Bible Commentaries
Job 38

Verses 1-41

God Reveals Himself to Job by His Creation Did not Job believe God heard his prayers in the midst of his prosperity? How much more should God hear him in the midst of his suffering? In a mighty display of nature’s energy, a whirlwind approaches Job, and a divine voice begins to come forth and speak to Job. God now reveals His true character to Job because his friends had misrepresented Him. He reveals Himself as the omnipotent Creator of the universe, who daily watches over each aspect of His creatures with love and concern through His omniscience and omnipresence. More specifically, God reveals that He alone is just and Job and all of mankind are in need of redemption through faith in God. In man’s fallen condition since the Garden of Eden, all of creation has been made subject to vanity and endures suffering. God will now lead Job into an act of intercession for his friends in order to receive his own deliverance as a testimony that man will have to redeem himself. Yet, what man is qualified to redeem mankind? Job will understand that it must be a man, a man who was righteous before God, a man who must suffer, a man who must be an intercessor, that will redeem mankind. The fullness of this revelation will come at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ, when God Himself becomes a man to redeem His people, and with it, all of creation.

We find a similar passage of Scripture in Isaiah 40:12 to Isaiah 41:29, where God challenges backslidden Israel to produce her reasons for trusting in idols (Job 41:21). In a similar manner God reveals to Israel her frailty and weakness in the midst of His majestic creation that reveals Him as the divine creator of all things.

Here is a proposed outline:

God’s First Speech Job 38:1 to Job 40:2

Job’s Reply Job 40:3-5

God’s Second Speech Job 40:6 to Job 41:34

Job’s Reply Job 42:1-6

Job 38:1 to Job 42:6 God Reveals Himself to Job by His Creation (The Purpose of the Sciences and Art) The Lord spoke to me this morning and said that the sciences and arts are an expression of God’s divine nature. God reveals His divine nature through His creation (Job 38-41), and the sciences are the tools that mankind uses to explore His creation. The arts are an expression of man’s heart and emotions, and when the Spirit of God is allowed to inspire mankind, he speaks in poetry and song, in paintings and other works of art. (March 24, 2009)

Job 38:1 to Job 40:2 God’s First Speech to Job: The Story of His Creation In Job 38:1 to Job 40:2 God delivers His first speech to Job. The story of creation recorded in Job 38:1 to Job 40:2 serves as a testimony to Job of God’s divine attributes. In this passage of Scripture the Lord revealed to Job His omnipotence, His omniscience, His omnipresence, and His infinite wisdom and power over all of His creation. He reveals to Job the fact that He daily oversees the activities of His creation. God’s description of creating the heavens and earth in Job 38:4-38 reveals His omnipotence. His description of overseeing and sustaining His creatures reveals His omniscience and omnipresence.

In the study of the Holy Scriptures we discover a number of passages revealing the events in the Story of Creation. For example, we have the testimony of the Father’s role in Genesis 1:1 to Genesis 2:4 as the One who has planned and foreknown all things in His creation. We also have the testimony of the Jesus Christ the Son’s role in creation recorded John 1:1-14, who is the Word of God through whom all things were created. In Proverbs 8:22-31 we have the testimony of the Holy Spirit’s role in creation as the Wisdom and Power of God. 2 Peter 3:5-7 refers to the story of creation with emphasis upon God’s pending destruction of all things in order to judge the sins of mankind. Hebrews 11:3 tells us how it is by faith that we understand how the world was created by the Word of God. Another passage of Scripture that reveals the story of Creation is found in Job 38:1 to Job 40:2, where the wisdom and majesty of God Almighty are revealed by describing the details of how His creation came into existence. We can find other brief references to the creation of the earth throughout the Scriptures, such as Psalms 104:0 and many other individual verses.

Here is a proposed summary of Job 38:1 to Job 40:2:

God Asks Job for Dialogue Job 38:1-3

God As Creator of the Earth Job 38:4-38

God Created the Earth Job 38:4-7

God Created the Seas Job 38:8-11

God Created Day and Night Job 38:12-15

The Depths and Breath of the Sea & Earth Job 38:16-18

God Created Light and Darkness Job 38:19-21

God Created Snow and Ice Job 38:22-30

God Created the Stars & Constellations Job 38:31-33

God Created the Clouds Job 38:34-38

God As Sustainer of Life on the Earth Job 38:39 to Job 39:30

God Sustains the Lion Job 38:39-40

God Sustains the Raven Job 38:41

God Sustains the Wild Goats & Deer Job 39:1-4

God Sustains the Wild Donkey Job 39:5-8

God Sustains the Wild Ox Job 39:9-12

God Sustains the Ostrich Job 39:13-18

God Sustains the Horse Job 39:19-25

God Sustains the Hawk & Eagle Job 39:26-30

God Concludes His First Speech Job 40:1-2

Verses 39-41

God As Sustainer of Life on the Earth - In Job 38:39 to Job 39:30 God reveals Himself as the sustainer of all life on earth. Here is a proposed outline of this passage:

God Sustains the Lion Job 38:39-40

God Sustains the Raven Job 38:41

God Sustains the Wild Goats & Deer Job 39:1-4

God Sustains the Wild Donkey Job 39:5-8

God Sustains the Wild Ox Job 39:9-12

God Sustains the Ostrich Job 39:13-18

God Sustains the Horse Job 39:19-25

God Sustains the Hawk & Eagle Job 39:26-30

In this passage of Scripture God will describe the mysteries of nature. Modern science explains animal behaviour as an instinct with which all animals have at birth. Others call these mysteries “Mother Nature.” Actually, God is directing each animal’s behaviour upon earth.

Illustration - As young boys roaming the woods in Florida, we found a bird's nest with three small birds in it. It seems that they were either young mocking birds or blue jays. In our excitement we snatched them out of their nest and took them home to feed and raise them ourselves. Kids love pets. All three of us worked to feed them. Ants crawled on them. Then, Mom came and tried to help us out. Yet the four of us were not able to raise those three small birds. Unfortunately, these small birds died. God had equipped one little mother bird to do what three boys and a mom could not do.