October 26, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Job? Here’s today’s reading:
Job 38 (NIV)
The Lord Speaks
1 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm. He said:
2“Who is this that obscures my plans
with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.…..Continue Reading
Now God speaks after He has listened to Job and his friends. He is speaking to Job directly and asking him questions and then telling Job to answer Him. God says to Job were you there when He laid the foundations of the earth. God goes through a whole list of creation. By doing this He is showing Job is a finite human being and has vast Limits of knowledge and control. For only God is all knowing, powerful, without Limits. May God help us to walk in our daily Lives.
I find it interesting that the Lord answers Job here, seeing as it is Elihu who has just finished speaking…later the Lord rebukes Job’s three friends as well…but there is nothing about a rebuke of Elihu. Why is that? God deals with everyone again, except Elihu…seems odd.
Chapter 38 just tees up that prayer preamble of mine…”God, you are God, and I am not.” Such wonderful chapters of God’s revelation of Himself here.
God’s responds to Job here and like Sean I did think it was strange that He didn’t address Elihu but I suppose His response does act as a response to Elihu as well. As He explains the vastness of His power and knowledge He is reminding all of them who is actually in control and who actually has all the answers and that is God!
I love that it is in His own timing when He decided to respond. He is not ruled by emotion like we are, He is not intimidated by our doubt, He does not need to defend Himself, and He is patient and knows the outcome so therefore He speaks when He is ready and when He speaks, He certainly makes Himself very clear!
Job 38; 1 Samuel 13-15
Job 38, Sean, Dennis, the answer is no one!
Verse 17 spoke to me tonight in a way not recognized before. The answer to every question is no man, woman or child, no one at all. But who had the gates of hell opened, or revealed to them? Call it the grave, pit, the destruction, the nether regions, whatever. More clearly, who has been able to witness the actual, irreversible shadow of death itself come upon them, and live to tell about it?
NO ONE.
Puts an interesting perspective on those who say they died, and came back again.
That’s how I see this verse, truth or error.
Peace, gordy
Job 38 God is the creator, and he lays it out to Job with questions. Questions about God’s physical creation, he talks about the stars, the sea, the animal kingdom and so much more, God is trying to show Job the power and authority he has and not to doubt him or mistrust him. He is sovereign!
Question. How long from when job was first attacked till God spoke to him. What can you say about ch. 38. God is so beyond !! All of creation at his command. Just taking care of how much rain. Or enough male and female. In all creatures. Then you look at the details of flowers. Or the colors in animals. And we can call him father. Beyond overwhelming. !!
Good comment Sean about God referring to Elihu and his two friends when taking to Job. He totally leaves out Elihu even through Elihu just finished talking. We really don`t know why but perhaps was very young for we know that he was much younger than the others and God just showed him mercy because of his age. I read a commentary on this at the beginning and they implied that maybe he was more right than the other three friends. Either way we don`t really know and the writers of the commentary said they didn`t know either. [ The Bible Knowledge Commentary put out by Dallas Seminary] God bless.
Job 38 and 39 are very similar in nature and I read both but will comment on both here. We can all be pretty impressed with ourselves until we are confronted by someone or something greater, more powerful or overwhelming. As it is said, there are no atheists in a fox hole because when confronted by death, something we cannot manage, we want to turn to something greater than the situation we are in. That is God’s point in both these chapters: I am always greater and higher….I know more and can do more than anyone and my mere voice and presence humbles you and get’s you shaking in your shoes. And then beyond that, everything that mystifies and causes wonder in us in creation, He controls and has not only made but manages. In chapter 38 he deals more with the cosmos and the dynamics of the earth and in 39 he deals with the animal kingdom. And as we read both we are wowed and humbled and can do nothing but completely agree. The key is how often do we let these realities effect our behavior and attitude. These principles humble us in our pride and lift us up in our insecurities. Because this great God is over us as well as loves us. That is what is truly incredible….He rules us and restores us…He is in control and has compassion on us….He is great and yet acts in grace. And we desperately need Him to be both. May we let this knowledge presented here permeate our lives….
Job 38
God answers Job and his “friends”.
Makes me think of the fact that God sees and hears all.
We should ponder this when we speak out of turn. Can you imagine if God replied back and put us in our place?
Job and his friends do not clearly see God’s plan and they describe his intentions incorrectly. When we meditate on all that God has created, we have a better understanding of all the power, wisdom and knowledge he has but at the same time we can not totally fathom why he does things. But we can be assured that what he does is in man’s best interests. Psalms 8:4 what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?