13:15

Job Responds:

     Listen carefully to my words. And after I speak you can continue to mock. Job's hardness towards his friends did not let up, especially after Zophar's harsh words. Job wonders how the wicked live long lives and prosperity. That in the end both the righteous and wicked lay in their graves. The wicked brazenly tell God to leave them alone. To allow them to live thier lives in shameless desire. The wicked are buried in honor he says. 33: The clods of the valley are sweet to him; all mankind follows after him. Job in this chapter refutes there claims and shows wisdom on the wicked and righteous. 

     Wicked or righteous God allows both parties to live long and prosperous lives. What God gives and takes is on His own accord. It is not because someone is wicked that they wont be able to gain riches nor the ability to have children that will remember them. Or to the righteous, which they will come find dark days just as the wicked do. The difference here is that one has faith and other does not. Both parties are deemed to live long lives but only one will see death twice, while the other sees life redeemed.

Job 20:4-8, Zophar says:

4 Do you not know this from of old,

    since man was placed on earth,

5 that the exulting of the wicked is short,

    and the joy of the godless but for a moment?

6 Though his height mount up to the heavens,

    and his head reach to the clouds,

7 he will perish forever like his own dung;

    those who have seen him will say, ‘Where is he?’

8 He will fly away like a dream and not be found;

Job refutes his claim in 21:7-11,

7 Why do the wicked live,

    reach old age, and grow mighty in power?

8 Their offspring are established in their presence,

    and their descendants before their eyes.

9 Their houses are safe from fear,

    and no rod of God is upon them.

10 Their bull breeds without fail;

    their cow calves and does not miscarry.

11 They send out their little boys like a flock,

    and their children dance.

“This chapter may be called Job’s triumph over the insinuated calumnies, and specious but false doctrines, of his opponents. The irritability of his temper no longer appears: from the time he got that glorious discovery of his Redeemer, and the joyous hope of an eternal inheritance, Job 19:25, etc., we find no more murmurings, nor unsanctified complaining's. He is now full master of himself, and reasons conclusively, because he reasons coolly.” (Clarke)

34 How then will you comfort me with empty nothings?

    There is nothing left of your answers but falsehood.”

Job gains a sense of Gods glory. His words are becoming sharper and his understanding is beginning to uncover this teaching. Job continues to refute his friend's claims and tries to teach an understanding deeper than their ideas of wicked and righteousness. 

Eliphaz speaks:

God does not need man to become any greater then He is now. Man needs God. We are to give it back to Him. God did not create man out of complusion and deficiency and therefore man can not give anything to God. He is already perfect. 

Verse 4-5: Eliphaz says it isnt the fear of God that corrected you, but your great wickedness and immoral state. Job's crisis had nothing to do with correction or judgement from the Lord. Job has continued to speak on this but his friends aren't listening. 

4 Is it for your fear of him that he reproves you
and enters into judgment with you?
5 Is not your evil abundant?
There is no end to your iniquities. 

Verses 7-9: Elpihaz accuses Job of not feeding the poor, sending widows away and crushing the orphans. None of this is true. As Eliphaz has no evidence of this, but is based on the suffering that Job is enduring. Groundless accusations against Job from his baseless freind. Elpihaz continues to shove dirt into Job's wounds as his freinds judge with him.

 7 You have given no water to the weary to drink,
and you have withheld bread from the hungry.
8 The man with power possessed the land,
and the favored man lived in it.
9 You have sent widows away empty,
and the arms of the fatherless were crushed. 

Verse 21-30:

In these verses Eliphaz seems to understand hope. That God is someone to lean on and trust. That God is the only way to overcome. Which is true. Elpihaz is confused in that fact that Job was not agianst God nor was God against him. Job believes in Gods hope and has faith that in the end of all this suffering God will reveal himself. Job did not leave God at anytime during this pain. He actually draws closer to him through his groaning and his faith to stand against his three freinds. Now Eliphaz isnt wrong in what he says. He is right when he says 22 Receive instruction from his mouth and lay up his words in your heart. What Eliphaz doesnt understand is that his words are not prevelant to Job's situation. Therefore Job sees no delight in his words as they dont help his suffering. 

