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Job 38-39

Thursday Evening Bible Study

July 23, 2015

Introduction

Job is going through the worst time anyone could imagine.

He’s lost all his possessions.

His children have died.

His health has failed.

What makes all this even more confusing is that Job is a good guy.

God has decided to allow Job to go through this difficulty because He is proud of Job, not mad at him.

God wants to show the world what a godly man will do when he is going through a difficult time.

Keep a couple of things in mind as we study Job:

Sometimes Job is wrong in his conclusions.

Sometimes Job’s friends are also wrong.

They can even say things that are true, but they are just not true about Job.

Be careful about building doctrine upon some of the things said in the book of Job.

Neither Job’s words nor those of his friends are meant to build doctrinal truths on.

They simply show us how people respond to difficulty.

After the first three friends spoke, a fourth person named Elihu got up to speak.

He was a little closer to the truth about Job, but not completely.

As Elihu was speaking, we could see a storm brewing as Elihu began to make more and more references to clouds, rain, hail, lightning, and thunder.

This week we hear from the main person – God speaks up.

38:1-11 Creation of the World

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

:1 from the whirlwind

whirlwind

The storm that Elihu has been describing is what God will speak from.

:1 the Lord answered Job

LORD – Yahweh – “the existing One”

This is God’s name. God’s name was used throughout chapters 1-2, but has only been used once since then (by Job in 12:9).

(Job 12:9 NKJV) Who among all these does not know

Job had earlier been complaining that God hasn’t been answering his calls:

(Job 13:22 NKJV) Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then You respond to me.

Now God has finally shown up to address Job.

Lesson

God is the answer

Warren Wiersbe writes,

The answer to Job’s problems was not an explanation about God, such as the three friends and Elihu had given, but a revelation of God. The four men had declared and defended the greatness of God but had failed to persuade Job. When God displayed His majesty and greatness, it humbled Job and brought him to the place of silent submission before God. That was the turning point.

Swiss psychologist Dr. Paul Tournier wrote “For God’s answer is not an idea, a proposition, like the conclusion of a theorem; it is Himself. He revealed Himself to Job; Job found personal contact with God.”

When God speaks, God doesn’t tell Job about the secret sin that he’s committed (which he hadn’t).

Instead, God is going to deal with Job’s complaining attitude about what has happened in his life.

God deals with the issue of His own fairness by simply reminding Job of just who He is.

I wonder if sometimes the answer we need is a little bigger than we think. I wonder if the answer we need is a bigger vision of who God is.

:2 “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

:2 words without knowledge

Lesson

Ignorant talk

God isn’t questioning Job’s integrity.

God is questioning Job’s ability to explain what has been going on.

Do you really know what you’re talking about?

I think that sometimes we have a confused idea of what we really know to be true. I think that sometimes we have a highly inflated view of how much we really know.

Warren Wiersbe writes,

Job thought he knew about God, but he didn’t realize how much he didn’t know about God. Knowledge of our own ignorance is the first step toward true wisdom.

:3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.

:3 I will question you

(Job 38:3 The Message) Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers.

God is going to ask Job 77 questions.

:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

:4 when I laid the foundations

I think that God would want to ask this question of more than just Job.

One of the great problems with man’s theories about the origin of the universe stem from the fact that man wasn’t there to observe it.

Illustration

A tour guide at dinosaur museum once stated that the dinosaur in front of them was two million and six years old. When asked how he knew such an exact age, he replied, “When I began working here, they told me it was two million years old. That was six years ago.”

We will talk more about dinosaurs next week.

It wouldn’t be surprising to think that when man chooses to reject the Bible as an accurate, credible book, even in terms of describing things like origins, that man would think up some amazing (and sometimes silly) possibilities.

The Bible itself records,

(Romans 1:20–22 NKJV) —20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, 21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools,

When man rejects God’s truth, he will find himself resorting to some silly (or, “foolish”) things.

:5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

:6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

:7 the morning stars sang together

The angels had already been created when God created the earth. They were there providing “background music” as God created.

You could make a case for saying that God seems to do His best work when there’s background music.

