#676 Leviathan Come Forth

“Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook

or tie down its tongue with a rope?

2 Can you put a cord through its nose

or pierce its jaw with a hook?

3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?

Will it speak to you with gentle words?

4 Will it make an agreement with you

for you to take it as your slave for life?

5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird

or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?

6 Will traders barter for it?

Will they divide it up among the merchants?

7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons

or its head with fishing spears?

8 If you lay a hand on it,

you will remember the struggle and never do it again!

9 Any hope of subduing it is false;

the mere sight of it is overpowering.

10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.

Who then is able to stand against me?

11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?

Everything under heaven belongs to me.

12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,

its strength and its graceful form.

13 Who can strip off its outer coat?

Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?

14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,

ringed about with fearsome teeth?

15 Its back has rows of shields

tightly sealed together;

16 each is so close to the next

that no air can pass between.

17 They are joined fast to one another;

they cling together and cannot be parted.

18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;

its eyes are like the rays of dawn.

19 Flames stream from its mouth;

sparks of fire shoot out.

20 Smoke pours from its nostrils

as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.

21 Its breath sets coals ablaze,

and flames dart from its mouth.

22 Strength resides in its neck;

dismay goes before it.

23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;

they are firm and immovable.

24 Its chest is hard as rock,

hard as a lower millstone.

25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;

they retreat before its thrashing.

26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,

nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.

27 Iron it treats like straw

and bronze like rotten wood.

28 Arrows do not make it flee;

slingstones are like chaff to it.

29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;

it laughs at the rattling of the lance.

30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,

leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.

31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron

and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.

32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;

one would think the deep had white hair.

33 Nothing on earth is its equal—

a creature without fear.

34 It looks down on all that are haughty;

it is king over all that are proud.” Job 41 NIV

Leviathan spoken of in Isaiah 27 and Psalm 104, but described in much more detail here. Again, many more modern writers think this describes a crocodile, but I wonder what those who read this passage before the discovery of the dinosaur thought? I remember reading it from a time long after the discovery of dinosaurs, but I was told that they were long extinct before the time of Job. I wonder now, if among those who first uncovered dinosaur bones, who put together the first full sets, if it dawned upon them that what sounded like a monster in Job, a fictional beast, a sea serpent, was no longer so ridiculous? Imagine laughing at such a fairytale, for no creature like this exist in your local zoo or aquarium, it is the stuff of dragons and legends, but here you are excavating it's bones.

With a hook - Men have caught many things with a hook, large fish have been tamed on specialized rod and reels, but I doubt Job was familiar with Penn or Shimano at that time. I have hooked into things not meant for the rod and reel I was using, and they have spooled me or broken off with little effort. It is a magnificent feeling to know you are connected to something that you cannot turn. Listen to your drag peeling, and it doesn't even make her hesitate, and though you are first crushed by her freedom, it is quickly followed by a smile. Job is familiar with this beast, the dilemma of her power, her armor, she is beyond his control. For all our fear, our unknowns, the creatures yet unearthed by the withering of our humanity, there is following the smile, a great tingling comfort. I have a relationship with the Creator of all these things, what I fear the most is yet under His control.

King over all that are proud - There is a lot to ponder here, and just as many rabbit trails, but I think one should not miss the poetic picture also here, tying it back to the conversation God has with that other serpent. He is known for his pride as well, and this poem does not only teach men, but reassures angels as well. Satan was cast down, the tempter is bigger than us, but he may still only go so far as God allows. Leviathan's head would be crushed, and God does not tell Job the reason for his suffering, but Job has come to know that God knows better, and that men have no place to try Him.  

Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 8Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in your faith and in the knowledge that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kinds of suffering.…1 Peter 5: 7-9

Leviathan P1

Leviathan P2

#675 Bulbs

The Lord said to Job:

2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?

Let him who accuses God answer him!”

3 Then Job answered the Lord:

4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?

I put my hand over my mouth.

5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—

twice, but I will say no more.”

6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:

7 “Brace yourself like a man;

I will question you,

and you shall answer me.

8 “Would you discredit my justice?

Would you condemn me to justify yourself?

9 Do you have an arm like God’s,

and can your voice thunder like his?

10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,

and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.

11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,

look at all who are proud and bring them low,

12 look at all who are proud and humble them,

crush the wicked where they stand.

13 Bury them all in the dust together;

shroud their faces in the grave.

