He is God And I am Not
March 11, 2019
Commentary
God declares that all the forces of nature are under His command. He can release them or restrain them at His will. No one fully understands everyday events such as rain or snow, and no one can control them. Only God, their Creator, has that authority (vv. 25–27), governing every season with precise and faithful care. By asking about the father of the rain and the womb of the ice and frost, God questions whether man had any part in bringing these things into being (vv. 28–29). He speaks of the wonders of ice as waters harden like stone (v. 30). Then God turns to the heavens and asks Job whether he can bind the chains of the Pleiades or loose the cords of Orion (v. 31). Can Job lead forth the constellations in their season or guide them across the sky (vv. 32–33)? These questions reveal human limitations before divine power and expose our prideful assumptions about understanding creation.
God continues, asking if Job can raise his voice and cause the clouds to pour down rain (v. 34). Can he send lightning so that it answers, “Here we are”? (v. 35). Who gives wisdom to the clouds or understanding to the sky (v. 36)? Can Job number the clouds or tilt the water jars of heaven to soften hardened ground (vv. 37–38)? God then turns to the animal world. Can Job provide prey for the lion or satisfy the hunger of young lions (vv. 39–40)? And “Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God”? (v. 41). revealing His faithful provision.
Job could not answer these questions, and neither can we. If we cannot explain ordinary events in nature, how can we question God’s purposes? Creation displays His greatness and reminds us that He is God, and we are not, calling us to humble trust and sincere obedience.
Application
Do I try to question God when things do not go my way? Do I quietly believe I know better? When I see the sky, the rain, or even small needs around me, can I trust His faithful care? I am not in control of my life the way I sometimes think. Today, I choose to surrender my pride and walk in humble obedience before His sovereign will.
Job 38:25–41 (NET)
25 Who carves out a channel for the heavy rains, and a path for the rumble of thunder,
26 to cause it to rain on an uninhabited land, a wilderness where there are no human beings,
27 to satisfy a devastated and desolate land, and to cause it to sprout with vegetation?
28 Does the rain have a father, or who has fathered the drops of the dew?
29 From whose womb does the ice emerge, and the frost from the sky, who gives birth to it,
30 when the waters become hard like stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen solid?
31 Can you tie the bands of the Pleiades, or release the cords of Orion?
32 Can you lead out the constellations in their seasons, or guide the Bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens, or can you set up their rule over the earth?
34 Can you raise your voice to the clouds so that a flood of water covers you?
35 Can you send out lightning bolts, and they go? Will they say to you, ‘Here we are’?
36 Who has put wisdom in the heart, or has imparted understanding to the mind?
37 Who by wisdom can count the clouds, and who can tip over the water jars of heaven,
38 when the dust hardens into a mass, and the clumps of earth stick together?
39 “Do you hunt prey for the lioness, and satisfy the appetite of the lions
40 when they crouch in their dens, when they wait in ambush in the thicket?
41 Who prepares prey for the raven, when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?
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