JOB LESSON 37


     We will begin this lesson in Job 38:1 "Then the LORD answered Job
out of the whirlwind, and said,"

     Elihu and Job's three friends had greatly disputed with Job.
Notice, God spoke to Job. God can be in any thing He desires to be.
A whirlwind was probably, used here, because of the great confusion.
Now, God spoke out of this confusion and settled it all.

     Job 38:2 "Who [is] this that darkeneth counsel by words without
knowledge?"

     God did not recognize Elihu or Job's three friends. He would not
allow them to speak for Him. Their counsel had been no good at all.
They had hurt, instead of helped.

     Job 38:3 "Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of
thee, and answer thou me."

     God, in this, was speaking as if Elihu was less than a man. These
were the same questions that Elihu had asked Job. Now, God demanded
Elihu to answer the same questions. If he knew God better than Job,
then he could answer the questions He posed.

     Job 38:4 "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the
earth? declare, if thou hast understanding."

     What right did Elihu have to ask Job this, since he was not there
when God created the earth? Of course, he could not answer, because he
did not have understanding.

     Job 38:5 "Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or
who hath stretched the line upon it?"

     I think, in all of this, God had waited patiently and allowed
them to say all of these things to Job, and He finally had enough.
Elihu had claimed to be speaking for God. God did not even recognize
Elihu at all.

     Job 38:6 "Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who
laid the corner stone thereof;"

     Of course, in all of this, we know that it was God. Elihu did not
have any idea, any more than anyone else. This is that lesson that we
must not correct others on things we know nothing of ourselves.

     Job 38:7 "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons
of God shouted for joy?"

     The "sons of God", in this verse, were, probably, speaking of the
angels. It appears, that they were some of the first of the creations.
We do know that the heavens were created before the earth. It speaks
of this in Genesis chapter 1. In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth.

     Job 38:8 "Or [who] shut up the sea with doors, when it brake
forth, [as if] it had issued out of the womb?"

     God put boundaries upon the water, so it would not cover the
land, unless He commanded it. The seas breaking forth from the womb
speaks of its birth. God gave everything the possibility to be, when
He created them. The seas were no exception.

     Job 38:9 "When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick
darkness a swaddlingband for it,"

     Perhaps, the wording here of the clouds pertaining to the sea,
shows the sea's dependence on God. Actually, the seas, and the sun,
and the clouds all work together to bring rain to the earth.

     Job 38:10 "And brake up for it my decreed [place], and set bars
and doors," Job 38:11 "And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no
further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?"

     Even the sea is controlled by the laws of nature that God set
into motion. Only at the command of God are the seas allowed to go
beyond their original boundaries.

     Job 38:12 "Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; [and]
caused the dayspring to know his place;"

     God is going from one thing in creation to the other, and
explaining that mere man had nothing to do with creating any of it.
Not only did man have nothing to do with creating all of this, but was
not even there when it was created. Man cannot speak of things of
nature with knowledge then. God caused the separation of light, which
causes day and night. Day springs forth each morning, and none of us
understand exactly why.

     Job 38:13 "That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that
the wicked might be shaken out of it?"

     Day seems to spring all at once as far as you can see. Those who
love darkness of night to commit their sins in, are shocked by the
suddenness of the morning.

     Job 38:14 "It is turned as clay [to] the seal; and they stand as
a garment."

     This, perhaps, is speaking of a seal such as a stamp of
government. It seems to be just a clump of moist clay, until the
design of the stamp is placed upon it. Perhaps, this is connected with
the darkness before the dawn. In the dark, it is difficult to make
things out. When dawn comes, we see designs in everything. A garment
is but a shadow in the dark, but we can see it clearly when the sun
comes up.

     Job 38:15 "And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the
high arm shall be broken."

     The wicked like the darkness better than they do the light. They
can raise their arm against others in the dark without being found
out. When the sun rises, it is as if their arm is broken, because it
is useless to attack others with in the day.

     Job 38:16 "Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast
thou walked in the search of the depth?"

     God was asking this Elihu who had bragged of his knowledge, if he
knew where the sea began?

     Job 38:17 "Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast
thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?"

     He had not experienced death, so he knew nothing of that either.
Notice, the "gates of death been opened". A person cannot even die,
unless God opens death to him.

     Job 38:18 "Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare
if thou knowest it all."

     The answer of this is no. Men have a little better way of
discovering all of this today than in the time of Job. Even now, there
are many mysteries pertaining to all of this. At first, people thought
that the earth was flat. Then, they thought it was round. Now they say
it is not exactly round, but a little more oval. Man really knows very
little even today.

     Job 38:19 "Where [is] the way [where] light dwelleth? and [as
for] darkness, where [is] the place thereof,"

     This is not speaking of the sun and moon. This is speaking of the
source of all light. The One we call Jesus Christ is that Light.
Darkness is the absence of Light. We would be hard pressed to
determine where that Light originated and so would Job, Elihu, or
Job's friends.

     Job 38:20 "That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and
that thou shouldest know the paths [to] the house thereof?"

     We are told to walk in the Light, as He is in the Light. The only
way to find that path, is to fix our eyes on the Light {Jesus Christ}.
We must walk toward Him to stay in the path of Light. We do not know
where it begins.

     Job 38:21 "Knowest thou [it], because thou wast then born? or
[because] the number of thy days [is] great?"

     This particular source of all light is the Light of Jesus. It
gave everything and everyone the power to be. It is eternal. The Light
is the beginning and the ending. You could have been born thousands of
years ago, and yet not been there when Light began.