14 Then I myself will admit to you

that your own right hand can save you.

15 “Look at Behemoth,

which I made along with you

and which feeds on grass like an ox.

16 What strength it has in its loins,

what power in the muscles of its belly!

17 Its tail sways like a cedar;

the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.

18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,

its limbs like rods of iron.

19 It ranks first among the works of God,

yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.

20 The hills bring it their produce,

and all the wild animals play nearby.

21 Under the lotus plants it lies,

hidden among the reeds in the marsh.

22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;

the poplars by the stream surround it.

23 A raging river does not alarm it;

it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.

24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,

or trap it and pierce its nose? Job 40 NIV

Let him who accuses God answer Him - There was a time when I wanted to be an atheist, but found myself convinced that there was most likely a Creator, and also mostly convinced that the Bible was the book and teachings most closely associated to Him. This was not a great epiphany, nor was it a wonderful turning point in my life, I looked at the cross and had no desire to pick it up. It didn't fit my narrative, the God that is and was, was not what I wanted Him to be. I loved sin, ego, pride of life. I needed to find fault, something wrong with this God, and I would spin it as He was the Creator so He was also the Creator of sin, of a failed experiment. He was cruel in my mind, unfair in my mind, and I would say when I saw Him that He would have some explaining to do. Job was a much better man than myself, but nothing is hidden from God, and in some way He accuses the almighty, probably thinking his situation unfair by the rules of his religious ideals. Now God is speaking to him and ask him for an answer. My idea of fair, my ideals of God and what He should be like fall apart in Christ. Job, again and according to God, was blameless in the world of men, yet before a Holy God, he finds himself inadequate. The cock has crowed and the need for sanctification is coming to light. 

23But I see another law at work in my body, warring against the law of my mind and holding me captive to the law of sin that dwells within me. 24What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? 25Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with my mind I serve the law of God, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.…Romans 7: 23-25

7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. 8When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees. “Go away from me, Lord,” he said, “for I am a sinful man.” 9For he and his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken,…Luke 5:7-9

Plenty of people acknowledge that there is a God, but few believe that He is sovereign, few believe that they are of a nature that is deeply compromised, dead in their trespasses and sins. Many think that God should have to bow to their standard, many worship idols that are reflections of their own ideals, but few will have Him for Who He is. They would condemn God to justify themselves. 

Your own right hand can save you - You see wrong in this world, Job, wicked prospering, pride gone unchecked, well then fix all these things, if God is in the wrong, then make it right, get rid of all the evil, the unjust, and then you will be like God, able to save. We can't even save ourselves, death learns of us the moment we are conceived, he waits close by our door, ready to his job. Where is salvation then? Job was right to call out to God, his friends were not only unable to save, but also unable to diagnose. He was also right that he needed a mediator, but little did he know that not only would the mediator come, but He would be the only one that could ever cry of God, "unfair." The just for the unjust, this is what I needed to happen, for God to become my mediator, to take up my plight. I could not become holy, nor could I fix this entropy, and now standing before the whirlwind, I know myself unfit to judge a Holy God. I find myself unfit to speak on my own behalf. 

Look at Behemoth - I read different commentaries and takes on this creature, and some would have it a crocodile for the tail, but I have yet to meet a crocodile with such vegan tendencies. Many believe it to be a Hippopotamus, but if you ever saw the tail on a hippo you would not think it as magnificent as a cedar. Whatever it was, it was large and unmoved by the raging river, yet it would not remain unmoved by God, it would not be but for the word of God. 

Behemoth P1

Behemoth P2

#674 To Know One Thing

“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth?

Do you observe the calving of the does?

2 Can you number the months that they fulfill,

and do you know the time when they give birth,

3 when they crouch, bring forth their offspring,

and are delivered of their young?

4 Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open;

they go out and do not return to them.

5 “Who has let the wild donkey go free?

Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey,

6 to whom I have given the arid plain for his home

and the salt land for his dwelling place?

7 He scorns the tumult of the city;

he hears not the shouts of the driver.

8 He ranges the mountains as his pasture,

and he searches after every green thing.

9 “Is the wild ox willing to serve you?

Will he spend the night at your manger?

10 Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes,

or will he harrow the valleys after you?

11 Will you depend on him because his strength is great,

and will you leave to him your labor?

12 Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain

and gather it to your threshing floor?

