GOD REVEALS HIS OMNIPOTENCE TO JOB
But He stands alone, and who can oppose Him?
He does whatever He pleases.
Job 23:13
I will begin with an overview of the book of Job from chapter 1 through chapter 37. Followed by chapters 38 through 41 in which God revealed His omnipotence to Job from out of the whirlwind. Ending with chapter 42 in which Job repents before His God.
The Book of Job an Overview
Chapter 1
Job lived in the land of Uz. He was known as a king. He was also a man of great wealth and influence. Job was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil. Job had seven sons and three daughters.
One day the divine beings presented themselves before the Lord, and Satan, the Adversary came along with them. God asked Satan, where have you come from? Satan's reply was that he had come from roaming all over the earth.
God knowing the heart of Job and what He was about to do through Job, asked Satan the question; have you noticed My servant, Job? God said, there is no one like him on earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil.
Satan answered God by saying that Job had good reasons to fear God. Satan said to God; You have placed a fence around him, his household, and all that he has. You have blessed him so much so that he has possessions spread out in the land. Then Satan said to God but lay Your hands on all that he has, and he will surely blaspheme You to Your face.
God said to Satan, See, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on him. Then Satan left from the presence of God. The day came when Satan acted out on what God gave him permission to do. Satan caused a strong wind to collapse the house of Job's oldest son when all of Job's children were gathered together in his house. All of Job's ten children died.
Satan also caused all of Job's livestock to be carried off by the Sabeans and his camels carried off by the Chaldean's. He caused Job's sheep to be burned up by fire from heaven. Satan also took the lives of the men attending Job's livestock, camels, and sheep.
Note: Job's response to what happened to his children, livestock, camels, and sheep are summed up in the following verses.
20 Then Job arose, tore his robe, cut off his hair, and threw himself on the ground and worshiped.
21 He said, naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord has given, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
22 For all that, Job did not sin, nor did he cast reproach on God.
Chapter 2
On yet another day, the divine beings presented themselves before the Lord. Satan came along with them to present himself before the Lord. God asked Satan, where have you been? Satan's reply was that he had been roaming all over the earth. Yet again God said to Satan, have you noticed My servant, Job? There is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man who fears God and shuns evil. He still keeps his integrity; even though you have incited Me against him.
Satan answered God by saying, skin for skin. All that a man has he will give up for his life. But lay a hand on his bones and his flesh, and he will surely blaspheme You to Your face. So, God said to Satan, See, he is in your power; only spare his life. Satan left the presence of God and inflicted a severe inflammation on Job from the sole of his feet to the crown of his head.
Job's illness got to the point that even his wife spoke against him. She said to Job, do you still keep your integrity, curse God, and die. But he said to her, you are talking like a foolish woman. Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble? In all this, Job did not sin in what he said.
In the midst of his testing, Job had three friends that came to "comfort" him:
1 Eliphaz, the Temanite, descendant of Esau.
2 Bildad, the Shuhite, descendant of Abraham and Keturah.
3 Zophar, the Naamathite.
Elihu, the Buzite, a descendant of Abraham's brother Nahor, also talked to Job.
Note: As a "comforter" it was the tradition of the Talmud (Jewish Law) that a "comforter" did not speak to a mourner until the mourner spoke to him. So, Job's friends sat with him for seven days without saying anything.
Chapter 3
Here in this chapter Job spoke: he cursed the day of his birth, he longed for death, and he spoke if his turmoil.
Chapters 4-5
In these two chapters is the first round of conversation that Job is having with his friends. Eliphaz replied by rebuking Job and saying that the righteous are not cut off. He went on to say that happy is the man that God corrects, therefore, do not despise the chastening of the Almighty. Eliphaz had a vision from God, and he considered himself qualified to exhort Job.
Chapter 6
All of Job's friends claimed that the righteous were the ones who were blessed, and that those who did evil were the ones to suffer. Job replied by justifying his despair and telling his friends that he was disappointed in them.
Chapter 7
Job continued on in a conversation with his friends and spoke about life's misery and expecting sympathy from his friends. He questioned God, as to why God was dealing with him that way, and why God was not listening to him.