This is the last time Eliphaz speaks. 

Job Longs to take his case to God:

     As Job lays there covered in boils and stains of judgment, he continunes to find no comfort from his friends. Job seeks the Lord in this time of need.  3: Oh, that I knew where I might find him. Job is seperated from God's understanding.  He cannot see him nor feel His presence. He felt alone in this trial. The greatest source of torment was God seperated from Job. So he longs for Him as he knows that God is the only way out. We as men are washed towards God when our grief is at our highest. All we want is to be close to Him agian. We cannot stand to bear the wieght of this world alone. 

Job continues in verse 3-4:  Oh, that I knew where I might find him, that I might come even to his seat! 4 I would lay my case before him and fill my mouth with arguments. 

     Job wants to present his case before God. To be vindicated before his friends and the suffering of this pain. He wants a mediator to bridge the gap from himself to God. 

Verses 8-9: Even when God isn't near, Job still seeks and even when God ordains the devil to take away everything from him, Job's faith stands strong. A child of God longs for Him regardless of his trials and the distance he feels from Him. 

      Job still knew that God was soverign and that this trial before him was good and not because he was being punished. As the three friends thought because of his suffering he must be wicked! Verse 11 and 12 show the faith that Job still holds. That he has never left and that God is still good to him even through the trial. 

As he says in verse 10-12: 

10 But he knows the way that I take; 

 he has tried me, I shall come out as gold. 

11 My foot has held fast to his steps;
I have kept his way and have not turned aside.
12 I have not departed from the commandment of his lips;
I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my portion of food. 

     God has his mysteries. His mind isn't that same as ours. We are limited in our knowledge, it will only go so far as God will ential. Which we must understand that this is good for us. For God shows us what is needed until our death. 

 14 For he will complete what he appoints for me,
and many such things are in his mind. 

     Job is covered in darkness but he can still see through it because it is God in jobs heart that endures. He will forever long for Him no matter what the cause. 

 17 yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face. 

Job talks about the wicked:

     Job lays down what the wicked do and why they prosper. They take land from there nieghbors and take from the poo and pledge against them. Job wonders why God allows them this prosperity, the way they can get away with murder and greed. Why is it fair that they can live long lives and gain notoriety within their own desires? 

 12: From out of the city the dying groan,
and the soul of the wounded cries for help;
yet God charges no one with wrong. 

Verse 12:

  “Job felt God should demonstrate his justice by openly punishing the wicked. In the divine speeches God would teach him a tremendous lesson about this, which he did not now understand.” (Smick) 

Verse 13:  “There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths. 

From Romans: Countering the darkness in verse 13:

 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts (Romans 13:12-14) 

 17: For deep darkness is morning to all of them;
for they are friends with the terrors of deep darkness. 

     As evil lurks at night, they come to be afraid of the light. Morning rises from the east as they hide from their appearing shadow. Shame and guilt they must stow, for the light that shines show the truth beneath their cloak.

Verses 22-25:

 In these verses Job sounds almost like Asaph in Psalm 73, who was troubled at the prosperity of the wicked until he went into the house of God, and understood their end. 

 25: Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar: “Job challenges all men to contradict what he affirms, — that the righteous may be greater sufferers, and the wicked may for awhile prosper, but that God will, in the end, overthrow the ungodly, and establish the righteous.” (Spurgeon) 

     Job wanted God to judge the wicked on this earth and not just in hell. But Job goes on saying God has a plan for the wicked an that when they are gone from this world, they will be cut off like grain and be brought low. 

Bildad exits:

     As Bildad speaks his last bout of ancient wisdom, he unfortunately continues the same words and ideas of what has already been said. His words in this chapter portray the Lord as undeemingly powerful and that the stars are even in his wake. He has run out of words, as with the other two. He summed up his last speech in six verses. Although this chapter was partly unreadable, we can get the idea that Bildad would continue to spout the same understandings as the rest. Bildad lost in translation. 

How Job must have felt now that the pain from his friends words were over. 

