 spent twelve years going 4. billion miles, and in 1989 passed within 3,000 miles of Neptune’s cloudbank!

In verses 19–21, God asked Job if he could calculate the reaches of east and west, or if the horizons were too much for him to measure. Then God inquired if Job understood the heights where the snow and hail were stored until God needed them (vv. 22–23; Ex. 9:18–26; Josh. 10:11) or the places where God kept His lightning and winds (Job 38:24). To be sure, God’s words are full of irony; but that’s what Job needed to puncture his pride and bring him to his knees in repentance.

How much did Job know about the rain (vv. 25–28)? Did he know how to plot its course so that it would accomplish God’s purposes? Could he tell the lightning where and when to flash? Was he able to “father” rain and dew so that the land would have the water that it needed? Can he explain why God sends rain to the places where nobody lives? Then God turned from the spring and autumn rains to the winter hail and frost (vv. 29–30). If Job didn’t know how the rain was “fathered,” did he understand how the ice was “born”?

By this time, Job was probably wishing for a reprieve; but the Lord kept right on. He centered Job’s attention on the heavens—the Pleiades, Orion the hunter, the various constellations (“Mazzaroth,” kjv), and the Bear (“Arcturus” with his cubs). Did Job understand the laws that governed their movements, and could he control these stars and planets and make them appear in their proper seasons? Man may study the heavens, but he can’t control them.

The question “Canst thou set its dominion in the earth?” (v. 33) is translated in the NASB, “Or fix their rule over the earth?” The NIV reads, “Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?” and The Living Bible says, “Do you know … how the heavens influence the earth?” Is there a suggestion here that the stars and planets have a direct influence over events on earth as the advocates of astrology maintain? Not at all. The statement can be paraphrased: “Job, if you understand so much about the heavenly bodies that are thought by some to affect the earth, then why don’t you use that authority to change your situation?” The Lord was speaking with “holy sarcasm” and not revealing some profound truth.

In verses 34–38, the Lord called Job’s attention to the clouds. Since Job knew the laws of the heavens, could he order the clouds to give rain? Was the lightning his servant, reporting for duty? Could Job take inventory of the clouds and “tip them over” like jars to make the rain come?

Creating all these things is one thing; maintaining them for man’s good is quite something else. The Lord moved next into a series of questions about His providential working in the world. He moved from the inanimate world to the animate.

The Lord brought before Job’s imagination a parade of six beasts (lioness, goat, hind [deer], wild donkey, wild ox, and horse) and five birds (raven, ostrich, stork, hawk, and eagle). As he contemplated these creatures, Job had to answer the question, “Do you understand how they live and how to take care of them?” Obviously, Job’s reply had to be no.

The providence of God is certainly remarkable (see Ps. 104). In His wisdom and power, God supervises the whole universe and makes sure that His creatures are cared for. “You open Your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing” (Ps. 145: nkjv). We humans have a difficult time keeping the machinery of life operating successfully, but God runs the whole universe with such precision that we build our scientific laws on His creation.

Did Job know how to feed the lion cubs or the young ravens (Job 38:39–41)? Would he even know that they were hungry? Where could he find food for them? The ravens would know to find the carcasses left behind by the lions because God taught the birds (even unclean ravens!) how to find food.

God then moved from the topic of death to the subject of birth. Did Job know the gestation periods for the goats and deer and how the young are born (39:1–4)? How do the little ones grow up safely, and how does the mother know when they are ready to leave home? Shepherds and farmers assist their animals during pregnancy and birth, but the wild beasts bring forth their young alone.

The wild donkey (vv. 5–8), also known as the “onager,” roamed the wilderness freely and refused to be domesticated. It survived without human assistance because God taught it how to take care of itself. The wild ox (the “aurochs”) was another “loner” in the animal kingdom (vv. 9–12), refusing to yield to the authority of men. You couldn’t keep him in your barn, harness him to your plow, or force him to do your threshing.

“Now, Job,” asked the Lord, “if you can’t succeed with these animals, how do you expect to succeed when you meet Me in court? How strong do you think you are?”

God then turned to a description of two birds, the stork (“peacock,” kjv) and the ostrich (vv. 13–18). God asked Job no questions in this paragraph; He simply reminded him of the bizarre anatomy and behavior of the ostrich and suggested that perhaps Job could explain it.

The stork has beautiful wings that are very serviceable, but all the ostrich can do with her wings is fan the air! Why did God make a bird that couldn’t fly but that could run faster than a horse? Why did He make a bird that puts her nest in such a vulnerable place where her eggs might be destroyed or eaten by a predator? Unlike most birds, why does she seem to be unmindful of her young?

The horse was next in line (vv. 19–25), an animal that was greatly admired and valued for strength and courage. This is a description of a war horse, not a farm horse; and you can visualize it prancing and pawing and eager to rush into the battle. When he hears the trumpet, he can’t stand still, but runs so fast that he seems to be “eating up the ground.” It was God, not Job, who made the horse with the strength and ability it needed to face danger and serve effectively on the field of battle.

The parade ended with two birds, the hawk and the eagle (vv. 26–30). Who gave the birds the instinct to migrate and the knowledge to build nests? Not Job! Eagles build their nests high on the cliffs; but God gave them keen eyesight so they can see their prey from afar, swoop down, and capture it. Eagles can also find corpses on which to feed themselves and their young because God made them that way.