Posted on 01/10/2011 3:07:19 PM PST by Jo Nuvark
JOB 38
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind and said: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for actiona like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon 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 shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?
“Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken.
“Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.
“Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and where is the place of darkness, that you may take it to its territory and that you may 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, or have you seen the storehouses of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war? What is the way to the place where the light is distributed, or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?
“Who has cleft a channel for the torrents of rain and a way for the thunderbolt, to bring rain on a land where no man is, on the desert in which there is no man, to satisfy the waste and desolate land, and to make the ground sprout with grass?
“Has the rain a father, or who has begotten the drops of dew? From whose womb did the ice come forth, and who has given birth to the frost of heaven? The waters become hard like stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
“Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion? Can you lead forth the Mazzarothb in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?
“Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, that a flood of waters may cover you? Can you send forth lightnings, that they may go and say to you, ‘Here we are’? Who has put wisdom in the inward partsc or given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together?
“Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?
A Stone of Remembrance that [... GOD IS ...] PING!
We worship the God that creates everything out of nothing! How cool is that.
For good reason, there are no words to describe
how “cool” our God is. He is obvious, (like the
sun) ... yet all that exists proclaims Him.
Amen brothers.
Praise Him!
THX THX.
Ah, but God restored Job’s fortunes plus more. It was a test and he passed. Life is a test, or a rehearsal for eternity.
Soooo,,If God killed your children,,but gave you more,,youd be happy? Sorry That sounds like someone I wouldnt want to worship,,,
My thinking on that is that God is God. We don’t get to choose what sort of god God will be. He is Who He is. As for us humans, we tend to view everything from our own perspective, as if God exists for us rather than us existing for God. My belief is that God created us for His pleasure, not so much ours. Our pleasure should come in worshiping Him— not because He forces us to, but of our own free will. When we begin to realize this, at least this has been my experience, our lives become more centered and peaceful. Just my 2 cents— worth what you paid for it...
Thanks for the ping!
A bit hurtful comment to a mom who lost her child. It was the death of my child that brought me to the low point in my “self-directed” life. That is what allowed me to seek the God of all answers. When everything is lost there is only One place to go. My prayer for you is that you will somehow experience the joy of finding the Almighty God of life who loves you beyond what you can imagine. All He ever asks is that you love Him back and let Him lead the way. Therein lies peace.
Very good analysis of the passage NC. Incidentally, Job is one of my favorite books of the Bible and that passage is especially powerful.
I do believe in God,Im a pastor,but im saying I struggle with the book of Job and dont like the fact that God uses Job to win a bet with the Devil.I see the book of Job more as a book showing us how wrong we are trying to find reasons for our misfortune,,Look at Jobs friends,,all of them gave biblical responses but all of them were wrong.Just as so many pastors,teachers,and we ourselves try to fing reasons for our troubles.But to win a bet with the devil?Which is what it boils down too,,is wrong in my thinking.
And thats my 2 cents lol
FWIW, I studied Job in the Hebrew and wrote a major paper on it. The opening scene is very ancient and is probably based on oral tradition. The “wager’ never colored my love of the book. The friends came up with all of the answers that we human beings can come up with as to why bad things happen to good people, all of them wrong. Elihu is the interesting one. His speech is almost word for word the same as God’s. The answer is that God knows and we don’t, trust Him. Job said that he had heard about God with his ears, but “now my eyes see you.” He finally came to a clear vision after God explained things to him. Having experienced that moment of “Oh, now I see!” I understand it, and I suspect that you do too. Peace
We all die(our bodies) anyway. Of course until the second coming. The soul is more important than the human body at least we see this all through scripture.
1 Corinthians 2:9 “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”[b]— the things God has prepared for those who Love Him—"
Also remember the mind of God.
1 Corinthian 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words.[c] 14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. 15 The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, 16 for,
“Who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?”[d]
But we have the mind of Christ.
So we have to remember we are in the mind of Christ. Father knows best.
Remember God's true love. He showed how much he loved us. He spread his arms wide towards you for an eternal hug by spreading them on wood for you. There is no greater love than to die for another as Christ reminds us.
May 2 Peter 3:18 Always!
Praise Jesus! AMEN!
Job is one of my favorite books. It shows that none of us should ever count ourselves as anything but dust.
Thanks for the ping/post; thread. Fascinating.
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