Job 39:13

Job 39:13 asks, Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?  God continues to ask Job about the nature and even the care of other creatures.  He asks about the peacock and the ostrich.  The peacock struts around in its beauty, but is really of little use to people.  When people start to strut around, more worried about the way they look than how they may help others, they are of little value to God.  Verse fourteen says, Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,  The ostrich is not a nesting, caring bird.  She lays her eggs wherever she happens to be and leaves them.  Verse fifteen states, And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.  The ostrich is not concerned about what might happen to her eggs.  Verse sixteen says, She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;  The question is what did this mean to Job, and therefore to us.  I believe that God was saying that just as He sustained the ostrich in spite of her carelessness with her eggs, that He likewise sustained even those who refused to live by His will.  We might think, as Job was claiming, that God would allow those who did not follow Him to simply pass out of existence, but God sustains the life of even those who refuse to acknowledge Him, at least in this life.  Verse seventeen says, Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.  The ostrich acts the way that it does because it lacks the knowledge to do otherwise.  I believe that God was saying that when people live absorbed by their own desires that they do so because they lack an understanding of God's will for their lives.  Verse eighteen says, What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.  The ostrich and peacock may strut around proudly and ignore the horse, who is serving a purpose, but that does not make them more important.  I believe that God was reminding Job that prosperity does not mean that a person is following God.  God expects more from His people than just vain glory.  Verse nineteen asks, Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?  It may seem that God was asking Job basically the same question over and over, and that was if Job had the ability to sustain all life.  Since Job had at length professed that God was being unfair to Him, I believe that God was just reminding Job that he did not have the power nor the ability to question God.  Verse twenty asks, Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.  Job could not change the nature of nature of horses, because God had made them as they are, so why did Job feel that he could question God.  In the next five verses God continues to ask Job about the nature of horses.  Verse twenty-one says, He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.  Then verse twenty-two states, He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.  Verse twenty-three says, The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.  Then verse twenty-four continues, He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet. Finally verse twenty-five concludes, He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.  I believe that God was saying that among other things that the horse is powerful and mighty, but lacks the ability to reason.  A horse will change into battle, but will also shy away from unexpected movements, like a grasshopper.  People should have the ability to stand strong in their relationship to God through small problems or war itself.  In the rest of the chapter, God asks Job about hawks and eagles.  Verse twenty-six asks, Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?  Then verse twenty-seven asks, Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?  Verse twenty-eight states, She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place. Then verse twenty-nine says, From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.  Verse thirty concludes, Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.  I believe that these questions and statements about hawks and eagles were just reminders to Job that God was the Creator and Sustainer of the universe.  If Job could not answer God's questions about why creation is as it is, then why should he feel free to question God in the way that he was treated.  If we truly follow God, and the world seems to collapse around us, we can never feel that God is the cause of the problems or that He will not deliver us from them.  We need to simply remain true to God.

Job 39:1

Job 39:1 asks, Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?  I know that it is possible to know about when a tame goat that is expecting will deliver, but God was asking Job about all the wild goats and deer.  Job could not know, but God did.  Verse two asks, Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?  This is a continuation of the question in the last verse.  We may have an overall knowledge of the time it takes for an animal to give birth, but even then we cannot guarantee that the birth will occur at a precise moment, but God knows.  I believe that God was simply pointing out the superiority of His knowledge compared  to Job's.  Verse three says, They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.  God said that the wild animals did not need people in order to have their babies successfully, but they did need God.  Verse four says, Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.  After the birth and nurturing of the babies, the babies grow to maturity without the help of any person.  This could be a good example for people, that children should be reared to become independent from their parents.  I believe that God was telling Job that He was in control of everything without needing any help from people, who are His creation.  Even the wild goats were a testimony to God's sustaining power.  Verse five asks, Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?  Matthew Henry says that the wild ass was often seen as free from all responsibility.  God said that He was the One Who had set them free.  We might ask what purpose they have, but instead we should simply accept that this is a part of God's plan.  Verse six says, Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.  The wild ass was set free in the wilderness.  They could live on nearly barren land.  Verse seven says, He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.  I believe that these two verses speak of being free without any nurturing versus being tamed and cared for.  If we put our faith in God, we are no longer free to simply do what we want to do, but must put our lives under the leadership of God.   Verse eight says, The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.  The wild ass is free to wander everywhere, but must search for its own food.  If we wander free from God's leadership, then we should not be surprised if we have to provide for our own spiritual care.  We may succeed materially, but we will fail spiritually.  Verse nine asks, Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?   We may not really know what the animal called the unicorn is, but Matthew Henry says that it is a wild untameable beast.  There are certain animals that cannot be domesticated enough to be trusted to do what we want them to.  There are some people who refuse to follow God, and therefore cannot be trusted to do His will.  Verse ten asks,  Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?  Then verse eleven says, Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?  As just stated, I believe that God was asking Job if he could trust the unicorn, or wild and untameable beast to plow crops.  Verse twelve asks, Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?  I believe that God was asking if He could trust those who refused to follow Him no matter what if they could be trusted with accomplishing His will for their lives.  We must put God first in every aspect of our lives if we are going to be successful in following Him and accomplishing His purpose in our lives.

