"The Lord answering Job out of a whirlwind," by William Blake, 1805 (Morgan Library, New York)
Job 38 (New Living Translation)
One of my trusted advisers has suggested that I offer an abbreviated study on Job. So we will be looking at only 13 chapters of Job, instead of the full 42. It seems to me a merciful thing to do for you, my readers! (You are, of course, welcome to read the whole book on your own!)
The Lord Challenges Job
1Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 “Who is this that questions my wisdom
with such ignorant words?
3 Brace yourself like a man,
because I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
5 Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
6 What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
7 as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?
the Milky Way galaxy
Genesis 1:1 (New International Version)
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
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8 “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
as it burst from the womb,
9 and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?
10 For I locked it behind barred gates,
limiting its shores.
11 I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
Here your proud waves must stop!’
the Atlantic Ocean at Cocoa Beach, Florida
Genesis 1:9-10 (New International Version)
And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
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12 “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear
and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
13 Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,
to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
14 As the light approaches,
the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;
it is robed in brilliant colors.
15 The light disturbs the wicked
and stops the arm that is raised in violence.
sunrise over New York City
Genesis 1:14-18 (New International Version)
And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
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16 “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?
Have you explored their depths?
17 Do you know where the gates of death are located?
Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
18 Do you realize the extent of the earth?
Tell me about it if you know!
19 “Where does light come from,
and where does darkness go?
20 Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?
21 But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
and you are so very experienced!
Genesis 1:3-4 (New International Version)
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.
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22 “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of hail?
23 (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war.)
24 Where is the path to the source of light?
Where is the home of the east wind?
25 “Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?
Who laid out the path for the lightning?
26 Who makes the rain fall on barren land,
in a desert where no one lives?
27 Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground
and make the tender grass spring up?
Genesis 1:11-12 (New International Version)
Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
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28 “Does the rain have a father?
Who gives birth to the dew?
29 Who is the mother of the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
30 For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,
and the surface of the water freezes.
31 “Can you direct the movement of the stars—
binding the cluster of the Pleiades
or loosening the cords of Orion?
32 Can you direct the sequence of the seasons
or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?
the Pleiades
Genesis 1:16 (New International Version)
God also made the stars.
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33 Do you know the laws of the universe?
Can you use them to regulate the earth?
34 “Can you shout to the clouds
and make it rain?
35 Can you make lightning appear
and cause it to strike as you direct?
36 Who gives intuition to the heart
and instinct to the mind?
37 Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
38 when the parched ground is dry
and the soil has hardened into clods?
39 “Can you stalk prey for a lioness
and satisfy the young lions’ appetites
40 as they lie in their dens
or crouch in the thicket?
Genesis 1:24-25 (New International Version)
And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.
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41 Who provides food for the ravens
when their young cry out to God
and wander about in hunger?
raven and chicks at Yellowstone National Park
Genesis 1:20-21 (New International Version)
And God said, “Let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” So God created every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
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Music:
Steve Green and “Creation Sings.”
Creation sings the Father’s song
He calls the sun to wake the dawn
And run the course of day
‘Til evening falls in crimson rays
His fingerprints in flakes of snow
His breath upon this spinning globe
He charts the eagle’s flight
Commands the new born baby’s cryHallelujah, let all creation stand and sing
Hallelujah, fill the earth with songs of worship
Tell the wonders of creations’ KingCreation gazed upon His face
The ageless One in times’ embrace
Unveiled the Father’s plan
Of reconciling God and man
A second Adam walked the earth
Whose blameless life would break the curse
Whose death would set us free
To live with Him eternallyCreation longs for His return
When Christ shall reign upon the earth
The bitter wars that rage
Are birth pains of a coming age
When he renews the land and sky
All heav’n will sing and earth reply
With one resplendent theme
The glory of our God and KingFill the earth with songs of worship
Tell the wonders of creation’s King
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New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Images courtesy of:
Blake. http://en.wahooart.com/A55A04/w.nsf/OPRA/BRUE-8EWSDW/$File/WILLIAM-BLAKE-THE-LORD-ANSWERING-JOB-OUT-OF-THE-WHIRLWIND.JPG
Milky Way. http://static.ddmcdn.com/gif/milky-way-galaxy-400×360.jpg
Cocoa Beach. http://www.myplanetflorida.com/cocoa_beach.jpg
sunrise. http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_1vYYpDTtUVg/TSAK6nT_nuI/AAAAAAAAAFg/2ryDy-38klA/s1600/_41625134_nicoatridge_nysunr.jpg
candles. http://carolinemccain.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/light-dark-for-change-ability-tip-19.jpg
prairie grass. http://www.grahamenvironmental.com/images/prairie_grass.jpg
lioness and cubs. http://www.crownandandrews.com/HTMLFiles/14111_big.jpg
raven. http://www.andrewmerwinphoto.com/birds/raven&chicks.jpg
So inspiring! One of my favorite Scriptures. I’d never heard the song, Rebecca, but it was perfect for this passage. Thank you!