God at last speaks. Job has been saying again and again that he cries aloud to God and that God does not answer. And now God does. Who is it that darkens His counsel with words void of knowledge? Notice. God does not answer Job. God does not enter saying, "Now, Job, really, all this talk and so many accusations. Let's talk about this." He doesn't say, "Now, listen here, this is the way it is..." He doesn't answer Job at all. Instead, He tells Job to gird up his loins, prepare to stand as a man! Because God Himself has some questions for Job and let us see if he can answer Him.
What does God want to know of Job? Nothing. Notice that all of God's questions are rhetorical. Had Job really been there when the Lord laid the foundations of the earth? Had Job ever seen where snow came from? Rain? Did he set the perimeters for the sea: not just where it would be bounded but how it would behave? Did he cause the sun to rise in the morning or to go down at night? Did he create light? Was he even there when God created light? Could he see the home-places for the stars in major constellations? Could he provide the food for wild animals? Could he contend with them?
We all know the answers to those questions, as well as Job, as well as God. It is only in the last few decades that man has gained the technology to probe more deeply into some of these issues: the Hubble Telescope brought us amazing pictures of stars and galaxies far, far away that are only pinpoints of light in the sky to us on earth. Advances in meteorology have helped us to understand the processes God created to make precipitation. They are even trying to create simulations of it. But we still do not create it in our every day lives. God didn't need the answers to the questions. Perhaps the Lord only wanted to establish Job's response. Even more, God wanted Job to understand who was God and who was Master of the Universe (and no, it's not He-Man).
Tomorrow's Reading: Job 39:10-42:17. We finish Job!
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