I will wish everyone a Happy New Year. 2018  A.D. , which stands for anno Domini, which means "in the year of the Lord," or as some would say, "in the year of our Lord."  As I have previously stated, some would now write 2018 C.E., for Common Era.  Time is still divided by one event in history, the birth of Christ, no matter whether people attempt to change the designation of that event or not.  The Jewish calender does not acknowledge the fact of the birth of Jesus as the birth of the Messiah, so there is no division in their calendar, so it would seem that those who do not want to acknowledge the birth of Christ would just follow the Jewish calender.  Even if they don't want to do that, then they could interpret it as the Lord, and not our Lord. The only thing separating C.E. , or Common Era, from B.C.E., Before Common Era, is the same event that separates B.C., Before Christ, from A.D., and that is the birth of Jesus, the Christ.  Nothing else makes it a common era.  Even when writing A.D., which we usually do not even add, there is a difference between the Lord and our Lord.  Whether Jesus is just the Lord or our Lord makes all the difference.  The fact of the birth of Christ cannot be denied, but for many, He is not their Lord, no matter the designation written after the date.  For the birth of Jesus to really have meaning, He must be our Lord, and if He is such, then we will always be living in the year of our Lord, no matter what people write after the date.  So, as followers of Christ, what we do in His year should be directed by Him.  I know it is the time to make resolutions, most of which are soon forgotten, but we as His followers need to resolve to make it Christ's year in fact and not just in statement alone.  Every year since the birth of Christ has been a year of the Lord in fact, whether we want to acknowledge it or not.  We need to follow what Christ calls us to do, everyday of this new year.  We must be a witness for Christ in the lost world.  Even as those of the world attempt to remove any reference to Christ from everything, we as His followers must make sure that we proclaim Him in all that we do.  If we can do that, any other resolution will be unimportant in comparison.  Yes, there are things that we can do that make life better in this world, relating simply to the material or physical aspects of life, but only those things that we do for Christ, our Lord if we are His followers, will really have lasting value.  So, may we as followers of Christ make 2018 truly be a year of our Lord. 

Job 38:25

Job 38:25 says, Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;  God is asking Job what are basically rhetorical questions.  If Job was going to question God, then Job would have needed to be the one who did these things.  Like Job, we cannot take credit for any part of creation and therefore have no right to question God.  Verse twenty-six continues, To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;  Throughout the remainder of the chapter, God continues to ask Job if he could sustain the workings of the world.  Job had been very vocal in his complaint against God, so God was clearly reminding Job that he was not the one to set the world in order.  God does not need people to make it rain.  Rain falls in the wilderness where there are no people.  Verse twenty seven says, To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?  God asks if Job can cause rain to fall so that the tender plants will spring up.  God controls both the rain and the plant.  Verse twenty-eight asks, Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?  Then verse twenty-nine continues, Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it?  We watch the weather forecast today, where people use all their scientific methods to tell us what the weather is going to do, but even if the forecast is correct, we cannot take credit for the rain or the temperature.  Verse thirty says, The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen.  God continues to remind Job that He, and not Job or anyone else, is in control of the weather.  Verse thirty-one asks, Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?  In verse thirty-two God continues, Canst thou bring forth Mazzaroth in his season? or canst thou guide Arcturus with his sons?  God asked if Job if he could take credit for not only there order of the earth, but of the universe as well.  Verse thirty three asks, Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?   Scientists today may feel that they know how the universe works, yet they continue to find things that are new to them, though they are well known to God.  Verse thirty-four asks, Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?  Then verse thirty-five continues, Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are?  It would be wonderful if we could control the weather.  Crops would never fail and we could put our wildfires, for example.  Though we cannot do this, we should be content to put our faith in God no matter what happens.  In verse thirty-six God asks, Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart?  Then continuing in verse thirty-seven, Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven,  I believe that God was reminding Job that what wisdom and understanding he had of the world came from God.  We will never be wise enough to explain all the ways of the universe, but we can know the God Who created and sustains it all.  Verse thirty-eight asks, When the dust groweth into hardness, and the clods cleave fast together?   Again, this was just a question of controlling the rain.  Verse thirty-nine asks, Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lion? or fill the appetite of the young lions,  Verse forty continues, When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait?  When verse forty-one concludes, Who provideth for the raven his food? when his young ones cry unto God, they wander for lack of meat.  People may have the ability to destroy the animals, and to a certain extent we may be able to sustain a species, but it is God Who sustains them on a daily basis.  Imagine if we had to provide food for all the animals and birds.  We need only thank and praise the God Who does.

