ESV Chronological Plan, Day 28 | Job 38-39

LOOK | WHAT DOES IT SAY?

Read Job 38:1-39:30

THINK | WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

(A) Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Some think that God is addressing Elihu here in 38:2, but it is clear by verse 3 that God is talking to Job. God will eventually confuse many of us by calling Job his "servant" who has "spoken of me what is right" in 42:8 (more on that tomorrow), but here the story is different. God has arrived to confront Job. The following speech -quoted from, of course, Christopher Ash- is broken down into 17 sections. God doesn't just list all the things that he knows or has done, but he is showing Job his wisdom in how he governs the universe. If God does all this, then Job must acknowledge that God is wise and has a plan, and must trust in him before anything else can move forward. This parallels God's call to faith/trust in the New Testament. Here God shows his credentials:

1. 38:4–7 Creation is like a building whose completion was accompanied by great joy. Whatever follows, the creation is fundamentally good.
2. 38:8–11 The sea is an image of chaos and evil. This is part of creation; it does not lie outside of what God made. And yet it inhabits a strictly limited sphere—“thus far . . . and no farther.”
3. 38:12–15 Wickedness will one day be destroyed. Evil is temporary. Every time the sun rises, it serves as a sign and reminder that darkness cannot endure.
4. 38:16–18 In biblical poetry, the place of the dead lies at the bottom of the chaotic sea. And yet even this, the most extreme place in creation, lies within the Creator’s power and knowledge.
5. 38:19–21 If the last extreme was very deep, these are very wide. From the far east, where the sun rises, to the far west, where it sets, God rules and knows.
6. 38:22–24 Destructive snow, hail, light(nings), storm winds come down from the sky under the control of God.
7. 38:25–27 Instead of destructive water (snow, hail, thunderstorms) we now see water transformed into a life-giving gift that makes even remote deserted lands fertile. The same water is used by God both in a violent way (38:22–24) and a life-giving way. Only God understands how or why.
8. 38:28–30 We have here a beautiful meditation about the relationship between water and the Creator. God is the “father” and “womb” from which water comes in all its varied forms. It comes as “dew” and “rain” to bring fertility. It comes as “ice” and “frost” to threaten life. And all from the same Creator, with whom it has this intimate relationship.
9. 38:31–33 God focuses now on some of the constellations of stars in the sky. Often these have been thought to be divine, influencing affairs on earth (as with horoscopes). But no! Every detail of these stars is ordained and established by the LORD.
10. 38:34–38 And now we come back to water. Every raindrop, each lightning bolt, goes at his command, in detail and precisely as the LORD instructs, whether to destroy or to bring life.
11. 38:39–41 We begin with predators and prey, the lion as a beast predator and the raven as a bird that feeds on the prey of the lion. Surprisingly, God speaks of this whole process—the lion killing the prey and then the raven getting food from the carcass—as a blessing, for it brings food to the defenseless young lions and ravens. So, is it evil or good? What may seem evil could perhaps be good.
12. 39:1–4 If the last section looked at death in the wild, this one considers new life in the wild. These are “mountain goats” not farm goats. God enables them to become pregnant, to go into labor, and to give birth, even in the wild.
13. 39:5–8 Now the camera moves from the mountain goat to the wild donkey, who roams the dry plains. He too, in his wild freedom is under the care and direction of the Creator.
14. 39:9–12 And now the wild ox, a huge and frightening creature. Job is challenged to domesticate this grand animal. But he cannot. The ox is a picture of wild power outside and beyond Job’s control. And yet God controls it all.
15. 39:13–18 But what about the ostrich? What a funny creature she is, failing to care well for her young and yet able to run so very fast! Somehow even in her eccentric strangeness this creature helps us grasp that every creature is under the care and government of God.
16. 39:19–25 The portrait of the war horse pawing eagerly ready for the fight introduces us to another picture of power. For the horse was the nuclear weapon of the ancient world. We are to picture this magnificent creature and marvel that even he is under the control of the Creator.
17. 39:26–30 And then we come back to predator and prey with the hawk or eagle, the bird of prey. Living far above human habitation, God enables him to hunt and to feed his young.

(B) The kinds of things that God mentions are within his active work. These have been somewhat referenced above, but God specifically mentioned to Job that: (1) God has an ongoing story with the "sons of god" (angels) where he is unfolding his glory in their midst, too -- see 38:7. (2) God also does not excuse wickedness, but instead commits that the wicked will "be shaken out of [the earth]" and "light is withheld" from them (38:13, 15). We don't always see this currently, so that will be taken as a future promise. (3) God establishes the laws of the universe as the Creator (38:33). (4) God provides for all his creation, right down to the lion and the raven (38:41). He can be trusted to give what is truly needed. From the highest of heavens, to the laws of the universe, to his plan to deal with wickedness, to his daily provision for every one of his creations, God is on the throne and has things covered.

(C) The gifts of God. These are the gifts that God says he gives throughout his creation. We may ask for these for ourselves, too. (1) God gives "wisdom to the inward parts... understanding to the mind" (38:36). (2) God also gives might to his creatures (39:19). When we are in a situation where we need to ask for God's help to know what to do and be given the ability to do what is needed, we should pray to God, who "gives generously to all without finding fault" (James 1:3).

RESPOND | WHAT IS OUR PART?

These chapters draw us into worship and recognition of the majesty of God. But they also help us to realize that God offers us his help, which he can give, out of the overflow of his power. We should move forward into the things to which God is calling us, knowing that we are not dependant on our own strength and wisdom, but that which God provides.

PRAY | HOW DOES THIS BRING US CLOSER TO GOD?

This is a suggested prayer prompt: "God, help me to understand what I do not currently understand, and do that which I currently find myself unable to do. Rather than moving forward in my own strength and wisdom, help me move forward with that which you provide for the journey. Help me to glorify you in my life today."