As a prelude to God’s sudden appearance to take up Job’s request for a personal audience with his Maker, Elihu gave an extended proclamation of the Majesty of God (chapter 37). God is mysterious and unpredictable but always just. Elihu skillfully employed lightning and thunder as an image of the unpredictable but precise purpose of God [“He covers his hands with the lightning and commands it to strike the mark. Its crashing declares his presence.” 36:32, 33.] As Jonathan Edwards, in his “Personal Narrative,” began his observations of the “majestic meekness” manifest in nature, he said, “Scarce anything, among all the works of nature, was so sweet to me as thunder and lightning.” In prior days when he saw a thunderstorm rising it would strike him with terror. After the time of his “new apprehensions” of Christ and redemption, the combination of lightning and thunder took on a new aspect. “I felt God at the first appearance of a thunderstorm, and used to take the opportunity at such times, to fix myself to view the clouds, and see the lightning play, and hear the majestic and awful voice of God’s thunder.” So infused was this majestic display of power and beauty that Edwards called it “exceeding entertaining,” and the entire experience led him to “sweet contemplations of my great and glorious God.”
Though to us this phenomenon of nature seems random and uncontrollable, yet God controls each of the flashes and consequent rolls of thunder as his servants to do his bidding. “They turn around and around by his guidance, to accomplish all that he commands them on the face of the habitable world. Whether for correction or for his land or for love, he causes it to happen” (37:12, 13). Because he uses these things for his purpose each aspect of “natural” activity serves the cause of justice and righteousness. “God is clothed with awesome majesty. The Almighty—we cannot find him; he is great in power; justice and abundant righteousness he will not violate” (37:23)
Now the encounter for which Job has yearned comes crashing in upon him—“Let the Almighty answer me … Like a prince I would approach Him.” (31:35-37). God tests Job as a competent witness and begins his own defense. And He is not subtle about it. Whereas later God came to Elijah in a still small voice and not in whirlwind or fire (1 Kings 19:12,13), to Job he arises with power and might out of a whirlwind (38:1). He challenges Job’s perception of the strength of his case before God and says that by his words he “darkens counsel” (2) and that his words themselves are “without knowledge.” In the final verse of chapter 37, Elihu has warned Job that the Almighty does not give high regard to those who appeal to their wisdom as instructive to God. So, if Job believes that he will stand before God like a prince, God himself challenges him to “Dress for action—gird up your loins—like a man” (3).
God challenges Job to show that he is qualified to stand toe-to-toe with God on the issue of his purpose in the world. “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” If you possess enough understanding to challenge my providential arrangements within this order, that means you were consulting with me at the point of creation and were privy to my purpose in all of its variety and the details of its inter-relationships. If Job is on parity with God for this, he will show his competence by demonstrating his knowledge of the created order. If Job believes that he can question the moral purposes of God, then, surely, he will be able to answer a few questions about the mysteries of the natural order.
After God asked Job the very basic question as to where he was when God laid the foundations of the earth, He asked about its dimensions or the reason for its specific measurements. How is it stable? On what were its bases sunk? This implies that the earth is sustained in its steadiness and equilibrium by some unseen forces, as it indeed is in its gravitational relationship with all other bodies. Apparently angelic beings were created before the creation of the earth and the universe. These intelligent beings witnessed God’s power in speaking and bringing into being the entire cosmos from nothing. It was sheer delight; as the stars and planets and all the wonders of the heavenly bodies appeared, these beings shouted for joy. Having seen the power, wisdom, beauty, logic, reason, and aseity of God in his decree and execution of creation, another wonder far beyond this will yet appear to angelic minds. They will marvel and worship at the birth of the Son of God, minister to him in his life, attend his grave at the resurrection, provide an avenue of glory at his ascension, and stand amazed at the application of the graces of forgiveness and justification through the covenant of redemption to fallen creatures (Hebrews 1:6, 13, 14; Luke 1:35; Luke 2:13, 14; Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43; Luke 24:4-7; Acts 1:10, 11; 1 Peter 1:12).Even so early in this opportunity for dialogue with God, Job realizes that he is a non-entity for intellectual and moral sparring with the one who spoke the universe into existence. If the angels worship and shout for joy, who is he to do anything else?
Dr. Tom Nettles is widely regarded as one of the foremost Baptist historians in America. He joined the faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary after teaching at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School where he was professor of Church History and chairman of that department. Previously, he taught at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and Mid-America Baptist Theological Seminary. He received a B.A. from Mississippi College and an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Southwestern. In addition to writing numerous journal articles and scholarly papers, Dr. Nettles has authored or edited nine books including By His Grace and For His Glory, Baptists and the Bible, and Why I Am a Baptist.
Courses taught: Historical Theology of the Baptists, Historical Theology Overview, Jonathan Edwards & Andrew Fuller.
