"We Cannot Figure (Almighty God) Out"

Continuing a Bible study of Job, Elihu is still speaking:

(Job 37:1) "At this also my heart trembles, and is moved out of its place."

Referring back to the end of the last chapter, Elihu is moved by God’s majesty in the thunder and lightning.

(2) "Hear attentively the noise of His voice, and the sound that goes out of His mouth. (3) He directs it under the whole heaven, and His lightning to the ends of the earth. (4) After it a voice roars; He thunders with the voice of His excellency, and He will not stay them when His voice is heard. (5) God thunders marvelously with His voice; He does great things which we cannot comprehend."

John Wesley imagines that while Elihu was speaking, it began to thunder and lightning before the storm that would soon bring God on the scene. Elihu tells Job to really listen to the thunder of God's voice, which He alone directs like an arrow to the mark, that it may do the work for which He sends it (the lightning, too). After the lightning, the thunder roars, and God does not hold them back when He speaks. God thunders marvelously, an awesome exhibition of his majesty and power; He does great and wonderful things man cannot comprehend.

(6) "For He says to the snow, 'Be thou on the earth'; likewise to the small rain and the great rain of His strength."

Elihu continues describing other wonders of nature that come as a direct result of God's appointment.

(7) "He seals up the hand of every man, that all men may know His work."

The word translated as "seals" more completely means "closes up, locks up, or stops", so God stops men from their work with his snow and rains, and they in turn, may see and recognize the awesome work of God.

(8) "Then the beasts go into dens, and remain in their places. (9) Out of the south comes the whirlwind, and cold out of the north. (10) By the breath of God frost is given, and the breadth of the waters is straitened."

The word translated as "breadth" (or "width") may mean more completely "expanse", and "straitened" is "constraint" or "distress". The thought being conveyed here is that water is made straight and hard and confined, not flowing. It is frozen by the breath of God.

(11) "Also by watering He wearies the thick cloud; He scatters His bright cloud. (12) And it is turned around by His counsels, that they may do whatever He commands them on the face of the world in the earth."

The clouds become wearied or overburdened with water and shower down the rain; God scatters bright white clouds on a sunny day. The clouds are subject to God's command. I found it interesting that the KJV translation says "the world in the earth". Newer translations use "the whole earth", but that is not what the original text said. After researching the original words, I believe it refers to the "land" or "habitable part" in the earth.

(13) "He causes it to come, whether for correction, or for His land, or for mercy."

All of nature is at the command of God, and He uses nature to feed and grow His land, but also for mercy and correction of the land's inhabitants.

(14) "Listen to this, O Job; stand still and consider the wondrous works of God. (15) Do you know when God dispatched them, and caused the light of His cloud to shine? (16) Do you understand the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge?"

Elihu encourages Job to really consider the works of God. Can he really understand and know the wondrous works of an awesome God who is perfect?

(17) "How your garments are warm, when He quiets the earth by the south wind? (18) Have you, with Him, spread out the sky, which is strong, as a molten looking glass?"

With a little sarcasm, Elihu wonders if Job has helped God spread the vast sky and blow the wind.

(19) "Teach us what we shall say to Him, for we cannot order our speech because of darkness. (20) Will it be told to Him that I speak? If a man speaks, surely he will be swallowed up."

I believe this is still sarcasm, because Job considers himself so wise, Elihu asks him what the rest of them could possibly say to God because they are all in darkness. Most of the old commentaries don't attribute sarcasm with these statements, but feel they are statements filled with awe and rhetorical because God knows all. But because Elihu prefaced them by asking Job if he were with God when He created the sky and the wind, I have to believe he is still being facetious, asking Job to teach him what to say. The last sentence could have been uttered with more awe than sarcasm. Obviously there is no need to tell God when someone speaks, as He knows all, but if a man were to speak or argue his case with God, he is soon swallowed up by the magnificence and perfection that is God Almighty.

(21) "And now men do not see the bright light which is in the clouds, but the wind passes, and cleanses them. (22) Fair weather comes out of the north; with God is awesome majesty."

Elihu seems to return to his discussion of thunder and lightning and clouds. Whether the bright light is lightning hidden in the dark clouds, or the sun that is covered by clouds, men cannot see it until the wind brings fair skies. The word I translated as "awesome" is actually "terrible" in the KJV. "Terrible" has a terrible connotation these days, so I always like to think "awesome", but perhaps I need to review the original meaning of the word transcribed as "terrible". "Yare" means "to fear, to revere, to frighten, to be made afraid, dreadful, terrible, to cause astonishment and awe, be held in awe, to inspire reverence or godly fear or awe". So I suppose "awesome" is okay, but I must remember it is God-fearing, understanding God holds my life and the earth and universe in His hands, kind of awe!

(23) "Regarding the Almighty, we cannot figure Him out; He is excellent in power, and in judgment and in abundant justice; He will not afflict. (24) Men do therefore fear Him; He respects not any who are wise of heart."

Once again Elihu returns to his sentiment that God's ways are higher (more complicated and harder to understand) than our ways. But He always judges righteously and is just and will not afflict or oppress. He will sometimes allow affliction and oppression, and certainly there are times when the Lord Himself is active in what may seem like affliction and oppression, but it is always about chastisement and correction and turning His people back to Him. And THAT is a most merciful thing because ONLY in Him is there life!

God is about His own plans and His will, and shows no partiality to those wise in their own eyes and in their own hearts. Wise in their own eyes is foolishness to the Lord. Wise in their own hearts takes it a step further to me. That speaks to me as pride, pride that we know better, that we can really know the mind of God! Even though Job's friends were godly and righteous men, and felt like they thoroughly understood scripture, none really knew the mind of God or what had taken place regarding Job. Oh, that is a lesson for me! It is wonderful to try to thoroughly know scripture, and indeed, it is there for the purpose of our learning and knowledge, and it is the ONLY source of wisdom, but even with it, we can never really know the complete workings of God. However, God does send us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us, but we must be careful to always be in tune to Him and not to deceiving spirits that cause us to judge the hearts of men unjustly and cause us to become prideful.

Next time in Job, God appears on the scene!