Chapter 8
Bildad agreed with Eliphaz and Zophar that God was punishing Job for his sins. They all had the same idea, that suffering is sent upon men as a punishment for their sins, and if a person had great suffering, it meant he was a great sinner.
Chapter 9
Job acknowledged that God does not forsake the righteous, and that no man is exempt from charges or free of guilt, but all must depend on God's grace.
Chapter 10
Job confessed his weakness; he complained, and welcomed death, wishing that he had never been born.
Chapter 11
Zophar spoke for the first time, he too rebuked Job for what he had said. Zophar spoke of God's greatness and omnipotence. He urged Job to repent, be restored, and be blessed.
Chapters 12-14
In these three chapters Job replied to Zophar by saying that there are times when the wicked do prosper and the righteous suffer. Job also denounced his friends and appealed to God.
Chapter 15
Eliphaz spoke the second time, describing the wicked and their end.
Chapter 16
Job labeled his friends as "miserable comforters." Job continued to complain while his friends were scoffing him.
Chapter 17
Job is looking at himself as a man that is dying.
Chapter 18
Bildad spoke a second time to Job. In an attempt to frighten Job, he reproved Job by describing the doom of the wicked.
Chapter 19
Vexed by Bildad's words, Job replied by asking for compassion. He was broken on every side and abhorred by his friends. Even his wife was a stranger to him.
Chapter 20
Zophar spoke the second time, followed by a proverb and a statement of their traditional thought. He classified Job with the wicked and their fate.
Chapter 21
Job speaks on the prosperity of the wicked and what becomes of them.
Chapter 22
Eliphaz spoke for the third and last time. Stating that Job was a great sinner and urged him to get right with God. Job sought to prove that he was not a wicked man by finding God and pleading his case before God.
Chapter 23
Job sought to prove that he was not wicked.
Chapter 24
Once again Job talks of wickedness that often goes unpunished.
Chapter 25
Bildad spoke for the third and last time. He presented a description of God and man.
Chapter 26
In Job's reply, he dismissed Bildad's arguments and described God's greatness.
Chapter 27
Job compared his righteousness to that of the wicked, confidently presenting his innocence.
Chapter 28
Job went on to describe the treasures of the earth and the higher wealth of wisdom, which is known by God.
Chapters 29-30
In these two chapters Job outlined his past blessings and honors; and the good deeds he had brought, comparing them to his present, shameful humiliation.
Chapter 31
Job maintained his righteousness and integrity. He challenged both God and man to prove him to be wrong.
Chapters 32-35
In these four chapters, Elihu Justifies his right to answer Job and he reproves Job and justifies God.
Chapters 36-37
In these two chapters Elihu spoke and extoled God's greatness.
Note: In the following chapters, 38 through 41 God revealed His omnipotence to Job when He spoke to Job out of the Whirlwind.
God Speaks to Job Out of the Whirlwind and Makes Known His Omnipotence to Job
As it is written:
Job 38:1-41
1 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind. He said:
2 who is this that obscures my plans with words without knowledge?
3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
4 Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know. Who stretched a measuring line across it?
6 On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone
7 while the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy?
8 Who shut up the sea behind doors when it burst forth from the womb,
9 when I made the clouds its garment and wrapped it in thick darkness,
10 when I fixed limits for it and set its doors and bars in place,
11 when I said, this far you may come and no farther; here is where your proud waves halt?
12 Have you ever given orders to the morning, or shown the dawn its place,
13 that it might take the earth by the edges and shake the wicked out of it?
14 The earth takes shape like clay under a seal; its features stand out like those of a garment.
15 The wicked are denied their light, and their upraised arm is broken.
16 Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea or walked in the recesses of the deep?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
18 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth? Tell me, if you know all this.
19 What is the way to the abode of light? And where does darkness reside?
20 Can you take them to their places? Do you know the paths to their dwellings?
21 Surely you know, for you were already born. You have lived so many years.
22 Have you entered the storehouses of the snow or seen the storehouses of the hail,
23 which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle?