Lesson

Praise Him

We ought to consider learning how to praise and worship the Lord as He works.

(Psalm 22:3 NKJV) But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

God shows up and sits down when we praise Him.

:8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb;

:9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;

:10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;

:11 When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’

:11 This far you may come, but no farther

God designed the coastland. He set the boundaries on the ocean.

(Job 38:10–11 The Message) —10 Then I made a playpen for it, a strong playpen so it couldn’t run loose, 11 And said, ‘Stay here, this is your place. Your wild tantrums are confined to this place.’

38:12-24 Maker of Light

: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 ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it?

(Job 38:13 The Message) So you could seize Earth like a blanket and shake out the wicked like cockroaches?

:14 It takes on form like clay under a seal, And stands out like a garment.

:14 like clay under a seal

The shape or features of the earth slowly take shape as the sun rises and you can make shapes out of the darkness.

:15 From the wicked their light is withheld, And the upraised arm is broken.

:16 “Have you entered the springs of the sea? Or have you walked in search of the depths?

:16 the sea … the depths

Video: How Deep Is The Ocean?

That’s 6.8 miles (or, 36,200 ft). I can tell you that Job had not been there.

:17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?

:17 the gates of death

(Job 38:17 The Message) Do you know the first thing about death? Do you have one clue regarding death’s dark mysteries?

Lesson

Opinions don’t make it true

Or, just because you “think” it’s true doesn’t make it so.

Job has made some claims about death that have been untrue. You need to be careful about forming doctrines based on Job’s concept of death.

For example, there are some who teach a doctrine called “soul sleep” (Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7^th Day Adventists) that say that when a person dies, they go and sleep in the grave. They base some of their teaching on Job’s comments about death:

(Job 3:13 NKJV) For now I would have lain still and been quiet, I would have been asleep; Then I would have been at rest

But keep in mind, God is saying that Job doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes to death.

Jesus, on the other hand, does know all about death, since He Himself is God.

In Job’s day, all the dead went to a place called Sheol. There were two compartments in Sheol, the place for the wicked, and the place for the righteous.

Jesus described Sheol like this:

(Luke 16:19–31 NLT) —19 Jesus said, “There was a certain rich man who was splendidly clothed in purple and fine linen and who lived each day in luxury. 20 At his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus who was covered with sores. 21 As Lazarus lay there longing for scraps from the rich man’s table, the dogs would come and lick his open sores. 22 “Finally, the poor man died and was carried by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, 23 and his soul went to the place of the dead. There, in torment, he saw Abraham in the far distance with Lazarus at his side. 24 “The rich man shouted, ‘Father Abraham, have some pity! Send Lazarus over here to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue. I am in anguish in these flames.’ 25 “But Abraham said to him, ‘Son, remember that during your lifetime you had everything you wanted, and Lazarus had nothing. So now he is here being comforted, and you are in anguish. 26 And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ 27 “Then the rich man said, ‘Please, Father Abraham, at least send him to my father’s home. 28 For I have five brothers, and I want him to warn them so they don’t end up in this place of torment.’ 29 “But Abraham said, ‘Moses and the prophets have warned them. Your brothers can read what they wrote.’ 30 “The rich man replied, ‘No, Father Abraham! But if someone is sent to them from the dead, then they will repent of their sins and turn to God.’ 31 “But Abraham said, ‘If they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

There doesn’t seem to be much sleeping going on.

:18 Have you comprehended the breadth of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.

:19 “Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place,

:20 That you may take it to its territory, That you may know the paths to its home?

:21 Do you know it, because you were born then, Or because the number of your days is great?

:22 “Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail,

:23 Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?

:24 By what way is light diffused, Or the east wind scattered over the earth?

:23 For the day of battle

There would be a day when God would use hailstones to defeat Israel’s enemies. It was when Joshua fought a battle at Gibeon.

(Joshua 10:11 NKJV) And it happened, as they fled before Israel and were on the descent of Beth Horon, that the Lord cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died. There were more who died from the hailstones than the children of Israel killed with the sword.

:18 comprehended the breadth of the earth

God is going to be challenging the extent of Job’s knowledge by tossing out these gems about His Creation.