13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,

but are they the pinions and plumage of love?

14 For she leaves her eggs to the earth

and lets them be warmed on the ground,

15 forgetting that a foot may crush them

and that the wild beast may trample them.

16 She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;

though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,

17 because God has made her forget wisdom

and given her no share in understanding.

18 When she rouses herself to flee,

she laughs at the horse and his rider.

19 “Do you give the horse his might?

Do you clothe his neck with a mane?

20 Do you make him leap like the locust?

His majestic snorting is terrifying.

21 He paws in the valley and exults in his strength;

he goes out to meet the weapons.

22 He laughs at fear and is not dismayed;

he does not turn back from the sword.

23 Upon him rattle the quiver,

the flashing spear, and the javelin.

24 With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground;

he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet.

25 When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’

He smells the battle from afar,

the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.

26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars

and spreads his wings toward the south?

27 Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up

and makes his nest on high?

28 On the rock he dwells and makes his home,

on the rocky crag and stronghold.

29 From there he spies out the prey;

his eyes behold it from far away.

30 His young ones suck up blood,

and where the slain are, there is he.” Job 39 ESV

There is a science, a discipline, an ology of all the sorts of observations that could be made about all the animals listed herein. I love to fish, and so I read a lot about fishing, I look at the sky and when there are no clouds we call it Blue Bird, we read into this a certain difficulty, a need for finesse. "Wind from the north, don't go forth, wind from the east, fishing the least, wind from the west, fishing the best, wind from the south blows bait in their mouth." Fishermen look at patterns in the lunar cycle, barometric pressure, before and after fronts, we are always looking, trying to understand the object of our pursuits, learning the language of nature so that we can read the water. We have even increased our ability to observe through sonar and the sharing of knowledge, but I didn't make the Bass. Job recognizes the names of the animals God mentions, so he could have some thought of them, but to know when the mountain goats give birth or how the wild donkey is able to sustain himself in such a dry and harsh environment, this would require quite a bit of dedication. God knows these things, not because He is a photographer for Nat Geo or a zoologist, but because He is the designer of life, and we are made to share and enjoy in all these things, to glorify God as all these things do. 

I admire horses, and it is amazing the relationship that some have to them, but again they should marvel at the greatness of their Creator. We play in His sand box, men take the best or sometimes not the best in strength or health, but often phenotypes that appeal to their eye, for they say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They take these traits that they find desirable and try to lock them in to a breed or strain, but all that information was there, every atom in the universe, every combination of DNA, was not hidden from the mind of God. 

What a strange way to answer these men, from out of the whirlwind, more questions about things that are a bit nearer to them than the constellations, but can you imagine how much time it would take to observe each of these things to be the expert, and at the end you would still have questions? There is an answer here though, that men only know so far, so deep and still there is God always beyond that, knowing from eternity past that He would start this conversation, that He would reach down to men of low estate. It is actually comical and at the same time comforting, that the One Who has extended the hand of friendship, from whence we could not go or pull Him out, that He is also in control of all things, relieved, Job must be relieved. God is talking to him, he is not forgotten of God, but singled out to His glory. If God delights in all these things, has placed man in dominion over these great beasts, one may wonder why He considers man at all, but should not wonder that He does consider man, for we have the testimony of God in the flesh. 

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:


6 Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature[b] of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!


9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2: 5-11

#673 God Speaks

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

2 “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?

3 Dress for action like a man;

I will question you, and you make it known 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 sons of God shouted for joy?

8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors

when it burst out from the womb,

9 when I made clouds its garment

and thick darkness its swaddling band,

10 and prescribed limits for it

and set bars and doors,

11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther,

and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?

12 “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 skirts of the earth,

and the wicked be shaken out of it?

14 It is changed like clay under the seal,

and its features stand out like a garment.

15 From the wicked their light is withheld,

and their uplifted arm is broken.

16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea,

or walked in the recesses of the deep?

17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you,

or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?

18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth?

Declare, if you know all this.

19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light,

and where is the place of darkness,

20 that you may take it to its territory

and that you may discern the paths to its home?

21 You know, for you were born then,

and the number of your days is great!

22 “Have you entered the storehouses of the snow,

or have you seen the storehouses of the hail,

23 which I have reserved for the time of trouble,

for the day of battle and war?

24 What is the way to the place where the light is distributed,

or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?