Job begins his long discourse:

     Job starts by refuting Bildads last overused speech. Job couldnt help himself but to be sarcastic in his words towards the three friends. That they proved nothing to help the situation but cause more pain. There was no strength in thier words, and the wisdom they spoke was either lost or given in the wrong circumstance.

Verse 4: With whose help have you uttered words, and whose breath has come out from you?

Job asks how many others have you given wisdom and led astray? The second half of the verse Job speaks on Eliphaz's spirit. In chapter 4 Eliphaz says this: 12: Now a word was brought to me stealthily; my ear received the whisper of it. Eliphaz claimed that a spirit whispered in his ear and that great terror has come before him. We know that Eliphaz has been pushing this narrative that Job is a sinner and because he is wicked, God has punished him. Eliphaz is full of himself, and God will show His hand soon enough regarding the three friends.

6 Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. No place is hidden before God, even hell. We can run all we want, numb ourselves to the world but God will pull your heart regardless.

14 Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways,

and how small a whisper do we hear of him!

But the thunder of his power who can understand??

?The explanation of Job's suffering is the fact that God and Satan had made a battleground of his soul. It was not for Job's chastening or his perfecting, but for an ulterior purpose which he did not know, but his intuition made him stick to the fact that the only One who could explain the sublimities of Nature was the One who could explain what he was going through.? (Chambers)

Job understood that God's power is to great for us to fully understand. We only get a glimpse of what He wants to give.

Job maintains his integrity:

      From our perspective, we have a clearer picture of who God is since the bible is finished in our time. They might of had stories of Genesis, as Job talks about rivers and floods washing away throughout the land. The one thing they never knew was Jesus. Its funny because Job repeatedly talks about needing a mediator to speak to God the father. That it is necessary for it. It really paints a picture on how powerful our God is in our lives. God's foreknowledge is very important to understand, as he inspires us to breathe that into the world. Sometimes without us even knowing or realizing at the time of how important certain situations were hashed.     

    We have Job, who through it all stands strong in his faith. Job says starting in verse 3: 

3 as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

4 my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. 

5 Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. 6 I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days.

     As long as God is in us, faithfulness, love, and grace will continue to overwhelm the world around us. Through the fear of God comes wisdom and the turning away from evil is understanding. Job declares that his heart still holds God's wisdom even as he suffers.

 There is no hope without God, we cannot overcome this world without him.  Verse 8: For what is the hope of the godless when God cuts him off, when God takes away his life? 

     Job continues to ask his friends why they continued to act without wisdom. Now let me teach you as God is in me. Verse 12: Behold, all of you have seen it yourselves; why then have you become altogether vain? His friends watched as if they had nothing left to say. They have run out of ideas and exhausted their own understanding.  

Where is wisdom?

     Wisdom is not found in the earth. This world is for the dead. As most let it take over them as they search for earthly pleasures. God's desire is for us to find wisdom in his word, through prayer and discernment, the beauty of the cross and where His son was laid. True wisdom is rare and can be found through the fear of God. Knowing His great strength and the hold He has over the galaxies we cannot bear. To the heavenly realms our eyes are unable to vision. God's hand is in all of it. We as people cannot bear the full wisdom of the Lord. We are not capable of holding all of what He knows and sees. God made us purposely to see only what He commands. 

     Job compares wisdom to searching for treasure. How it is easy to find riches the earth provides compared to the wisdom from the Lord. We cannot find it by our own strentgh, no matter how deep we dig. 

 12 “But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
13 Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
14 The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
15 It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.

    How do we find this wisdom? 

Psalm 111:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
all those who practice it have a good understanding.
His praise endures forever! 

Proverbs 9:10:  The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight. 

Proverbs 15:33:  The fear of the Lord is instruction in wisdom,
and humility comes before honor. 

Job 28:28  And he said to man, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’” 

     The fear of the Lord. True spiritual wisdom begins with the Lord. We must fear the almighty God. The one that can change hearts of hardened men. The one that brings destruction from floods to plaques to complete His design. Enough power to raise the dead and to heal the blind with dirt from the earth. We are nobody's and deserve nothing from Him. He blesses those who are faithful to His word and to the ones who bow to His power. For His love overcomes all who step in His wake. 