I’ve got some video clips from a DVD called “King of Creation” that give us glimpses of some of these things.

Video: King of Creation – “My Only Hope” (Job 38, Psalm 39)

38:25-38 Storms and Stars

:25 “Who has divided a channel for the overflowing water, Or a path for the thunderbolt,

:26 To cause it to rain on a land where there is no one, A wilderness in which there is no man;

Does Job understand why it rains in places where no one lives?

:27 To satisfy the desolate waste, And cause to spring forth the growth of tender grass?

:28 Has the rain a father? Or who has begotten the drops of dew?

:29 From whose womb comes the ice? And the frost of heaven, who gives it birth?

:30 The waters harden like stone, And the surface of the deep is frozen.

:31 “Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades, Or loose the belt of Orion?

:31 the Pleiades

A cluster of seven stars located in the constellation of Taurus

:31 Orion

This is a pretty prominent constellation visible throughout the world.

:32 Can you bring out Mazzaroth in its season? Or can you guide the Great Bear with its cubs?

:32 Mazzaroth – our pagan term for this is the “Zodiac”, but it’s the twelve constellations that show what month (“season”) it is.

:32 the Great Bear – ‘Ayish – Ursa Major; specifically the star Arcturus

Arcturus, fourth brightest star in the sky.

Arcturus is only about 40 light-years from our sun.

Arcturus is one of the first stars to have its actual motion in the sky detected, through comparisons with its relative position in ancient charts.

Some have called Arcturus the “runaway star” because of its motion. Interesting that God speaks of “guiding” it.

:33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you set their dominion over the earth?

:33 the ordinances of the heavens

I don’t think God is saying that the constellations control things on earth. That’s astrology, and God forbids that we participate in it.

God is talking about the laws of physics, how the stars in the universe are guided, how God rules over the universe.

(Job 38:33 NLT) Do you know the laws of the universe? Can you use them to regulate the earth?

Video: King of Creation – “The Heavens Declare” (Psalm 19, Is. 40, Ps. 147, Ps. 95, Job 26, Ps. 65)

:34 “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, That an abundance of water may cover you?

:35 Can you send out lightnings, that they may go, And say to you, ‘Here we are!’?

:35 you send out lightnings

I never imagined the lightning saying “Here we are!” to God.

(Job 38:35 NASB95) And say to you, ‘Here we are’?

When I read that this morning, I was reminded of a story,

Illustration

When a mother saw a thunderstorm forming in mid-afternoon, she worried about her seven-year-old daughter who would be walking the three blocks from school to home. Deciding to meet her, the mother saw her walking nonchalantly along, stopping to put a big smile on her face whenever lightning flashed. Spotting her mother, the little girl ran up to her. When the mother asked about the big smile every time the lightening flashed, the daughter explained enthusiastically, “All the way home, God’s been taking my picture!”

:36 Who has put wisdom in the mind? Or who has given understanding to the heart?

:37 Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven,

:38 When the dust hardens in clumps, And the clods cling together?

38:39-41 Lions and Ravens

: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 lurk in their lairs to lie in wait?

:41 Who provides food for the raven, When its young ones cry to God, And wander about for lack of food?

:41 Who provides food for the raven

God now challenges Job to think about what it takes to oversee and take care of His creation. (38:39 – 39:30)

Lesson

See it from God’s perspective

In a way, God is saying that Job ought to think about God’s capabilities, the kinds of things that God deals with.

Video: Bruce Almighty – Bruce Meets God

God’s not saying, “hey, cut me a break, you don’t know how tough it is to be God”.

Instead, the idea is that if Job could just begin to grasp the immense creation that God very capably manages, Job would realize that God is way bigger and smarter than Job is.

Perhaps God knows what He’s doing.

39:1-4 Mountain Goats

:1 “Do you know the time when the wild mountain goats bear young? Or can you mark when the deer gives birth?

:2 Can you number the months that they fulfill? Or do you know the time when they bear young?

:3 They bow down, They bring forth their young, They deliver their offspring.

:4 Their young ones are healthy, They grow strong with grain; They depart and do not return to them.

