God's First Speech--Job 38:1-40:5--Part 2--God's Incomprehensible Animals

After God presents some of his inanimate creations on the universe and on planet earth, God next discusses five animals which he has created. Job 38:39-40; 39:1-12, 19-25 describes these five animals. In each case, God makes two major points:
A. Human beings cannot do the feats of these creatures.
B. Human beings cannot control or invent the activities or practices of these creatures.
Here are this discussion of these five animals.

I. The Lion. Job 38:39-40. God challenges any human being to hunt and kill and eat the prey of a lion as it crouches in its den or lair. How humorous to think of a human being running after a gazelle, jump on its back, bite its jugular vein, tear the animal apart, drag it to its den, and eat its raw. It is unthinkable that a human being would do such a thing, but this is vital to the survival of a lion. God's work is amazing. God does these things without human aid.

II. The Mountain Goat. Job 39:1-4. God challenges the conception, gestation, birth, and upbringing of a mountain goat. All this happens in the wild apart from human beings, yet their young grow up and become strong, and in time become independent from their forebears. God is marvelous. God does these things without human aid.

III. The Wild Ass. Job 39:5-8. God challenges the customary activities of the wild ass. The wild ass is born in the wild, grows up, and lives independently and very well. It avoids the city and refuses to allow a human being ride on his back. It eats pasture on the mountains and in the fields. God does wondrous things. God does these things without human aid.

IV. The Wild Ox. Job 39:9-12. God challenges the temper of the wild ox. No human being dare attempt to tame the wild ox or make it work in the field like a domesticated ox or mule. How humorous to think that a wild ox would spend the night in the crib of a human being. No human being could possible harness and drive a wild ox. The temper of the wild ox will not allow this. God is wise and powerful. God does these things without human aid.

V. The Horse. Job 39:19-25. God challenges the skill and dexterity of a horse. It would be preposterous to think of a human being ride on a hippopotamus or a rhinoceros or a crocodile. But a horse is "made" for riding and battle in war. A human being mounts on a horse, and with training, trains the horse to do marvelous feats and lead armies into battle and engage in competitive races and numerous others things. God's creation is captivating. God does these things without human aid.

Job does not respond to God's challenges. It is obvious to everyone that human beings cannot do any of these things, yet God does these things regularly. SO, how can any human being be in a position to question God's work in dealing with human suffering. Job's criticisms of God are completely inappropriate. And God makes this very clear by raising all these questions having to do with God's creative work throughout the universe and on earth.

What are YOUR thoughts about these five creations of God? How do YOU react to God's treatment of Job's complaints throughout Job's speeches? Share YOUR ideas with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis

Open My Eyes

One of the numerous prayers found in Psalm 119 appears in verse 18:
"Open my eyes, so that I may see
wondrous things out of your law."

Such a prayer assumes that we are blind spiritually. We SEE much physically, but spiritually we are often blind. The whole account about the man born blind related in John 9 essentially deals with the problem of "blindness" and "seeing." The man born blind was blind "physically," BUT the Pharisees who rebuked Jesus for opening the eyes of this man could see physically, but in reality they were blind spiritually.

This chapter ends with these words in John 11:35-43:
"Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, 'Do you believe in the Son of Man?' He answered, 'And who is he, sir?' Tell me, so that I may believe in him,' Jesus said to him, 'You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.' He said, 'Lord," I believe. And he worshipped him. Jesus said, 'I came into this world for judgment so that hose who do not SEE may SEE, and those who do SEE may become BLIND.' Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, 'Surely we are not BLIND, are we?' Jesus said to them, 'If you were BLIND, you would not have sin. But now that you say, 'We SEE,' your sin remains."

In 1895, Clara H Scott wrote a song conveying this thought:

First Stanza: Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp, and set me free.

Second Stanza: Open my ears, that I may hear
Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wavenotes fall on my ear,
Everything false will disappear.

Third Stanza: Open my mouth, and let me bear
Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart, and let me prepare
Love with Thy children thus to share.

Refrain: Silently now I wait for Thee,
Ready my God, Thy will to see:
Open my eyes, illumine me,
Savior divine!

I hope these thoughts lift YOUR heart. Share YOUR thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis

God's First Speech--Job 38:1-40:5--Part 1--God's Incomprehensible Inanimate Works

In tandem with the speech[es] of Elihu, and especially the conclusion related in Job 36:24-37:24, God now breaks his silence and begins to speak to Job, BECAUSE Elihu has properly prepared Job to listen to God.

God delivers two speeches. The first speech appears in Job 38:1-40:2, and Job replies in Job 40:3-5. God's first speech falls into three parts. The first part declares God's incomprehensible inanimate works in the universe and one earth. This is recorded in Job 38:1-38. This falls into eight sections.