      Our wisdom brought from God becomes true when we set aside our most valuble possesion, ourselves. 

Job relives his past days: 

     As Job wished for the days with his children and his health. He especially longed for God's presence. 

2 “Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
3 when his lamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness, 

     God leaves Job in the hands of satan to honor God himself. For because Job remians faithful he proves the power of God when His presence wasn't even noticed. That Job's trial was successful because of the faith he had shown. Ultimetly God was always with Job regardless of how he felt. Feeling distant from the Lord does not mean that God isnt with you. If anything a trial or task may be at hand. If thats the case we must not sway from the narrow path. As God honors those who stay faithful and proves his power through us. 

     Starting at verse 7 and on to verse 20, Job recalls that the young feared him and the old honored his walk. That the people sought out Job, for his wisdom was pure and his understanding was true. That he took care of the orphans and the poor. He sought out the widows and provided what they needed as he cared deeply for them as the Lord has. God blessed Job with wealth and influence to genourously give what was needed for His people. 

     Job was a leader to many, verse 25: I chose their way and sat as chief, and I lived like a king among his troops like one who comforts mourners. 

     He was a noble man that lived selflessly for the people. A wise teacher for the young, a giver to the poor, and a light to the widows. God was in him, showing His glory and power through Job. 

But now they laugh:

     Mockers, creatures that dwell in the streets. They see Job as a nobody who lays in despair. The peoples vigour has perished or maybe they never had it at all. Even the dogs were greater than these scoffing humans. Worthless men riddled in thier own fleshly desires. Showing the truth that was hidden by their own egos. Humility has not yet come for they hide in their caves and they stalk when the sun ceases.  

 1: “But now they laugh at me,
men who are younger than I,
whose fathers I would have disdained
to set with the dogs of my flock.
2: What could I gain from the strength of their hands,
men whose vigor is gone? 

Job has no worry for the ones who spit on him, only to the Lord and his longing for His presence. 

     Mason commented on the long and intense struggle Job had with God, and on the ultimate outcome for Job: “Classically there are two ways of soliciting the favor of God. One way is by trying very hard to be very very good and hoping that God will take notice. The other way is to beg God for His blessing and to refuse to let Him off the hook until He comes through… It is those who refuse to give up on God who end up with His blessing.” 

Verse 20: I cry to you for help and you do not answer me;
I stand, and you only look at me. 

Some of the hardest times are when God does not show himself in our hearts. Where distance proves a battle. When we must stand strong regardless of what comes our way. We are chosen from the beginning and because of that God was always with us. Regardless of how we feel God is always near. Therefore the distance we feel is by design. For God chooses how His presence is felt. 

 25 Did not I weep for him whose day was hard?
Was not my soul grieved for the needy? 

     Job wonders where God is, as he longs for Him. He cries out for the Father to respond. Silence lays still just as the trees sway softly. How hard it must of been for Job to overcome his own flesh to stay faithful for the Lord. Theres a reason why God put forth this task for Job and it is becoming clearer to us every chapter. This man lays in ashes, while people point and laugh at what has become of him. Once noble, now seen as worthless. 

Job asserts his integrity:

     Job made a covenant with God on his eyes. That he would not lust over a young woman. Which if we are putting into context the below statement from Guzik.

     Job insisted that he would not look upon a young woman – a maiden in this way. This was especially meaningful, because in that culture it would be somewhat accepted for a rich and powerful man like Job to seduce or ravish a maiden, and then add her as either a wife or a concubine. Job restrained himself from women that others in his same circumstances would not restrain themselves from.

     Job has been righteous since he has been abiding by the covenant he made. He uses this as an example of how he is staying faithful overall. That wickedness is not causing him this pain but some other reason that he has not been deemed to know yet. Job understands that God sees all, even when we are running or hiding from his light. For he knows how to bring light into darkness.

Verses 1 -4:

“I have made a covenant with my eyes; how then could I gaze at a virgin? 2 What would be my portion from God above and my heritage from the Almighty on high? 3 Is not calamity for the unrighteous, and disaster for the workers of iniquity? 4 Does not he see my ways and number all my steps?