24 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
25 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain, and a path for the thunderstorm,
26 to water a land where no one lives, an uninhabited desert,
27 to satisfy a desolate wasteland and make it sprout with grass?
28 Does the rain have a father? Who fathers the drops of dew?
29 From whose womb comes the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
30 when the waters become hard as stone, when the surface of the deep is frozen?
31 Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades? Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
32 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons or lead out the bear with its cubs?
33 Do you know the laws of the heavens? Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
34 Can you raise your voice to the clouds and cover yourself with a flood of water?
35 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, here we are?
36 Who gives the ibis wisdom or gives the rooster understanding?
37 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
38 when the dust becomes hard, and the clods of earth stick together?
39 Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions
40 when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in a thicket?
41 Who provides food for the raven when its young cry out to God and wander about for lack of food?
As it is written:
Job 39:1-30
1 Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch when the doe bears her fawn?
2 Do you count the months till they bear? Do you know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch down and bring forth their young; their labor pains are ended.
4 Their young thrive and grow strong in the wilds; they leave and do not return.
5 Who let the wild donkey go free? Who untied its ropes?
6 I gave it the wasteland as its home, the salt flats as its habitat.
7 It laughs at the commotion in the town; it does not hear a driver’s shout.
8 It ranges the hills for its pasture and searches for any green thing.
9 Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will it stay by your manger at night?
10 Can you hold it to the furrow with a harness? Will it till the valleys behind you?
11 Will you rely on it for its great strength? Will you leave your heavy work to it?
12 Can you trust it to haul in your grain and bring it to your threshing floor?
13 The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, though they cannot compare with the wings and feathers of the stork.
14 She lays her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand,
15 unmindful that a foot may crush them, that some wild animal may trample them.
16 She treats her young harshly, as if they were not hers; she cares not that her labor was in vain,
17 for God did not endow her with wisdom or give her a share of good sense.
18 Yet when she spreads her feathers to run, she laughs at horse and rider.
19 Do you give the horse its strength or clothe its neck with a flowing mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust, striking terror with its proud snorting?
21 It paws fiercely, rejoicing in its strength, and charges into the fray.
22 It laughs at fear, afraid of nothing; it does not shy away from the sword.
23 The quiver rattles against its side, along with the flashing spear and lance.
24 In frenzied excitement it eats up the ground; it cannot stand still when the trumpet sounds.
25 At the blast of the trumpet it snorts, Aha! It catches the scent of battle from afar, the shout of commanders and the battle cry.
26 Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread its wings toward the south?
27 Does the eagle soar at your command and build its nest on high?
28 It dwells on a cliff and stays there at night; a rocky crag is its stronghold.
29 From there it looks for food; its eyes detect it from afar.
30 Its young ones feast on blood, and where the slain are, there it is.
As it is written:
Job 40:1-24
1 The Lord said to Job:
2 Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him.
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 I am unworthy how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer twice, but I will say no more.
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the whirlwind:
7 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
8 Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you.
15 Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you, and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins, what power in the muscles of its belly.
17 Its tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze, its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God, yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it; it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes, or trap it and pierce its nose?
As it is written:
Job 41:1-34
1 Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy? Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement with you for you to take it as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6 Will traders barter for it? Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons or its head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again.
9 Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering.
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it. Who then is able to stand against me?
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs, its strength and its graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat? Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth, ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15 Its back has rows of shields tightly sealed together;
16 each is so close to the next that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light; its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19 Flames stream from its mouth; sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 Its breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from its mouth.
22 Strength resides in its neck; dismay goes before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable.
24 Its chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone.
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before its thrashing.
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
27 Iron it treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee; sling stones are like chaff to it.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw; it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it; one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty; it is king over all that are proud.
CONCLUSION
God's conversation with Job shows that God is indeed the creator and ruler of the universe. Job's reply and confession to God shows the relationship that Job had with God.
As it is written:
Job 42:1-6
1 Then Job answered the Lord and said,
2 I know that you can do everything, and that no thought can be withheld from you.
3 You asked, who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge? Surely, I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.
4 You said, listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me.
5 My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you.
6 Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.
The Lord blessed the latter part of Job's life more than the first.
Job 42:12