25 “Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain

and a way for the thunderbolt,

26 to bring rain on a land where no man is,

on the desert in which there is no man,

27 to satisfy the waste and desolate land,

and to make the ground sprout with grass?

28 “Has the rain a father,

or who has begotten the drops of dew?

29 From whose womb did the ice come forth,

and who has given birth to the frost of heaven?

30 The waters become hard like stone,

and the face of the deep is frozen.

31 “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades

or loose the cords of Orion?

32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season,

or can you guide the Bear with its children?

33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?

Can you establish their rule on the earth?

34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,

that a flood of waters may cover you?

35 Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go

and say to you, ‘Here we are’?

36 Who has put wisdom in the inward parts

or given understanding to the mind?

37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom?

Or who can tilt the water skins of the heavens,

38 when the dust runs into a mass

and the clods stick fast 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 thicket?

41 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

The reader of Job has an understanding, from the first two chapters, that God is more than aware of Job's predicament, but none of the human players in this drama have this clarity. They have told Job from the perspective of tradition, human doctrines, supposed encounters with spirits and supposedly as the mouth piece of God, that this is all an issue of cause and effect. Job is in their eyes a transgressor, and they desire that he repent. This is all based very much upon the pillars of a material and works related religion. Until now, in this 38th chapter, God has remained silent towards Job, who has very much wished for God's presence. He has desired an audience with the only one Who can show him right, to explain his situation. Upon more contemplation he has desired even a mediator.

And the one inside answers, ‘Do not bother me. My door is already shut and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.’ 8I tell you, even though he will not get up to provide for him because of his friendship, yet because of the man’s persistence, he will get up and give him as much as he needs. 9So I tell you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.…Luke 11: 7-9

That storm that had long been approaching, the muse to Elihu's eloquent prose, was now the tornado before them. The storm at a distance was inspiration and testimony to a powerful Creator, and a twister would be so feared as the finger of God now in front of them. It would pale most men to be so close to the whirlwind, yet here is the paralysis, from the whirlwind comes the voice of God. God speaks through the storm. I was excited to come to this chapter, but now I must confess that it is hard to write about it. My eyes water at trying to imagine it, his loneliness, the want of such a meeting, but what a frightening presence when it appears. I have heard so many say, "when I see God, I am going to ask Him this or tell Him that," will you? Remember, Job was discouraged by Elihu to ask for the presence of God, and God does nothing that He does not want to do. Here He is, to speak on His own behalf, and this makes it even scarier to write about, but these are my thoughts, my notes, and like Job I want to have a relationship with a Holy and Just God, so I don't pretend at that sort of righteousness, but that which is by faith in His Son.

Who is this who darkens counsel - Everyone in this book was without knowledge of God's will and purpose, not only from the readers understanding of the conversation in heaven, but also of that which God knew from eternity past. Elihu was the most recent speaker before God steps in, but everyone here has misspoken. Job wants to be vindicated or as my wife's mom says, "I need closure," and his friends want to be held up as wise, but here is God, I tremble. Job wanted to face God like a man, and it is interesting that God says, "dress for action like a man", as if the ant could persuade the elephant. It's not two seasoned warriors coming to meet each other for the first time on the field of battle. It is not that sort of contest at all, a struggle, yes, and a place where God may bring us to overcome, but not man to man, sinner to sinner. It is, however, a most beautiful and unmerited encounter, the honor of being made in the image of God, valued in a moment that words can scarce describe. You can never again be the fly upon the wall, you never were, every thought you have about what we just read is open before the eyes of God. 

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I set aside childish ways. 12 Now we see but a dim reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully,even as I am fully known. 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.…1 Corinthians 13: 11-13

Where were you - God is going to ask the questions, and this is the first problem for the demand of created things, they are not the Creator. You had a beginning, God is timeless, there is so much that God knows that we have not yet seen and cannot now wrap our heads around. He is eternal and the origin of the finite. 

Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” 58“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!” 59 At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.…John 8: 57-59

I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world existed. 6 I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.…John 17: 4-6 

Thus far shall you come - The sea was a mass of great power and mystery to them. Even now, there are places in the depths that we have not traversed, and creatures that are still being discovered. Men marvel at the greatness of the sea, the changing of the sea, the effect of weather upon it and it upon the weather, yet God is over this as well. You are standing where you cannot see the other side, yet He can, and under and through, it is all His doing, and that to which the angel's sing. 

