Job 38

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

Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?

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

Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.

Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?

Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?

When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,

And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,

And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?

Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;

That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?

It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.

And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.

Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?

Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?

Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,

That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?

Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?

Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,

Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?

By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?

Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;

To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;

To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?

Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?

The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?

Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?

Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?

Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?

Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?

Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?

Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,

When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?

Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,

When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?

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

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Job 38:6

“Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;”

Study Summary

God asks '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?' introducing a note of cosmic celebration in creation. This verse adds a remarkable dimension to the creation account: the physical creation was accompanied by cosmic celebration, with morning stars singing and divine beings shouting in joy. The image of cosmic celebration suggests that creation was good and was recognized as good even by those heavenly beings present. God's question positions Job as excluded from this cosmic celebration, suggesting that Job's suffering, which leads him to question creation, stands outside the context of joy in which creation itself was established. The morning stars and divine beings are witnesses to creation's goodness; Job, by contrast, experiences only suffering. Yet the question also raises something profound: if creation was accompanied by such celebration, how is the present cosmos compatible with that original joy? How did a creation received with such celebration become a cosmos in which innocent people suffer?

Community Reflections

wJLrXXCmgFEEhqAcuusYmLp fJOmHAIFbPYmnreheyA (test user)1d ago

The role of community — Job 38

The early church would have heard this very differently than we do today. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. The promise here is not conditional on our strength but on His character.. His timing, His methods, His purposes — all beyond our comprehension, yet perfectly good.. The thread of covenant runs through every book of the Bible.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. Their context of persecution gives these words a weight we often miss.. When we read this alongside the surrounding chapters, the narrative arc becomes clear: God is always working redemption, even in the darkest moments.. God is faithful in every circumstance.. God is faithful in…

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