Job 38:16

Job 38:16 says, Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth?  God continues to ask Job if he thought he had the power and ability that God did.  I believe that if we are going to question God's right to act in the world that we need to know more and be more powerful than He is.  Otherwise, we need to accept that as God's followers He will never bring harm to us.  This is what God was addressing with Job.  Verse seventeen asks, Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?  Only God has power over death.  As followers of Christ, we may know that we have everlasting life, but we certainly do not understand everything that happens between our death and resurrection.  God alone can bring resurrection to anyone.  Job should have been content knowing this instead of questioning God, and so should we.  Verse eighteen asks, Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.  In Job's day, they certainly did not know the breadth of the earth.  Today, with satellites we may say that we can answer that question, but we cannot claim to know everything there is to know about the earth.  We can never understood all the ways that the world works, much less the universe.  We can never go anywhere that God isn't already there.   Verse nineteen asks, Where is the way where light dwelleth? and as for darkness, where is the place thereof,  Though we may understand that the day is going to be light and the night is going to be dark, where do the light and darkness come from?  We can answer that the light comes from the sun and the light at night from the moon, but where did they come from and what causes them to be separated in such a precise manner?  I believe that God was reminding Job that he knew that God alone had this power, and that therefore Job had no right to question or doubt God.  Neither do we today.  Verse twenty says, That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?  God asked Job if he knew the boundaries of the heavens.  The universe has been hurtling through space since creation and has never reached an end.  We may speak of going to Mars, but that is but a tiny step in the vastness of the universe.  Verse twenty-one asks,  Knowest thou it, because thou wast then born? or because the number of thy days is great?  God continues to question Job about his ability to understand everything in creation.  God asked if Job was there at the beginning of time or if he had lived long enough to explain creation.  As followers of Christ, the first thing we must acknowledge iris our limited understanding.  Verse twenty-two asks, Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail,  We may not view snow, or hail especially, to be a treasure, but we also can not control them.  Verse twenty-three states, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?  Then verse twenty-four asks, By what way is the light parted, which scattereth the east wind upon the earth?  God does indeed have power over the elements, and does part the night and day.  If God were to choose to destroy the world, He has it within His ability to do so.  God was reminding Job of God's power and of Job's need to just rely on God no matter what.