Treasury of hail - Men will develop technology, create a stock hold of weapons and ammunition against such days of trouble or to obtain what others have, but God has stored up hail and snow as the confounding armory and commerce of heaven, befuddling large armies in hot, desert places. 

So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. 24 The hail fell and the lightning continued flashing through it. The hail was so severe that nothing like it had ever been seen in all the land of Egypt from the time it became a nation. 25 Throughout the land of Egypt, the hail struck down everything in the field, both man and beast; it beat down every plant of the field and stripped every tree.…Exodus 9: 23-25

Has the rain a father - We look on as men, and we dive in as men, thinking, discovering and growing in knowledge about things that were made by Someone else. We even go so far as to take pride in the little understanding we have, yet we were also made, given these great faculties of the mind to follow each discipline of the sciences, which should only lead even the smartest man to humility and awe. "Fearfully and wonderfully", and listen to Spurgeon's clever anecdote on this:

God showed Job that man was completely unable to cause rain. Charles Spurgeon took this idea and likened rain to the grace of God. “If both Houses of Parliament were to be called together, and the Queen were to sit upon her throne of state, and they were unanimously to pass an act ordering the rain to fall, he that sitteth in the heavens would laugh, the Lord would have them in derision, for the key of the rain is in no hand but that of Jehovah. It is exactly so with the grace of God. You and I cannot command it. The presence of the most holy men in our midst would not of itself bring it. The most earnest preaching, the most Scriptural doctrine, the most faithful obedience to ordinances, would not make it necessary that we should receive grace. God must give it; he is an absolute Sovereign, and we are entirely dependent upon him.” (Spurgeon)

Guide the Great Bear - Job, like many of his contemporaries, would not only see the stars, but name the stars, know of these constellations, follow the patterns of the seasons, be guided as the Magi from the east, always evaluating the stars. This intimacy gained by much observation over long periods of time, before telescopes, televisions, and before light pollution, was nothing in comparison to the knowledge of the One Who made and hung the stars in their place, Who has stretched out the heavens. 

God goes on to describe the provisions He has made for the animals, and as He has graciously given us the intellect to investigate these things, so He has also given them the resources with the instincts to gather their food. The design is His, and this is not a cruel rebuke, for the truth is more like honey for the soul, water for the desert of the heart, washing away the delusions of the mind causing the seeds of wisdom to sprout. I bet there is some fear here, even though they are tired from much arguing, and Job from so much heart ache, yet I think there would also be relief mingled with tears of joy. God spoke to me, from the whirlwind, yes, but He spoke to me.

But Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on the cushion. So they woke Him and said, “Teacher, don’t You care that we are perishing?” 39Then Jesus got up and rebuked the wind and thesea. “Silence!” He commanded. “Be still!” And the wind died down, and it was perfectly calm. 40“Why are you so afraid?” He asked. “Do you still have no faith?”…Mark 4: 38-40

#672 Walk In The Garden

“At this also my heart trembles

and leaps out of its place.

2 Keep listening to the thunder of his voice

and the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

3 Under the whole heaven he lets it go,

and his lightning to the corners of the earth.

4 After it his voice roars;

he thunders with his majestic voice,

and he does not restrain the lightnings when his voice is heard.

5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;

he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’

likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.

7 He seals up the hand of every man,

that all men whom he made may know it.

8 Then the beasts go into their lairs,

and remain in their dens.

9 From its chamber comes the whirlwind,

and cold from the scattering winds.

10 By the breath of God ice is given,

and the broad waters are frozen fast.

11 He loads the thick cloud with moisture;

the clouds scatter his lightning.

12 They turn around and around by his guidance,

to accomplish all that he commands them

on the face of the habitable world.

13 Whether for correction or for his land

or for love, he causes it to happen.

14 “Hear this, O Job;

stop and consider the wondrous works of God.

15 Do you know how God lays his command upon them

and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?

16 Do you know the balancing of the clouds,

the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge,

17 you whose garments are hot

when the earth is still because of the south wind?

18 Can you, like him, spread out the skies,

hard as a cast metal mirror?

19 Teach us what we shall say to him;

we cannot draw up our case because of darkness.

20 Shall it be told him that I would speak?

Did a man ever wish that he would be swallowed up?

21 “And now no one looks on the light

when it is bright in the skies,

when the wind has passed and cleared them.

