I shall ask you, and you inform Me!

Job 38 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

Then the Lord answered Job from the whirlwind and said,

² “Who is this who darkens the divine plan By words without knowledge?
³ Now tighten the belt on your waist like a man, And I shall ask you, and you inform Me! ⁴ Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, ⁵ Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the measuring line over it? ⁶ On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷ When the morning stars sang together
And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

⁸ “Or who enclosed the sea with doors When it went out from the womb, bursting forth; ⁹ When I made a cloud its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling bands, ¹⁰ And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors,
¹¹ And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther;
And here your proud waves shall stop’?

¹² “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And made the dawn know its place, ¹³ So that it would take hold of the ends of the earth,
And the wicked would be shaken off from it? ¹⁴ It is changed like clay under the seal; And they stand out like a garment. ¹⁵ Their light is withheld from the wicked, And the uplifted arm is broken.

¹⁶ “Have you entered the springs of the sea, And walked in the depth of the ocean? ¹⁷ Have the gates of death been revealed to you, And have you seen the gates of deep darkness? ¹⁸ Have you understood the expanse 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 would take it to its territory, And discern the paths to its home? ²¹ You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great! ²² Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, And have you seen the storehouses of the hail, ²³ Which I have reserved for a time of distress, For a day of war and battle? ²⁴ Where is the way that the light is divided, And the east wind scattered on the earth?

²⁵ “Who has split open a channel for the flood, And a way for the thunderbolt, ²⁶ To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a person in it, ²⁷ To satisfy the waste and desolate land, And to make the seeds of grass to sprout? ²⁸ Does the rain have a father? Or who has fathered the drops of dew? ²⁹ From whose womb has come the ice?
And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth? ³⁰ Water becomes hard like stone, And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.

³¹ “Can you tie up the chains of the Pleiades, Or untie the cords of Orion?
³² Can you bring out a constellation in its season, And guide the Bear with her satellites? ³³ Do you know the ordinances of the heavens,
Or do you establish their rule over the earth?

³⁴ “Can you raise your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you? ³⁵ Can you send flashes of lightning, so that they may go
And say to you, ‘Here we are’? ³⁶ Who has put wisdom in the innermost being, Or given understanding to the mind? ³⁷ Who can count the clouds by wisdom, And pour out the water jars of the heavens, ³⁸ When the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together?

³⁹ “Can you hunt the prey for the lioness, Or satisfy the appetite of young lions, ⁴⁰ When they crouch in their hiding places, And lie in wait in their lair?
⁴¹ Who prepares feed for the raven When its young cry to God, And wander about without food?

Psalm 14: 1 says: The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Today’s text, when God confronts Job, is one of my favorite portions of scripture. I think of it often when people try to profess their wisdom and knowledge. God begins saying: “Who is this who darkens the divine plan By words without knowledge? Now tighten the belt on your waist like a man, And I shall ask you, and you inform Me! Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the measuring line over it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who enclosed the sea with doors When it went out from the womb, bursting forth; When I made a cloud its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling bands, And I placed boundaries on it And set a bolt and doors, And I said, ‘As far as this point you shall come, but no farther; And here your proud waves shall stop’?”  Just because we have a greater understanding than Job, does not mean that the God of creation could not confront and ask unanswerable questions, even of our most knowledgeable scientists. Even with the thousands of years of accumulated knowledge, perhaps the greatest discovery of science is how much they still don’t know.

God continues: “Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And made the dawn know its place, So that it would take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked would be shaken off from it? It is changed like clay under the seal; And they stand out like a garment. Their light is withheld from the wicked, And the uplifted arm is broken. Have you entered the springs of the sea, And walked in the depth of the ocean? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, And have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you understood the expanse of the earth? Tell Me, if you know all this.”  We may have greater understanding of the how and the why, but we still are merely subject to the natural order that God has established. While we have journeyed and seen into the heavens, there is still much of it, and the expanse of the earth and the depths of the ocean that remains a mystery.

God continues: “Where is the way to the dwelling of light? And darkness, where is its place, That you would take it to its territory, And discern the paths to its home? You know, for you were born then, And the number of your days is great! Have you entered the storehouses of the snow, And have you seen the storehouses of the hail, Which I have reserved for a time of distress, For a day of war and battle? Where is the way that the light is divided, And the east wind scattered on the earth? Who has split open a channel for the flood, And a way for the thunderbolt, To bring rain on a land without people, On a desert without a person in it, To satisfy the waste and desolate land, And to make the seeds of grass to sprout? Does the rain have a father? Or who has fathered the drops of dew? From whose womb has come the ice? And the frost of heaven, who has given it birth? Water becomes hard like stone, And the surface of the deep is imprisoned.” With all their knowledge and technology, sometimes our meteorologists would be better served to look out the window than at their computer models. Often, they are relegated to reporting about the weather rather than predicting it. Even when we can forecast what will happen, we are still unable to change or affect it. Again, we are merely subject to what God has put in place, and if we are subject to creation, then surely we are subject to the creator.

The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Romans 1:18-22 says: The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, that is, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, being understood by what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their reasonings, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools. On the other hand, rather than wrath, Romans 5:8 says: But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Philippians 2:10-11 says: At the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.If anyone is not ready or able to stand before God and answer Him, then perhaps now is the time to bow and confess that Jesus is Lord.

Our Father in heaven, God of creation, Hallowed be Your name. May Your kingdom come and Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. May the uncontrollable mysteries of earth be aligned to the realities of heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. You are what we need each day. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. Thank You for Your demonstration of love in the cross of Your Son. And do not lead us into temptation, But Your Holy Spirit, deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.