As we continue our sermon series, Walking with Wisdom, we encounter the book of Job for a second time. In our first encounter, we were confronted with Job’s many losses, and we reflected on his refusal to stray from Wisdom’s path. In the midst of his suffering, Job clung to God and the hope that God would have an answer for all that he had experienced. In our scripture today, God answers Job out of a whirlwind. God’s response is long, spanning chapters 38-39, but one question God asks Job – “Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?” – jumps out at us. This sounds like an impossible task, and yet God implies that there is one who can and one who does…and it’s not Job! How do we make our peace with the things we cannot know or accomplish? How might we allow this revelation to strengthen our trust in God and guide us on Wisdom’s path?
Scriptures:
- Job 38:1-7, 34-41
- Psalm 104:1-9, 24, 35c
- Hebrews 5:1-10
- Mark 10:35-45
Job 38:1-7, 34-41
The Lord Answers Job
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind:
‘Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?
Gird up your loins like a man,
I will question you, and you shall declare to me.
‘Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell me, if you have understanding.
Who determined its measurements—surely you know!
Or who stretched the line upon it?
On what were its bases sunk,
or who laid its cornerstone
when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
‘Can you lift up your voice to the clouds,
so that a flood of waters may cover you?
Can you send forth lightnings, so that they may go
and say to you, “Here we are”?
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts,
or given understanding to the mind?
Who has the wisdom to number the clouds?
Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens,
when the dust runs into a mass
and the clods cling together?
‘Can you hunt the prey for the lion,
or satisfy the appetite of the young lions,
when they crouch in their dens,
or lie in wait in their covert?
Who provides for the raven its prey,
when its young ones cry to God,
and wander about for lack of food?