22 Out of the north comes golden splendor;

God is clothed with awesome majesty.

23 The Almighty—we cannot find him;

he is great in power;

justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate.

24 Therefore men fear him;

he does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.” Job 37 ESV

The storm is getting closer, the flashes of lightning are followed by the roar of thunder, and Elihu cannot help but compare this to the majesty and fear of God. God, that is over this, in control during this seeming interruption of tranquility, this somewhat hostile language of the sky. When the storm comes, or when the snow falls, when it is finally here, our hands are sealed against our work. We work no more when the field is covered, and what of the great deluge that stops everything? God has by the power of the rain the ability to uproot and wash away all the work of man's hands. When you see the rainbow in the sky remember the greatness of God, His justice, His sovereignty even in what looks to us as chaos. The beast retreat into their lairs, and so do men, it is time to stop and consider the works of God. Job's every day, his friend's days and reasons, go from business to contemplation, it is a suffering Sabbath that brings these men to contemplate the things of God. What they have thought and held is only in part and does not hold up to Job's plight. 

Elihu wants Job to understand the greatness of God, and this is not all wrong, but he also wants him to repent of something they think Job has held back, and that is not true. Everyone here has had some right and some wrong, but God won't be. Elihu thinks Job should let it go, that God does not owe Job and audience, and I agree, but it is not wrong for us to want to know the Creator. For Elihu it seems enough to know Him through the things He has created, God is beyond us and we should be in fear because look at what He is over, what He has made. He thinks Job does not deserve an audience because he is a man and in the dark, yet Elihu is in this same dark, and even more so as it pertains to his assessment of Job. Sometimes the storm is a good thing, God will often speak to us through those patterns in life that were to us unexpected and the least desirable. He has been there all along, in the storm, the trial of Job, and He can see an end to all of this that they cannot.

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed.

27 And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm: for we are all here.

29 Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas,

30 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Acts 16: 25-30

#671 Storm At A Distance

“Bear with me a little, and I will show you,

for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.

3 I will get my knowledge from afar

and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

4 For truly my words are not false;

one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

5 “Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any;

he is mighty in strength of understanding.

6 He does not keep the wicked alive,

but gives the afflicted their right.

7 He does not withdraw his eyes from the righteous,

but with kings on the throne

he sets them forever, and they are exalted.

8 And if they are bound in chains

and caught in the cords of affliction,

9 then he declares to them their work

and their transgressions, that they are behaving arrogantly.

10 He opens their ears to instruction

and commands that they return from iniquity.

11 If they listen and serve him,

they complete their days in prosperity,

and their years in pleasantness.

12 But if they do not listen, they perish by the sword

and die without knowledge.

13 “The godless in heart cherish anger;

they do not cry for help when he binds them.

14 They die in youth,

and their life ends among the cult prostitutes.

15 He delivers the afflicted by their affliction

and opens their ear by adversity.

16 He also allured you out of distress

into a broad place where there was no cramping,

and what was set on your table was full of fatness.

17 “But you are full of the judgment on the wicked;

judgment and justice seize you.

18 Beware lest wrath entice you into scoffing,

and let not the greatness of the ransom turn you aside.

19 Will your cry for help avail to keep you from distress,

or all the force of your strength?

20 Do not long for the night,

when peoples vanish in their place.

21 Take care; do not turn to iniquity,

for this you have chosen rather than affliction.

22 Behold, God is exalted in his power;

who is a teacher like him?

23 Who has prescribed for him his way,

or who can say, ‘You have done wrong’?

24 “Remember to extol his work,

of which men have sung.

25 All mankind has looked on it;

man beholds it from afar.

26 Behold, God is great, and we know him not;

the number of his years is unsearchable.

27 For he draws up the drops of water;

they distill his mist in rain,

28 which the skies pour down

and drop on mankind abundantly.

29 Can anyone understand the spreading of the clouds,

the thunderings of his pavilion?

30 Behold, he scatters his lightning about him

and covers the roots of the sea.

31 For by these he judges peoples;

he gives food in abundance.

32 He covers his hands with the lightning

and commands it to strike the mark.