     Job 38:22 "Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or
hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,"

     This just shows that only God knows the exact source of the snow
or hail.

     Job 38:23 "Which I have reserved against the time of trouble,
against the day of battle and war?"

     In several instances in the Bible, large hail came on the enemies
of God in battle.

     Job 38:24 "By what way is the light parted, [which] scattereth
the east wind upon the earth?"

     This is asking for an explanation of the planning of God, which
is an impossibility to mere man. Thousands of years later, we still do
not know these secrets of God.

     Job 38:25 "Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of
waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;"

     The answer is that God made all of this. The rivers flow into the
ocean, and the ocean seems to never be too full.

     Job 38:26 "To cause it to rain on the earth, [where] no man [is;
on] the wilderness, wherein [there is] no man;" Job 38:27 "To satisfy
the desolate and waste [ground]; and to cause the bud of the tender
herb to spring forth?"

     God sustains these places. Someday, someone will live there, and
wonder where the wild flowers came from. This is the way God had of
caring for the things He created.

     Job 38:28 "Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops
of dew?"

     Mankind has no idea how rain came into existence. Yes, the rain
has a Father. He is a heavenly Father.

     Job 38:29 "Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of
heaven, who hath gendered it?"

     We all know that water can be changed to ice by drastically
reducing the temperature where the water is. We do not understand why
this happens though. Some things are left to the mystery of God.

     Job 38:30 "The waters are hid as [with] a stone, and the face of
the deep is frozen."

     This is speaking of the water being frozen over. When it turns to
ice, it is as if the water is gone.

     Job 38:31 "Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or
loose the bands of Orion?"

     About all we, or anyone else, could do would be to look at this
through a telescope and admire it. Our knowledge of any more about
them is very limited. There seems to be something that holds the stars
in these groups together, but no one can cause them to come any closer
than they already are.

     Job 38:32 "Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or
canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?"

     This is speaking of some constellations that are not as familiar
as Pleiades and Orion.

     Job 38:33 "Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set
the dominion thereof in the earth?"

     The laws of nature that God put into motion are understood to
some extent by knowledgable man. There is no way that any of us could
ever understand how God formed the universe. We certainly know very
little about the heavens. Even the fact that God set the earth out
into the open air, and told it to remain in place, is a mystery to me.

     Job 38:34 "Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that
abundance of waters may cover thee?"

     We cannot call down rain from heaven, unless it is the will of
God.

     Job 38:35 "Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say
unto thee, Here we [are]?"

     Lightning is one of the most mysterious of all things of God.
Man has discovered how to use the power of electricity, but even the
source would be hard to explain. When I see lightning in the sky, it
reminds me of the magnitude of God.

     Job 38:36 "Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath
given understanding to the heart?"

     Wisdom is a gift from God. The understanding of man comes from
the Holy Spirit of God teaching and guiding.

     Job 38:37 "Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay
the bottles of heaven,"

     With all of the powerful telescopes that we have today, we are
still not able to find the end of the universe. Every time the
scientists believe they have counted the stars in the sky, they find a
few more they forgot to count. The clouds heavy with rain only drop
their rain, where God commands them to.

     Job 38:38 "When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods
cleave fast together?"

     This is speaking of a drouth and famine.

     Job 38:39 "Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the
appetite of the young lions,"

     Man does not go out into the wilderness where the lion lives, to
make sure that he has food and water. God takes care of the animals
needs, like He takes care of the needs of man. One of the most
beautiful parts of creation is that God prepared the earth and
everything on it, for the use of man, and then He made man. He
provided for man, before He even made him.

     Job 38:40 "When they couch in [their] dens, [and] abide in the
covert to lie in wait?"

     Even the place where the lions hide away is a habitat that God
arranged for them. God did not overlook anything in His creation. God
taught the lion to couch in the den, and to lie in wait for its prey.
God built the earth balanced. Each thing helped something else. In our
world today, man is about to destroy the balance of nature.

     Job 38:41 "Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young
ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat."

     Man does not care for the need of the raven, nor does he really
care they are in need. Only God hears and understands the cry of the
raven. One of the things we should have learned in this lesson, is the
care and planning that God went to, to establish the world as we know
it, for the use of man.





















                           Job 37 Questions


1.  The voice of God came to Job out of the _________.
2.  Why did He choose that?
3.  God did not recognize _________ or _____ ______ _______.
4.  Elihu was less than a _______ in God's sight.
5.  What would God demand of Elihu?
6.  What was God's first question in verse 4?
7.  What could Elihu answer to God?
8.  Who were the "sons of God" in verse 7?
9.  God put ___________ upon the waters.
10. When would be the only time they could get out of those
    boundaries?
11. Even the sea is controlled by the _______ of _______.
12. Why do the wicked love darkness?
13. What is the clay in verse 14?
14. What is unusual about death in verse 17?
15. At first people thought the earth was ______.
16. Then, men thought it to be _________.
17. What is verse 19 speaking of?
18. We are told to walk in the _______, as He is in the ________.
19. What is the source of all Light?
20. What did God say He reserved hail for?
21. Why does it rain where no man is?
22. Hath the rain a Father?
23. What is verse 30 speaking of?
24. What are Pleiades, Orion, Mazzaroth, and Arcturus?
25. What does lightning in the sky remind the author of?
26. Wisdom is a gift from _______.
27. Where does man's understanding come from?
28. How many stars are there in the sky?
29. Who cares for the lion and the raven?
30. God built the earth _________.
31. What should we have learned in this lesson?