Job 38:1

Job 38:1 says, Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said,  Job was wanting an answer from God, and his friends really hadn't provided it.  Now, God Himself was answering Job from out of a whirlwind.  Though God could have spoken quietly to Job, I believe that He spoke this way so that all those around Job would know that He was the One speaking.  Verse two asks, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?  I believe that God was speaking first to Job, and then to God Job's friends.  When we are suffering in life, who are we to question God or attempt to give Him council.  We need to continue to live by faith.  Verse three says, Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.  I believe that we today might say that God told Job to man up.  God said to Job that He would demand of him.  God has every right to place a demand of obedience and faithfulness on His followers, and also a right to expect us to answer Him.  Verse four asks, Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.  God asked Job where he was when God created the earth.  God challenged Job to tell Him how the world was made if he knew.  People today who do not believe in God have theories about the formation, because they would never use Creation, of the world, but we as followers of Christ can never question that God created everything from nothing.  Verse five asks, Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?  God asked Job if God did not design the world, and the universe as well, then who did.  Even those who propose a cosmic accident as having been the origin of the world have to start with the existence of something and cannot explain the order of the universe.  In verse six God asks, Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;  I believe that God was asking Job who keeps the world suspended in space if God doesn't.  Even if we attempt to explain this as the law of nature, where does that law come from. Verse seven says, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?  God was still asking Job where he was when God hung the stars in heaven and the angels rejoiced.  If Job, or anyone, should question God's sovereignty, then we should know more and be more powerful than He is.  Verse eight asks, Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?  God was the One Who divided the land and the seas, and God asked Job if God didn't do this, who did.  All these questions point back to the glory of God.  Verse nine says, When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingb and forit,   What makes the earth different from any other planet is its atmosphere, and God asked where this came from if not from Him.  Then, verse ten states,  And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors,  God says that He set boundaries on the seas.  Verse eleven says, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?  This is a continuation of God's declaration that He controls the seas and limits their expanse.  If we are to question God, then we should be able to explain the way the universe works without Him.  Verse twelve asks, Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place;  God asked Job if he had created day and night.  Once more, we cannot explain nor control the universe, but God knows all its mysteries and sustains it all by His power.  Verse thirteen says, That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it?  God could indeed shake all the wicked out of the world, but He chooses to give them a way to redemption instead.  Verse fourteen says, It is turned as clay to the seal; and they stand as a garment. When verse fifteen states, And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm shall be broken.  I believe that God was saying that the fate of the wicked who will not turn to Him in repentance is already sealed.  No matter how strong they may think they are, their high regard for themselves will be broken.

Job 37:14

Job 37:14 says, Hearken unto this, O Job: stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God.  Elihu once more asks Job to consider the wondrous works of God.  If we are feeling deserted by God today, one of the things we need to do is to consider the wondrous works of God, and I believe most importantly His wondrous work of salvation.  Nothing that happens in the world can take God's salvation from us.  Verse fifteen asks, Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine?  Though Elihu was speaking to Job and those around him, the question is just as relevant to us today.  Like Job, we cannot claim to understand everything about how God works in the world.  Verse sixteen asks, Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him which is perfect in knowledge?  Those forecasting the weather today have computer models of what the weather is going to do, and they are very often wrong.  Elihu reminded Job that God knew what was going to happen whether He was the direct cause or just allowed it to happen.  Verse seventeen then asks, How thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth by the south wind?  I believe that Elihu was asking if he still believed that God was the One Who brought him comfort when it came.  If we reach the point of only blaming God for bad things that happen in life and forget the good, then we are not being good witnesses for Him.  Verse eighteen asks, Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?  I believe that these questions were asked to cause Job to do what Elihu had said, and that was to stop and consider.  We today, especially when things are going badly, need to stop and consider all that God has done for us. We need to be secure and content in God's love for us.  We can never be more powerful than God.  Verse nineteen says, Teach us what we shall say unto him; for we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. We often do not even know what to say to God, but as His followers, He will give us the words.  Darkness, or evil, gets between God and us, but when He forgives us, the barrier is removed.  Verse twenty says, Shall it be told him that I speak? if a man speak, surely he shall be swallowed up.  Elihu said that what he had said was unworthy of being heard by God.  Elihu had done well in his speech about God, but he knew that he was unworthy.  Verse twenty-one says, And now men see not the bright light which is in the clouds: but the wind passeth, and cleanseth them.  Elihu said that the bright light, God Himself, that had been hidden was about to be revealed to them clearly.  I believe that when God speaks, or reveals Himself to people, that there can never be any doubt that He is the One at work.  Verse twenty-two says, Fair weather cometh out of the north: with God is terrible majesty.  Elihu was almost finished speaking, because he saw the coming majesty of God revealed.  All the clouds of confusion would be swept away. When we are suffering or in doubt, we need to listen for the clear word of God, waiting patiently in faith.  Verse twenty-three says, Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out: he is excellent in power, and in judgment, and in plenty of justice: he will not afflict.  As Elihu told those listening to him, we cannot find out God on our own.  God reveals Himself to all people at some point in their life, but they can never find God from their own ability.  We find God only in faith as He reveals Himself to us.  In verse twenty-four Elihu concludes, Men do therefore fear him: he respecteth not any that are wise of heart.  Elihu finished by saying that people should fear, or live in awe of the Holy Majesty of God.  We have nothing to say, no matter how wise we are, that will ever add anything to Who God is.