Adult Class
Job
Lesson 9
Job 38:1-42:6
Elihu finished his lengthy speeches with a declaration of God's great glory. Although neither Job nor his friends bothered to respond to Elihu, the stage was set for the entrance of God. Job has demanded an audience with Him and sworn a strong oath that calls for a response. In two speeches, God comes to Job to respond.
God's first speech: Job 38-40:5
God comes near in a storm. The speech opens with a challenge by God to Job. He accuses Job of calling God's wisdom into question although he knows nothing. He then urges Job to brace himself and prepare to answer a few questions for God. After all, Job has been questioning God's purposes, so it is only fair that Job be ready to make an answer for himself.
Then God begins to question Job. He does not begin with the moral questions about innocent suffering, but starts at the lowest level, asking about the created order, beginning with the structure of the world. God notes that the Job has not penetrated the foundation of the world, which was very carefully designed and laid out. He goes on to discuss the boundaries of the sea.
The pagans believed the sea was the original element of creation, with all things finding their origin there. They also believed it was chaotic and out of control. Yet God plainly says He has hemmed it in and described its boundaries, keeping it under His control. Then He mentions the dawn that is created new each morning with a word from God. And it is in the day that God deals with the wicked. Job is wrong to suggest that God takes no notice of the wicked!
God then turns to the springs of the sea and the gates of death. Many societies in the ancient world thought they were beside each other. Job had asked for death, but he knew nothing about the way to the underworld. Then God turns to the other extreme to bring Job's attention to the abode of light. Isn't Job wise enough to know about this? And then there are the storehouses of the snow, the hail, the lightning and the wind.
God begins to consider the maintenance of the world. He points out that He waters the land even where nobody lives. If this were left to man, he'd water only the area where he lived, with disastrous consequences for the animals and the rest of the world. God challenged Job to identify the origins of the rain, the dew, the ice and the frost. All are important. Can Job understand these things?
God points to the stars in their regular courses: the Pleiades, Orion, the constellations (some versions say, "planets,"), and the Bear. These are set on their paths by God. Can Job affect the natural course of these events? Can he change the weather with his word? (Naturally this reminds us of Jesus stilling the storm!)
God turns to the animals to remind Job of his powerlessness. It is God who provides food for the lioness and for the raven. He understands the mysteries of the mountain goats giving birth. No shepherd attends them and they need nobody's help. The wild donkey is probably the onager, an animal that cannot be domesticated. It runs free in small herds among the most desolate scrub in the desert.
When God speaks of the wild ox, this is probably the aurochs, a huge beast about the height of a buffalo, but broader across the shoulders. This animal is now extinct in the Middle East, hunted out of existence by the Middle Ages. Another animal worth considering is the ostrich, a bird that cannot fly. Its habits are strange, yet it can outrun a horse and can kick a man to death.
The horse is itself worthy of consideration. It is powerful and brave and rushes into war fearlessly. And what does Job know of the birds of prey? They nest in secluded places and their keen eyesight picks out food from a long distance. Quickly they arrive at the scene of death (compare Matthew 24:28).
With this, God waits for Job to respond and demands an answer. God waits to hear Job correct God from his deep wisdom. Job, for his part, recognizes his limitations. He adds nothing to his former words, but, significantly, he doesn't retract them, either. He takes refuge in silence.
God's second speech: Job 40:6-42:6
Again God speaks out of the storm. Job didn't like God's justice, so God challenges Job to reveal his own brand of justice. God wants to see Job's power, his glory and his righteousness. If Job will demonstrate that he can crush the wicked, God will accept his judgment in the matter.
Then God refers to two enigmatic creatures: Behemoth and Leviathan. In both cases, it is difficult to know whether God is referring to actual creatures that no longer exist on the earth, or to locally held myths that Job would understand very well. The word "behemoth" literally means "beast" in Hebrew and is often used to refer to cattle. The description of this animal resists any identification, and the frequently offered explanation that this is a hippopotamus just doesn't match the features God describes. The point here is to show Job's inadequacy.
The leviathan also resists identification. It is usually identified as a crocodile, but this also is insufficient to account for this description. In both cases, God is referring to a local understanding of terrifying forces that have to be subdued in order for God to control the world. This He easily does. Job could never do it at all, no matter how much help he had.
After a detailed description of the features and power of this animal, God plainly says that nothing on earth is the equal of this fearsome thing. He makes no further challenge to Job, but stops his speech on this triumphant note.
Job replied to God with repentance. He acknowledged that God has all power and all wisdom. Job had no answers and could do nothing but submit to God's tremendous power. His faith was always well placed. Job will submit to God no matter what happens to him on this earth. He will maintain his faith.