Then God Spoke
1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind: 2 Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? 3 Gird up your loins like a man; I will question you, and you shall declare to me. 4 Where were you when I laid the foundation 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 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy? (Job 38:1-7)
When God finally responded to Job's earnest pleas, Job did not get the answers he had hoped for. Instead, God countered Job with a series of questions intended to show Job's lack of power and authority over the workings of creation. It seems likely that Job already felt powerless, but these questions did succeed at pulling Job out of himself and shifting his perspective to the vastness of God's universal reach while emphasizing that no detail was too small or unworthy of God's personal involvement. Yet, in all of God's monologue, humanity is not mentioned.
The realization that the world, in it's wild and terrific beauty, is not made FOR us might be as jarring now as it was for the original audience. We are but a part of creation made by and for God. God's speech points out the limits and boundaries God has set up to institute balance, but not necessarily safety.
Is it comforting to know that God sees and knows everything that's going on in our lives, yet God allows the pain, heartbreak, and loss that casts continual shadows over and within us? Maybe not. Perhaps, instead of comfort, we can find reverence for the God who is in charge but chooses not to exert control - chooses not to force God's will, but allows us and all of creation to flourish or fail by our own choice or natural order. We might be tempted to think that the book of Job exists to teach us that God is aloof or even cruel, but Job's story is not over. This book does remind us that every generation of people has to wrestle with who God is and why we suffer, that at some point all people fail to get what they want from God, and that the mystery of God is always unsolved. But no matter how troubled Job felt, or how distant God seemed, God did respond. No matter what we are feeling, or how hard it may be to hear or receive what God is saying, God still responds.
37 Who has the wisdom to number the clouds? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens 38 when the dust runs into a mass 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 lie in wait in their covert? 41 Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God and wander about for lack of food? (Job 38:37-41)
Video rendition of Job 38:2-40:2
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