Bible Study Notes in Job- Chapter 37

Job 37



-Elihu will finish his discourse in this chapter with extolling the powerful attributes of God pertaining to His creation one more time. His power makes the young man’s heart tremble and leap from its place. He tells Job to listen closely to the thunder of His Voice and the rumbling that goes out from the LORD’s Mouth. He lets loose His remarkable demonstrations under the whole heaven, and His lightening goes to the ends of the earth. His Voice roars; He thunders with His majestic Voice. He does not restrain His bolts of lightening when His Voice is heard. His Voice thunders wondrously, doing incomprehensible and mighty things. He commands the snow to fall on the earth and strengthens the downpours of rain. “He seals the hand of every man, that all men may know His work.” For the beast, they go to their appointed lair and remain in their den. From the south comes the storm, and out of the north the cold. Using personification, Elihu says that God makes ice from His breath and freezes the expanse of waters. He uses the moisture to form thick clouds, and then He disperses the cloud of His lightening. The weather changes direction only at His beckoning and guidance. The LORD is all-wise. His command over the face of the inhabited earth is complete. “Whether for correction, or for His world, or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen (Job 37:1-13).”

-In his final stanza, Elihu tells Job to, “Listen to this…” He wants him to stand and consider the wonders of God and realize that He alone establishes them. He evaporates the storm with its lightening and brings back the sunshine. Elihu does once again comes across as demeaning towards his elder with questioning him on his understanding of the natural order that God does coordinate. But, he rightly says that God is “perfect in knowledge.” He remains Job of his human limitations in the grand scheme of things. He argues that mankind cannot say anything to God’s glory and that no one has a case against Him. Men just don’t understand His light and brightness as the wind passes and clears everything up. “Out of the north comes golden splendor; around God is awesome majesty.” He postulates that there is no way for mankind to find God because of His exalted power, but that we can trust Him since “He will not do violence to justice and abundant righteousness.” The final point is this, “Therefore, men fear Him; He does not regard any who are wise of heart (Job 37:14-24).”

-*Application* Our God is the immovable Mover. He has total and absolute authority, and we should be constantly reminded of that in our prideful, sometimes cynical, hearts. This is a good reminder for us today that we should give Him awe and majesty. The vital point to get in all this is that God does what He does, even the bad stuff, for correction (Job 37:13). It’s also nice that we can count on His lovingkindness (checed- goodness, faithfulness, kindness, beauty, favor, mercy, pity, love), which will let us in to His gracious riches poured out through the work of Jesus Christ. So, let’s rest in the fact that we can confidently come before the most powerful Being in the cosmos (Hebrews 4:14-16). It all starts with reverent fear and humility (Proverbs 1:7).





Verse to Memorize: Job 37:13