     Job believed in an honest life. To be examined truthfully and to correct what was needed. A man of God fears the Almighty. Therefore, he needs to understand how to be called out on his sin and lazy talk. When we become comfortable in our desires, wickedness ensues. It takes over quickly and it begins attaching itself to the core once again.

     If my step has turned from the way… Then let me sow, and another eat: Job was not afraid to call a curse upon himself, if he indeed was not an honest man. He was willing to be deprived of the fruit of his own labor if it was true that he was found lacking on the honest scales of God’s judgment.

     Job found God to be his hope and not the wealth that bloomed before him. Job put faith before riches. Another quality of a man from God. To not be swayed by the glowing chests of gold and the gleaming rubies before him.

24 “If I have made gold my trust or called fine gold my confidence, 25 if I have rejoiced because my wealth was abundant

28 this also would be an iniquity to be punished by the judges, for I would have been false to God above.

     Job believed that there was no pleasure in taking of ones heart or to burn their lands and homes.

29 “If I have rejoiced at the ruin of him who hated me, or exulted when evil overtook him

We look at Ezekial 33:11 to reiterate Jobs claim.

Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live; turn back, turn back from your evil ways, for why will you die, O house of Israel?

     Job ends his arguments here. He has not much left to say but, he believes he has made his case clear and that the others are incorrect in their claims of self-wickedness. We judge our brothers and sisters according to Gods word. We teach others who claim there is no God or savior, as we leave the judgment towards they to God himself. We are human-minded until we acsend for greater wisdom. We stick to His word as it brings understanding to the evil of this world. As well as the good of this world. God has provided his sons and daughters with the tools to find the narrow path and to walk within it. His glory glows throughout, and it shown through us and the creation before us.

 Elihu?

The son of Barachel and a descendant of Buz. An angry man that couldn't stay out of the situation at hand. The bible says he burned with anger, that Job justified himself rather than God. He was in need to express his thoughts, ideas and knowledge of who he claimed a spirit had taught him, "the breath of the Almighty". Elihu like the rest of them, insisted that Job was indeed a wicked man that needed to repent for what he has done. 34:11, For according to the work of a man he will repay him, and according to his ways he will make it befall him. How does a man who claims to have the breath of God indict with false accusation? Elihu falls for what the others claimed to be right and again misses the idea of comforting and caring for thier friend. Elihu was younger than his constituents and therefore held back until they all spoke. Timid and afraid he was, but becomes confident as the chapters roll. 

Verse 10: Therefore I say, ‘Listen to me;

    let me also declare my opinion.’

Verse 12: there was none among you who refuted Job

    or who answered his words.

Verse 18: For I am full of words;

    the spirit within me constrains me.

Throughout these 5 chapters remember these words when he first spoke. Another inept man claiming he is the one who has the answers. Immediately forgetting what Job actually needs. 

For none of you know how to answer to Job! So I speak as I have waited for my turn. The spirit is within me and it provides wisdom to Job. Listen to me!  

Chapter 32 is a man explaining why he deserves a shot to speak and how he can no longer bear holding it to himself. 

Verse 20: I must speak, that I may find relief;

    I must open my lips and answer.

As he continues, he claims his words are from his uprightness of heart combined with his lips that speak with sincerity. We know the other friends of Job had a decent understanding of how God works. Elihu has a similar mind as well. He speaks with wisdom and understanding at times. We give him credit for what he says on who God is and what He is capable of. Elihu though, falls into the trap of claiming what the others deem as true. That Job was a wicked man and repentance was the only way out. 

Chapter 34:

10 “Therefore, hear me, you men of understanding:

    far be it from God that he should do wickedness,

    and from the Almighty that he should do wrong.

11 For according to the work of a man he will repay him,

    and according to his ways he will make it befall him.

Chapter 34:

34 Men of understanding will say to me,

    and the wise man who hears me will say:

35 ‘Job speaks without knowledge;

    his words are without insight.’

36 Would that Job were tried to the end,

    because he answers like wicked men.

37 For he adds rebellion to his sin;

    he claps his hands among us

    and multiplies his words against God.”

Chapter 36:

21 Take care; do not turn to iniquity,

    for this you have chosen rather than affliction.