:4 Their young ones are healthy

Some animals are born and grow up on their own, without being cared for by their parents. How does an animal do that? How are they able to survive? Who takes care of them?

39:5-8 Wild Donkey

:5 “Who set the wild donkey free? Who loosed the bonds of the onager,

:5 the onager

The onager is a wild donkey that cannot be domesticated.

:6 Whose home I have made the wilderness, And the barren land his dwelling?

:7 He scorns the tumult of the city; He does not heed the shouts of the driver.

:8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, And he searches after every green thing.

39:9-12 Wild Ox

:9 “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger?

:9 the wild ox

wild ox – r@’em

The old King James translates this word “unicorn”.

Others suggest it’s some sort of wild ox that is now extinct.

The exact meaning is not known.

Some have suggested this could be the rhinoceros.

Apparently this animal was very powerful and not one that could be tamed.

:10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you?

:11 Will you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him?

:12 Will you trust him to bring home your grain, And gather it to your threshing floor?

If Job is unable to take domesticate or take care of these animals, then how does he qualify to be judging God?

39:13-18 Ostrich

:13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, But are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork’s?

:13 the ostrich

That great bird that has wings, but doesn’t fly. Yet it can run faster than a horse.

:14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground, And warms them in the dust;

:15 She forgets that a foot may crush them, Or that a wild beast may break them.

:14 leaves her eggs on the ground

The ostrich doesn’t have a very wise approach to laying eggs. Anyone can get to them.

:16 She treats her young harshly, as though they were not hers; Her labor is in vain, without concern,

:17 Because God deprived her of wisdom, And did not endow her with understanding.

:18 When she lifts herself on high, She scorns the horse and its rider.

:17 God deprived her of wisdom

How did the ostrich survive the evolutionary onslaught of time? How could be it survival of the fittest when it seems to be the dumbest?

39:19-25 War Horse

:19 “Have you given the horse strength? Have you clothed his neck with thunder?

:20 Can you frighten him like a locust? His majestic snorting strikes terror.

:19 given the horse strength

God is talking about war horses, not plow horses.

Video: War Horse Clip

:21 He paws in the valley, and rejoices in his strength; He gallops into the clash of arms.

:22 He mocks at fear, and is not frightened; Nor does he turn back from the sword.

:23 The quiver rattles against him, The glittering spear and javelin.

:24 He devours the distance with fierceness and rage; Nor does he come to a halt because the trumpet has sounded.

:25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, The thunder of captains and shouting.

:25 At the blast of the trumpet he says, ‘Aha!’

Horses are awesome animals. We could probably learn a lot from them.

39:26-30 Birds of prey

:26 “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, And spread its wings toward the south?

:26 …fly by your wisdom

God has built into birds some amazing things.

The Pacific Golden plover builds it’s nest in Alaska in the summertime. There it lays it’s eggs, hatches the eggs, then takes off into the Pacific ocean where it will fly for thousands of miles until it reaches Hawaii. It spends the winter in Hawaii before flying back to Alaska to lay more eggs. An amazing feat of navigational skill, to land in Hawaii. But even more interesting is that the babies are left behind by the parents in Alaska. When the babies get big enough, they start off for Hawaii on their own. Without their parents to show them the way. How do they find Hawaii? Amazing stuff.

:27 Does the eagle mount up at your command, And make its nest on high?

:28 On the rock it dwells and resides, On the crag of the rock and the stronghold.

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Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Target 3300 words Video = 75 wpm

Job is going through the worst time anyone could imagine.

He’s lost all his possessions.

His children have died.

His health has failed.

What makes all this even more confusing is that Job is a good guy.

God has decided to allow Job to go through this difficulty because He is proud of Job, not mad at him.

God wants to show the world what a godly man will do when he is going through a difficult time.

Keep a couple of things in mind as we study Job:

Sometimes Job is wrong in his conclusions.

Sometimes Job’s friends are also wrong.

They can even say things that are true, but they are just not true about Job.

Be careful about building doctrine upon some of the things said in the book of Job.

Neither Job’s words nor those of his friends are meant to build doctrinal truths on.

They simply show us how people respond to difficulty.

