Daily Bible Reading
Job 38
1 Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?
3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,
11 And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
12 Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;
13 That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?
14 It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment.
15 And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.
16 Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?
17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
18 Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.
19 Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,
20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?
21 Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?
22 Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,
23 Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?
24 By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?
25 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;
26 To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
27 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?
28 Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?
29 Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?
30 The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.
31 Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?
32 Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?
33 Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?
34 Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
35 Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are?
36 Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?
37 Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,
38 When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?
39 Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,
40 When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?
41 Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.
Job 39
1 Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.
4 Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.
5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.
7 He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.
8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.
9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?
10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?
12 Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?
13 Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,
15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.
16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not her’s: her labour is in vain without fear;
17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
18 What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.
19 Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
22 He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.
23 The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
25 He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
26 Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?
27 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?
28 She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
29 From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
30 Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.
Daily Devotion
God appeared or manifested Himself many times in a whirlwind. God appeared to Ezekiel in a whirlwind (Ezekiel 1:4). His coming is like a whirlwind (Jeremiah 4:13 and 23:19). God’s presence is in the whirlwind in Psalm 77:18. The whirlwind represents the majestic, sovereign power and nature of God that cannot be controlled or opposed. I think it is interesting that God came in a whirlwind when it was a great wind that killed all Job’s children.
God challenged Job to equip or brace himself like a man; for I will demand of thee and answer thou me. God was telling Job to quit feeling sorry for himself. To stand up out of the ashes and face Him like an adult. I Corinthians 16:13 tells us we should: be on guard. Stand firm in the faith. Act like [mature] men and be courageous; be strong. This is how we should face our trials and tribulations. No pity parties. Be strong and courageous. Stand firm in your faith in God, respecting His precepts and keeping your doctrine sound.
God did not prove Job’s arguments right or explain the reason for Job’s troubles. Job’s friends, such as they were, wanted God to tell Job all the sins he committed that caused the punishment. God rebukes Job for talking about things that he doesn’t know anything about. Job was saying, “I wish that I were dead, where all is silent, where there is no memory, where there is no thought. Where man is at rest, where everything is at peace.” And God said, “Job, have you been there? You’re talking about these things, but you don’t know anything about them.” God told Job he was talking about things only God understands.
He humbled Job by asking him questions no man could answer. The Lord asks Job if he knows how creation was established and if he has the knowledge or ability to govern it or to shape the lives of its wonderful variety of creatures. God is pointing out that Job knows so little about nature. “Job, where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? What did I fasten the foundations upon? Who put the bounds for the seas.” God did not expect Job or his friends to know what they could not know. He expected them to realize that there were things known to God but hidden from man. The things they did not know made sense of what seemed to make no sense. It is the same for us. We will never understand everything that we go through or why we go through it.
Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 NLT “I have seen the burden God has placed on us all. Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
God is all knowing. He knows everything. In Job 38:24 God asked, “What is the way to the place where the light is divided?” Since the spectroscope was invented in the 17th century, we can divide light into a spectrum of colors. God could divide light before man ever knew light could be divided. The reference to storehouses that are reserved for the time of trouble is another reminder to Job (and to us) that God’s plans anticipate things that are not known on earth.
Job’s greatest torment was that he felt abandoned by God and now he knew he had not been abandoned. He had a true encounter with God. There were plenty of factors that would make Job feel small before the greatness of God; yet it could not take away from the great comfort Job felt in simply once again being consciously in the presence of God. He knew God really did love him and care about him. He was not abandoned. He could go through anything as long as he knew God had not forgotten him. We can also go through anything as long as we remember God loves us, He cares for us, He has a plan for us, and He will never leave us or forsake us.
~Kathy Johnson