25 Who hath divided H6385 a watercourse H8585 for the overflowing of waters, H7858 or a way H1870 for the lightning H2385 of thunder; H6963
For he maketh small H1639 the drops H5198 of water: H4325 they pour down H2212 rain H4306 according to the vapour H108 thereof: Which the clouds H7834 do drop H5140 and distil H7491 upon man H120 abundantly. H7227
He directeth H3474 it H8281 under the whole heaven, H8064 and his lightning H216 unto the ends H3671 of the earth. H776 After H310 it a voice H6963 roareth: H7580 he thundereth H7481 with the voice H6963 of his excellency; H1347 and he will not stay H6117 them when his voice H6963 is heard. H8085 God H410 thundereth H7481 marvellously H6381 with his voice; H6963 great things H1419 doeth H6213 he, which we cannot comprehend. H3045 For he saith H559 to the snow, H7950 Be thou H1933 on the earth; H776 likewise to the small H4306 rain, H1653 and to the great H4306 rain H1653 of his strength. H5797
The voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 is upon the waters: H4325 the God H410 of glory H3519 thundereth: H7481 the LORD H3068 is upon many H7227 waters. H4325 The voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 is powerful; H3581 the voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 is full of majesty. H1926 The voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 breaketh H7665 the cedars; H730 yea, the LORD H3068 breaketh H7665 the cedars H730 of Lebanon. H3844 He maketh them also to skip H7540 like a calf; H5695 Lebanon H3844 and Sirion H8303 like a young H1121 unicorn. H7214 The voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 divideth H2672 the flames H3852 of fire. H784 The voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 shaketh H2342 the wilderness; H4057 the LORD H3068 shaketh H2342 the wilderness H4057 of Kadesh. H6946 The voice H6963 of the LORD H3068 maketh the hinds H355 to calve, H2342 and discovereth H2834 the forests: H3295 and in his temple H1964 doth every one speak H559 of his glory. H3519 The LORD H3068 sitteth H3427 upon the flood; H3999 yea, the LORD H3068 sitteth H3427 King H4428 for ever. H5769
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Job 38
Commentary on Job 38 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 38
In most disputes the strife is who shall have the last word. Job's friends had, in this controversy, tamely yielded it to Job, and then he to Elihu. But, after all the wranglings of the counsel at bar, the judge upon the bench must have the last word; so God had here, and so he will have in every controversy, for every man's judgment proceeds from him and by his definitive sentence every man must stand or fall and every cause be won or lost. Job had often appealed to God, and had talked boldly how he would order his cause before him, and as a prince would he go near unto him; but, when God took the throne, Job had nothing to say in his own defence, but was silent before him. It is not so easy a matter as some think it to contest with the Almighty. Job's friends had sometimes appealed to God too: "O that God would speak!' ch. 11:5. And now, at length, God does speak, when Job, by Elihu's clear and close arguings was mollified a little, and mortified, and so prepared to hear what God had to say. It is the office of ministers to prepare the way of the Lord. That which the great God designs in this discourse is to humble Job, and bring him to repent of, and to recant, his passionate indecent expressions concerning God's providential dealings with him; and this he does by calling upon Job to compare God's eternity with his own time, God's omniscience with his own ignorance, and God's omnipotence with his own impotency.
If, in these ordinary works of nature, Job was puzzled, how durst he pretend to dive into the counsels of God's government and to judge of them? In this (as bishop Patrick observes) God takes up the argument begun by Elihu (who came nearest to the truth) and prosecutes it in inimitable words, excelling his, and all other men's, in the loftiness of the style, as much as thunder does a whisper.
Job 38:1-3
Let us observe here,
Job 38:4-11
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance even concerning the earth and the sea. Though so near, though so bulky, yet he could give no account of their origination, much less of heaven above or hell beneath, which are at such a distance, or of the several parts of matter which are so minute, and then, least of all, of the divine counsels.
Job 38:12-24
The Lord here proceeds to ask Job many puzzling questions, to convince him of his ignorance, and so to shame him for his folly in prescribing to God. If we will but try ourselves with such interrogatories as these, we shall soon be brought to own that what we know is nothing in comparison with what we know not. Job is here challenged to give an account of six things:-
Job 38:25-41
Hitherto God had put such questions to Job as were proper to convince him of his ignorance and short-sightedness. Now he comes, in the same manner, to show his impotency and weakness. As it is but little that he knows, and therefore he ought not to arraign the divine counsels, so it is but little that he can do, and therefore he ought not to oppose the proceedings of Providence. Let him consider what great things God does, and try whether he can do the like, or whether he thinks himself an equal match for him.