After the first three friends spoke, a fourth person named Elihu got up to speak.

He was a little closer to the truth about Job, but not completely.

As Elihu was speaking, we could see a storm brewing as Elihu began to make more and more references to clouds, rain, hail, lightning, and thunder.

This week we hear from the main person – God speaks up.

38:1-11 Creation of the World

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

:1 from the whirlwind

whirlwind – ca‘ar – tempest, storm, whirlwind; from ca‘ar – to storm, rage

The storm that Elihu has been describing is what God will speak from.

:1 the Lord answered Job

LORD – Yahweh – “the existing One”

This is God’s name. God’s name was used throughout chapters 1-2, but has only been used once since then (by Job in 12:9).

(Job 12:9 NKJV) Who among all these does not know That the hand of the Lord has done this,

Job had earlier been complaining that God hasn’t been answering his calls:

(Job 13:22 NKJV) Then call, and I will answer; Or let me speak, then You respond to me.

Now God has finally shown up to address Job.

Lesson

God is the answer

Warren Wiersbe writes,

Swiss psychologist Dr. Paul Tournier wrote in his book Guilt and Grace (Harper & Row, p. 86), “For God’s answer is not an idea, a proposition, like the conclusion of a theorem; it is Himself. He revealed Himself to Job; Job found personal contact with God.”

When God speaks, God doesn’t tell Job about the secret sin that he’s committed (which he hadn’t).

Instead, God is going to deal with Job’s complaining attitude about what has happened in his life.

God deals with the issue of His own fairness by simply reminding Job of just who He is.

I wonder if sometimes the answer we need is a little bigger than we think. I wonder if the answer we need is a bigger vision of who God is.

:2 “Who is this who darkens counsel By words without knowledge?

:2 words without knowledge

Lesson

Ignorant talk

God isn’t questioning Job’s integrity.

God is questioning Job’s ability to explain what has been going on.

Do you really know what you’re talking about?

I think that sometimes we have a confused idea of what we really know to be true. I think that sometimes we have a highly inflated view of how much we really know.

Warren Wiersbe writes,

Job thought he knew about God, but he didn’t realize how much he didn’t know about God. Knowledge of our own ignorance is the first step toward true wisdom.

:3 Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me.

:3 I will question you

(Job 38:3 The Message) Pull yourself together, Job! Up on your feet! Stand tall! I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers.

God is going to ask Job 77 questions.

:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding.

:4 when I laid the foundations

I think that God would want to ask this question of more than just Job.

One of the great problems with man’s theories about the origin of the universe stem from the fact that man wasn’t there to observe it.

Illustration

A tour guide at dinosaur museum once stated that the dinosaur in front of them was two million and six years old. When asked how he knew such an exact age, he replied, “When I began working here, they told me it was two million years old. That was six years ago.”

We will talk more about dinosaurs next week.

It wouldn’t be surprising to think that when man chooses to reject the Bible as an accurate, credible book, even in terms of describing things like origins, that man would think up some amazing (and sometimes silly) possibilities.

The Bible itself records,

When man rejects God’s truth, he will find himself resorting to some silly (or, “foolish”) things.

:5 Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it?

:6 To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone,

:7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

:7 the morning stars sang together

The angels had already been created when God created the earth. They were there providing “background music” as God created.

You could make a case for saying that God seems to do His best work when there’s background music.

Lesson

Praise Him

We ought to consider learning how to praise and worship the Lord as He works.

(Psalm 22:3 NKJV) But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises of Israel.

:8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth and issued from the womb;

:9 When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band;

:10 When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars and doors;

:11 When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’

:11 This far you may come, but no farther

whirlwind

(Job 12:9 NKJV) Who among all these does not know

Swiss psychologist Dr. Paul Tournier wrote “For God’s answer is not an idea, a proposition, like the conclusion of a theorem; it is Himself. He revealed Himself to Job; Job found personal contact with God.”

For example, there are some who teach a doctrine called “soul sleep” (Jehovah’s Witnesses, 7^th Day Adventists) that say that when a person dies, they go and sleep in the grave. They base some of their teaching on Job’s comments about death: