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Job 38 has a list of huge things that God did. Job is feeling a bit abused and a bit upset at the way things have gone for him lately. In fact Job can find no reason for the disasters that befell him, rather he found much about himself that was righteous, and outlines those things in Chapter 31. And then the three "friends" fell silent after Job's speech because Job was righteous in his own eyes (Job 32:1). Now this extolling of righteousness makes Elihu angry because Job was touting all his righteousness rather than God (Job 32:2).

We read several chapters of Elihu's speech where he rebukes Job's three friends, the he rebukes Job, he asserts God's justice, he condemns Job, and then He extols God's greatness and proclaims God's majesty.

I find it strange that God had no word to Elihu after such a passionate speech. God told the three friends they should sacrifice and should ask Job to pray for them for God to forgive them. That would make me gulp in fear. God had a lot to say to Job, but He remained silent toward Elihu. I think this means that God was in complete agreement with Elihu's wisdom.Perhaps we should study those six chapters in Job a bit more closely. But today we're going to look at a few questions from God.

These questions that God asks Job puts him in his place.

Job 38:4 Where were you when I founded the earth? Declare if you know understanding.

There was nothing, and then God spoke and there was the universe. Even if there was a big bang, Who made the something that exploded? I do not understand how God spoke and brought the universe from nothing.

Job 38:5 Who has set its dimensions, for you know? Or who has stretched a line on it?

Oh... yes! God stretched a line around the earth's middle with half facing the sun and the other half facing darkness, and we can see it from space. Job didn't have the faintest notion what the line meant or looked like. He could not see the "big picture" that we can see by turning on NASA channel. But he believed God anyway.

Job 38:6 -7 On what were its bases sunk? Or who cast its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

We know all about gravity and how it interacts with mass and how motion has a lot to do with positioning in space. Job was a herdsman, albeit very rich, but he did not have a PhD from MIT. Today we know gravity is the answer to this question.We learn it in 11th grade science class or in physics class. Gravity isn't something we can pick up and put in our pocket. We definitely feel its effects, and see its influence on the moon and the moon's influence on tides. But knowing it doesn't give us greater insight into God's personality except that it's effects are blessings to us. The rain falls and the sun holds earth in orbit so that we have it's warmth and energy. Without that, no life.

Job 38:8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it burst out; it came forth from the womb?

Lots of archaeology evidence of the Great Flood. Lots of historical accounts of it dating before Moses. So, therefore, Moses must have copied the story from other sources, right? No.

Job 38:9 When I made the clouds to clothe it, and darkness its navel-band; 10 and I broke My limit on it and set bars and doors; 11 and I said, You shall come to here, but no further; and here your proud waves shall be set?

Tides, ebbs, moon's gravitational pull. Science explains to us what God means by bars and doors and waves being set. It is only from other forces such as earthquakes that the waves' set is pushed back beyond the normal high tide. But there is a door and a bar where the water cannot go beyond. Only God knew it was necessary and protected us.

Job 38:12 Have you commanded the morning from your days and caused the dawn to know its place?

We have pictures from space of the dawn/dusk boundaries, but we can no more push back the dawn than we can halt a tsunami. We've walked along the sand boundaries of the seas, seen the top of cloud covering as we fly over, and we've gazed at the "navel-band" of darkness when our astronauts film it as they circle the earth. No amount of man-made energy can thwart what God set in place.

We have pictures from 4 miles under the ocean's surface that depict mountains and trenches of the seabed, and indeed man has walked the ocean's depths... but only recently.

We still cannot comprehend the hugeness of earth. We compare how "small" it is compared to how "large" Saturn and Jupiter are, and we compare how "small" they are to the vastness of the Sun. Can we truly comprehend how big earth is?

In the pictures from space only 200 miles from the earth's surface, a human being cannot be discerned, and cities look like splashes of light. As gigantically tall as the tallest building in the world is, it isn't visible from the window of the space station.

And yet, God loved us so much that He created this universe for us. Better by far, He loved us so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that whosoever believes on Him would never perish, but would have life eternal.

"Refreshment in Refuge" from Gina Burgess

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