33 Its crashing declares his presence;

the cattle also declare that he rises. Job 36 ESV

There must have been some rolling eyes or yawns from his audience, for he gives the "bear with me". He also claims to be speaking on God's behalf, which a man can do by repeating God's words, but there is this issue of rightly dividing as well. I can read from God's word at any time by picking up the Bible, but I can still be wrong in my understanding and then in application as well. Before the completion of Scripture you had prophets, but for every true oracle of God there were probably a hundred false. I won't go deep into this because it will come up more directly again in other books, but this seems to be Elihu's claim, that he is prophesying. A lot of what he says is also true and oddly stands out as before it's time, but it is still without understanding of Job's particular situation.

One who is perfect in knowledge - This is a difficult statement and I have seen commentators look at it differently, some suggesting that he means by this his own understanding and others God's understanding, that will be brought forth through him as the oracle. The first would be an outright lie, for no one is all knowing except God. This would be an attempt at equality with Someone he has described as so far above humanity, and described in a way that should not only invoke Job's humility, but his own as well. The second is more likely given the regard he shows to God, that he is obtaining knowledge from afar, and that he wants them to believe that he is speaking on behalf of God. 

Does not despise any - If God were a man then He may despise the lesser of Himself, He would have the limits of a man; if He were not all knowing He might despise those who are less knowing. Elihu wants Job to understand that God gives men thrones, that he avenges the afflicted, that Job has not escaped the knowledge or sight of God, so if he is suffering, bound in chains, they are the chains of his own making. God is serving you the reward of your deeds. Job has to be questioning how much this man hears from God, if at all, because he misses to touch on the testing of Job as occurred in heaven. He says what the others have already said to this predicament, that Job is guilty of a high crime, only he thinks he has said it better or said something else. I have seen this a lot in certain circles lately, that they have introduced the Bible back into their preaching, which should be good, and the sermons seem to outline that of an exposition, great so far, yet just like Elihu and Job's other friends, they hear from God and spirits as well and apart from the Author's intent in scripture. In other words, the preacher reads from the word of God, examines the text, has shown some level of study, but in the end ties all these truths to a big fat lie, that of prosperity. You make out the grandness of God, His might, His omniscience, yet you think you hold Him in this wee box, where Job is suffering so he has done a great evil, has called down the wrath of God. "Job, if you just listen, do this and that, pray this prayer, say these words, you may come back to prosperity." Material blessing is the only blessing they revere. If you flip the whole of what they are saying, if they had ears to hear the whole of what they put forth, if God is truly so great and majestic as they say, then should I not acknowledge Him for the truth, Who He is, praise Him not for the gifts I would like to receive, but because He is God? 

Job is a sinner as all men are, but he has chosen to walk in a rather upright fashion, commended by God before angels even, yet before the eyes of men he appears, by their doctrine, to be cursed of God. He is, to Elihu, a hypocrite, because he has yet to repent, he is in their minds protecting his appearance before men, and should die as the pervert, the godless, those who do wickedness under the cloak of darkness for they have yet to discover Job's sin. They cannot see the possibility that it would be hypocritical for him to perform some act of repentance, to ask forgiveness in their hearing, for their sake, that they may be falsely blessed for their many words. As my wife would say, "just admit I am right." If you were, I would have no problem with that.  

Man looks on it from afar - There is with some storms a distinct change in pressure, the temperature can cool quite rapidly, the middle of the day is disguised behind dark clouds, and this becomes the back drop to the rest of this poem. Look at the greatness of God, and this is that part that seems so far ahead of it's time. Like Isaiah 55:10:

“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 For just as rain and snow fall from heaven and do not return without watering the earth, making it bud and sprout, and providing seed to sow and food to eat, 11 so My word that proceeds from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please, and it will prosper where I send it.…Isaiah 55: 9-11

And Psalm 135: 6-8

The LORD does whatever pleases Him in the heavens and on the earth, in the seas and all their depths. 7 He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings the wind from His storehouses. 8 He struck down the firstborn of Egypt, of both man and beast.…

He most eloquently describes the Hydrologic cycle from a point very early in history, where this is not so well known or documented so greatly by science, but here it is as poetry. We can come to so many wonderful things in part, yet miss this great small peace, that part of the story that says, "Job is God's servant, that God loves Job still."

And if we are children, then we are heirs: heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ—if indeed we suffer with Him, so that we may also be glorified with Him. 18 I consider that our present sufferings are not comparable to the glory that will be revealed in us. 19 The creation waits in eager expectation for the revelation of the sons of God.…Romans 8: 17-19