The Lord continues to speak with Job in chapter 38, asking him about light and the wind (Job 38:24). Throughout the chapter the Lord had confined himself to questioning Job about the physical things he has created. How much does Job know about these things, and by whose power do they operate? Can Job (or mankind) cause the sun to rise or the rain to fall? Can he bring the seasons of spring, summer, autumn or winter? Is mankind qualified to be the god of his environment, or does he need a higher power to assist him, provide these things for him, like a bird does for its young or the lion does for its whelps (cp. Job 38:39-41)?
Light seems to arise out of one area in the east and seems to be contained to a single spot on the horizon, but how is it dispersed over the whole landscape at virtually the same time? By what power is that done? Moreover, from where does the east wind arise, and how is it dispersed over the globe? Do light and wind have a home or a womb out of which they arise, and if so, are you able to travel to that place. However, if they don’t have a home, how are they dispersed across the landscape?
Job had mentioned the Lord stores large amounts of water in the clouds overhead, yet they don’t burst (Job 26:8). Nevertheless, when the rain does fall, why doesn’t it pour down to the earth as water does from a pitcher into a cup? Who provided a path for heavy rainfall, or the way for the loud and rumbling thunderclaps (Job 38:25)? Job is able to observe and describe these things, but seems unable to describe how they occur or why.
Equally mysterious for Job and those living in his day was why rain fell in desolate places, uninhabited by men. Yet, when the rain did fall there, vegetation grew up and the land became green, even though no man was there to cultivate the land and plant the seeds. How did this occur and by what power (Job 38:26-27)? Does the rain have a father who directs its paths? What about the drops of dew that appear on the landscape? Do they have a father who directs their appearance in the morning? Who takes care of these things, that men never give a thought to (Job 38:28)?
Elihu concluded that pools of water (such as ponds and lakes) freeze and frost upon the landscape is given by the breath of God (Job 37:10). However, the Lord asks Job how that occurs and why (Job 38:29-30). Why does only the surface of the ponds and lakes freeze over and not wholly as is implied in Elihu’s discourse. If the whole pond or lake froze solid, all life within would die! So, who cares for the fish and other marine lifeforms during the winter months?
Job pointed to the heavens in Job 9:9, saying that the Lord made the constellations of the sky, like the Bear, Orion and Pleiades. However, God asks Job if he, by his power, could bind the chains of Pleiades or loosen Orion’s belt. The two constellations seem to point to the beginning and ending of the safe sailing seasons in the great seas, such as the Mediterranean in the West and the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf in the East. In other words, does man have the power to extend safe commercial travel? Do the seasons appear at Job’s command or at any man’s (Job 38:31-33), and does mankind have the ability to guide his own way, vis-à-vis the north star is alluded to in the mention of the Bear and her cubs? Who put the stars where they are and by what power are they fixed there, as if to guide mankind and offer him the foresight to prepare for days ahead and for dangers present?
Is mankind able to control the weather and cause it to rain where it is needed or prevent it from falling where it would cause floods (Job 38:34)? Is he able to cause the power vested in lightning to serve him (Job 38:35; cp. 1Samuel 3:4, 6, 9; Isaiah 6:8)? Do the clouds have understanding to know the path to take and when to empty themselves upon the land? Do the stars in heaven know their places (Job 38:36-37)? Who put such implied intelligence into their existence? Who cares for men in the matters over which he has no control?
What about when the land is dry and has no rain, when the rain had caused the dust to cling to itself in clods, like one cast metals? When the land is hard and has no food for the animals that graze, will you, Job, hunt for food for the lion and her whelps (Job 38:38-40). Moreover, who will provide for the raven, for the young ravens who are cast from their nests, forced to provide for themselves as soon as they’re able to fly (Job 38:41)? The picture provided in this example points to trusting God for one’s provision. Jesus mentioned that the Lord provides for the ravens, an unclean bird. So, why wouldn’t he provide for his children, whom he loves (Luke 12:24)? Job felt like the Lord had abandoned him (Job 3:24-26), like the raven does her young, but, if the Lord provides for the raven’s young, why should Job believe the Lord would abandon anyone he loves (Luke 12:24)?
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