-----------------

Elihu said this because he genuinely believed that Job was getting himself deeper and deeper into sin. We know from Job 1 and 2 that Job was in fact a blameless and upright man who spoke from the fog and pain of his crisis and in the presence of his friends who misunderstood him. Elihu thought that Job’s problems began with his sin and got worse as he added rebellion to his sin, as he scorned the good advice of his friends (claps his hands among us) and as he multiplied his words against God.

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Chapter 36:

2 “Bear with me a little, and I will show you,

    for I have yet something to say on God's behalf.

3 I will get my knowledge from afar

    and ascribe righteousness to my Maker.

4 For truly my words are not false;

    one who is perfect in knowledge is with you.

“Here is the charismatic paradox in a nutshell. Probably Elihu does have a prophetic gift to receive ‘knowledge from afar.’ But even direct revelations from God do not make a man ‘perfect in knowledge.’”(Mason)

We end this segment on Elihu's interpretation of God's great voice. Although he wrongly applied this to Job's situation, we can still use it for an idea on God's power. 

After it his voice roars;

    he thunders with his majestic voice,

    and he does not restrain the lightnings[a] when his voice is heard.

5 God thunders wondrously with his voice;

    he does great things that we cannot comprehend.

6 For to the snow he says, ‘Fall on the earth,’

    likewise to the downpour, his mighty downpour.

7 He seals up the hand of every man,

    that all men whom he made may know it.

8 Then the beasts go into their lairs,

    and remain in their dens.

10 By the breath of God ice is given,

    and the broad waters are frozen fast.

12 They turn around and around by his guidance,

    to accomplish all that he commands them

    on the face of the habitable world.

13 Whether for correction or for his land

    or for love, he causes it to happen.

In verse 7: He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work: The idea is that when God sends the cold and the snow, the farmer cannot do his work. His hand is sealed from further effort, and the time away from work makes him reflect on the work of God. (Guzik)

Elihu enjoys speaking of God's almighty power. He also claiming that God's power is within him. Obviously, we can understand that he is still a human, since he incorrectly implicates Job and his suffering. But he does show an understanding of who God is and why His power is so great. There is no more Elihu in this story. This will be the last time we hear from him. God has placed these men before Job and they put thier selfish talk before Job. This man needed care and company. Instead, they lost patience and put thier own words before it.  

 God's sovereignty:

     Can we imagine the feeling of what Job must have felt while God spoke? The warmth that seeps through our bones. The light that is glowing about our eyes. A suffering man finally gets his wish. A wish that was always to come. Laying in ashes, he becomes new again. Born into Chirst. Will God answer Job's questions?

A whirlwind came down from the skies above. God spoke through this storm. 

He is like the storm that cannot be controlled or opposed. 

Verse 2: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?  

We dont know who if anyone particular God was speaking to. What we can get from this is neither one of them was perfect in their knowledge. They all had some kind of incorrect understanding. Even Job. 

Verse 3: Dress for action like a man;

    I will question you, and you make it known to me.

“When a man acts like a man, God can speak to him, and he to God. That is a declaration of dignity.” (Morgan)

     Now God says "I will question you, and you shall answer Me": Job wasnt going to be able to answer the Lord. He gave him an impossible task for the very reason when Job demanded God to answer him. God with mighty power and the wisdom to cure hearts. "God is essentially saying, “Job, if you can answer these things, then you are fit to question Me. If you cannot answer these things, then you do not have a place to demand answers from Me.” (Guzik)

God continues to show His great strength:

12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began,

    and caused the dawn to know its place,

13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth,

33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens?

    Can you establish their rule on the earth?

     Of course, Job did not know on how these things come together. He is human, and the only way we can grow and understand is through God's wisdom. It is up to God for who can hear Him or see Him. It was up to God for who he chose to be apart of His heart. Not us. We have no choice in the matter for if we did then it would become our decision. Our work and not God's ultimate sovereignty. 

God continues:

      As God continued pouring power into His name Job sat inadequate. If he was set in God's position, all of creation would cease to exist, natural order turning to chaos. The world will succumb fully to itself.

Verse 9: 

“Is the wild ox willing to serve you?

