God asks 'Can you raise your voice to the clouds, that abundance of water may cover you?' asking whether Job can command the weather to provide for himself. The question about raising one's voice to clouds suggests that communication with natural forces or their manipulation requires power that Job does not possess. The appeal to commanding abundance of water for oneself suggests that Job cannot ensure his own provision through natural phenomena. Job's dependence on weather and divine provision, his inability to command natural forces to serve his purposes, establishes his fundamental dependence. Yet the question also carries an implicit critique: Job complains to God (raises his voice to God), yet lacks the power that would justify such complaint. The questions suggest that complaint presupposes a kind of equality or standing that Job does not actually possess relative to God.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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