    Will he spend the night at your manger?

This ox is actually referring to an auroch, an extinct ancient wild beast. A powerful version of cattle only to be seized by a hippo or an elephant. God is implying that is wasn't natural for a auroch to be domesticated. That instead, they were deemed as trophies or offerings. Sheer might and power that ox was compared to cattle.   

The ostrich, a bird with wings that cannot fly. Verse 16 and 17, God provides wisdom and the understanding to everything. He also can take away or not give in the first place. An ostrich who has beautiful feathers but treats its young carelessly because God did not provide it for its natural tendencies.  

13 “The wings of the ostrich wave proudly,

    but are they the pinions and plumage of love?[a]

16 She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers;

    though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear,

17 because God has made her forget wisdom

    and given her no share in understanding.

We do not get to choose our faith in the Lord, for He decides who and when. God picks His flock one by one and provides the wisdom and understanding to their hearts. He has made it known to us through these words and the truth that lies before us. The babble of a brook, is when he declares us as His own. Our hearts made new and fresh in the eyes of this world. For we are hated for this love we now endure.  

     So whether it be the mighty ox, the ostrich, the majestic horse or the seeing hawk. God provided everything they were intended to see, to hear, to do. There uniformed nature is wild and free. Free to roam this earth, to be captured by the world, even to grow old and die where they lay. Job had no clue on how these things worked and how they were brought together. No clue on how to give a horse wisdom or to take it away. A rider has only so much power over the horse before it kicks his hind legs to the sky. Just as a bull and a cowboy. Eventually, the beast cannot be tamed as its natural order is being threatened and overtaken'd.  

  God continues: 

    Verse 2: Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him: Job, speaking from what he felt to be his God-absent agony, longed to contend with God. Yet after God appeared in His love and glory, Job now felt humbled about his previous demand. He rightly felt he was in no place to contend with the Almighty, much less to correct Him or rebuke Him. (Guzik)

In the previous chapters Job longed to hear God's voice or even to feel His presence. Job wanted to contend with the Lord, to argue his case. But, when the Lord appeared Job was speechless and instantly knew where he stands. On his knees before God. God showed Job and the others the power He entailed. By His power, Job's argument towards God was null. Job couldn't contest any further.

Job responds to God:

4 “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you?

    I lay my hand on my mouth.

5 I have spoken once, and I will not answer;

    twice, but I will proceed no further.”

The Lord gears for a second encounter to show His almighty power, "were not done yet".

7 “Dress for action like a man;

    I will question you, and you make it known 

 “‘Can he,’ he is asked, ‘assume the royal robe of the Universal Monarch, can he array himself with honour and majesty? Can he with a glance abase the proud, and tread down the wicked? Has he the knowledge, has he the wisdom, has he the power, to seat himself in God’s seat, and right the wrongs of the earth?’” (Bradley)

10 “Adorn yourself with majesty and dignity;

    clothe yourself with glory and splendor.

12 Look on everyone who is proud and bring him low

    and tread down the wicked where they stand.

Then in verse 14 God says, if you can do these things then you are worthy seating to my right hand. Jesus was the right hand of God. First, because He is God. Second, Jesus had the same power as the Father. Job had no power comparable to God. 

14 Then will I also acknowledge to you

    that your own right hand can save you.

The Behemoth and the Leviathan:

     Two creatures that God joyously created, a wonder of creation. For the Behemoth, most think God had in mind what we would call the hippopotamus, one of the largest, strongest, and most dangerous land creatures in the world and is one of the first of the works of God. The Leviathan, as we touched on in chapter 39 is the sea creature.

The Behemoth: 

"he eats grass like an ox"

    "his power in the muscles of his belly"

       "his tail stiff like a cedar"

          "His bones are tubes of bronze,

              his limbs like bars of iron.

"where all the wild beasts play"

    "Under the lotus plants he lies"

       "Behold, if the river is turbulent he is not frightened,

           he is confident though Jordan rushes against his mouth"

The name Leviathan means “twisting one”, as crocodiles do when they catch their prey, they spin in circles to rip whatever they can off thier dinner. One can also argue a snake or  the dragon in revelation 12-13. We don't know exactly what either of these creatures could be. But the verses suggest two creatures that humans cannot overpower, at least on thier own. 

The Leviathan:

“Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook"

   "Will you play with him as with a bird"

      "No one is so fierce that he dares to stir him up"

         "around his teeth is terror"

 "they clasp each other and cannot be separated"

     "his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn"

        "In his neck abides strength, and terror dances before him"

            "He sees everything that is high; he is king over all the sons of pride.”

33 On earth there is not his like,

    a creature without fear.

     No other creature is like the Leviathan, one without fear. By human it cannot be captured or threatened. For there is no fear in thier eyes. Only by God he is taken within.  

 He is king over all the children of pride: This description of Leviathan – especially at this point – is so like that of Satan, that we may fairly suppose that God here was indicating to Job not only His great might and Job’s vulnerability before Satan, but also alluding to Satan’s role in Job’s great crisis. (Guzik) 

  God's final song: 

     The final chapter, where Job ends his talks and agony before God. A man who like us struggled the through unknown of the Lords timing and the suffering we endure when we are distant from from Him. Although Job never wanted this separation from the Lord. Unfortunately, God commanded this to be. The Lord reminds that the righteous people of this world are still vulnerable to God's power. That being righteous is not something that protects us from the almighty. He does as He pleases, when He pleases. I will say that it is better to be righteous then to fall for the ruler of this world and bow before Satan. Where pleasure is only for yourself and for no glory to God. 

Job repents for his sins before God. Which from Spurgeon suggests were the following: 

Job repented of his desire to die, 

Job repented of his complaints against and challenges to God, Job repented of his despair, 

Job repented of the terrible curse he had pronounced upon the day of his birth,

Job repented that his statements had been a “darkening of wisdom by words without knowledge”; that he spoke beyond his knowledge and ability to know.  

The Lord Rebukes Job's Friends:

       7: After the Lord had spoken these words to Job, the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “My anger burns against you and against your two friends, for you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has.

     The three friends were not so wise as they thought. They created a narrative that displeased the Lord. That the reason God has placed such suffering over Job was because of Job's terrible sin. That the wickedness he has brought before his family and estate caused a domino effect to destroy everything that Job has accomplished. These friends of Job were wrong in their assumptions. They judged wrongly and without understanding. They presented God as angry and judgmental for something that never happened.  

     They thought they were in the right, therefore they spouted what they thought they knew. Blinded by their own eyes and ears they sought out Job as one of the wicked, instead Job was innocent. 

     The Lord says to make a burnt offering, which meant the entire animal. A total commitment and surrender to God. Then God says Job will then pray for you and God gives Job one of the final humilities to his friends. Putting an example before them to who was in the right. 

8 Now therefore take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer up a burnt offering for yourselves. And my servant Job shall pray for you, for I will accept his prayer not to deal with you according to your folly.

The Lord Restores Job's Fortunes:

     All the while, God's plan in the end was to restore Job's estate and family, tenfold. All Job wanted was the separation of God to become one again. Job had no interest in the materials that were lost as he understood the glory that God was. (Spiritual > Flesh) I don't think that is it right to say Job did not think of his sons and daughters through this trial, but to understand that Job would rather die in God's glory than in physical materialism. 

10 And the Lord restored the fortunes of Job, when he had prayed for his friends. And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

     From spiritual resolution to God providing twice as much as before. It says "when he had prayed for his friends", its important to note that Job's relationship with his three friends was restored after the burnt offering and the prayers for them. 

“Our sorrows shall have an end when God has gotten his end in them. The ends in the case of Job were these, that Satan might be defeated, foiled with his own weapons, blasted in his hopes when he had everything his own way.” (Spurgeon)

     Job's life ended in a pure sense of God's glory. He was blessed from his estate to his new relationship with his wife and the ten children that were brought from them both. Relationships from Job's brothers and sisters were also restored. Even in ashes and dust God prevails. There is no other power nor flesh that can attain such beauty. His work is enough. So we stand strong in His word and truth that He laid down before us. That we may hold onto until the end of our time here in the world of flesh and blood.