I. God first sets straight the relationship between God and humanity. Job 38:1-3. Job assumed that Job, a human being, had the right to speak first, and put God in judgment. Job declared that he could beat God in a fair court trial. God responds by making two points.
a. Job speaks with "words without knowledge." Verses 1-2. We human beings think we know "everything." Not so. We are very, very, very ignorant. God knows everything, and we need to learn to listen to God.
b. It is not appropriate for a human being to initiate a conversation with God and show God is wrong. Just the opposite: The appropriate approach is for God to question human beings and then allow human beings to response. Verse 3.

II. God now fills the air with questions for Job and every human being to answer these question. First, God discusses the creation of the universe. Job 38:4-7. God created all that is. Where were human beings watching and working there? Human beings are not in any condition to explain how God created all that is. God challenges Job to explain all this. Job does not reply.

III. Who made the sea and determined that it could go thus far and then stop, making a clear distinction between the sea and the dry land? Job 38:8-11. No one can explain this or cause it to happen. Job cannot respond.

IV. Why do we live each day partly in light and partly in darkness? Why is the world like this? Can any human being make this happen? Job 38:12-15. Job cannot respond, nor can any human being.

V. Can any human being enter into the depths of the sea, death, or the expanse of the earth? Job 38:16-18. This is incomprehensible for any human being.

VI. Where do light and darkness and snow and rain come from? We experience all this, but it is beyond our origin or our ability to cause all this to happen. Job
38:19-30. The language here is highly metaphorical. The picture is that "light" or "darkness" or "snow" or "rain" lives in houses or storehouses, and when God needs any of these things, he goes to these houses and brings out whatever he needs or desires.

VII. Can anyone make or explain the constellations of the sky, the Milky Way, the Big Dipper or Bear, Orion, and other constellations? To think of such a thing is incomprehensible for us human beings. Job 38:31-33.

VIII. Can anyone explain clouds, waters, lightning, the mind of a human being? Of course not. Job cannot respond, nor can we. Job 38:34-38.

God's point is that life is not about "understanding" God or "comprehending" God, but to love God and appreciate God and fear God and worship God and serve God. Next he will discuss animals and birds. This will be very interesting. Stay with the text.

What are YOUR insights? Share YOUR thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis

Aardvarks

Most encyclopedias and dictionaries begin with "aardvark" in alphabetical order. From childhood, I have always been intrigued by aardvarks--I guess by the word and the shape of the animal.

Aardvarks are widespread throughout Africa. Aardvark--Orycteropus afer [afer is from Africa]--is a medium-sized, burrowing, nocturnal mammal native in Africa. People call this creature "antbear," "anteater," "Cape anteater" from the Cape of Good Hope, "earth hog" or "earth pig." "Aardvark" is from the Afrikaans or Dutch meaning "earth pig" or "ground pig," because early settlers from Europe thought it looked like a domesticated pig.

However, the aardvark is not related to the pig. Instead, it is a sole recent representative of the obscure mammalian order Tubulidentata, the most distinctive characteristic is their teeth. The closest relatives of the aardvark are the elephant shrews, sirenians, hyraxes, tenrecs, and elephants. The aardvark's teeth do not have a pulp cavity. Rather, each tooth has a cluster of thin, upright, parallel tubes of vasodentin, with individual pulp canals, held together by cementum. The teeth have no enamel coating and are worn away and re-grow continuously. The aardvark is born with conventional incisors and canines at the front of the jaw, which fall out and are not replaced.

The body of the aardvark is stout with an arched back and is sparsely covered with coarse hairs. The limbs are of moderate length. The front feet has lost the pollex or "thumb", resulting in four toes, but the rear feet have all five toes. Each toe has a large, robust nail which is somewhat flattened and shovel-like, appearing to be between a claw and a hoof. The ears are disproportionately long, and the tail is very thick at the base and gradually tapers. The greatly elongated head is set on a short, thick neck, and the end of the snout has a disc, which houses the nostrils. The mouth is small and tubular, typical of species that feed on termites and ants. The aardvark has a long, thin, snakelike protruding tongue and elaborate structures supporting a keen sense of smell.

The aardvark weighs from 50 to 65 kilograms, and it is 1 to 1.3 meters long, reaching to 2.2 meters including the tail. This creature is pale yellowish gray and often stained reddish-brown by soil. Its coat is thin and its primary protection is its tough skin. Often the aardvard sleeps in a recently excavated any nest to gain protection from its predators.

An aardvark emerges from its burrow in the late afternoon or shortly after sunset, and forages over a long home range covering 10 to 30 kilometers, swinging its long nose from side to side to pick up the scent of food. When it detects a concentration of ants or termites, it digs into it with its powerful front legs, keeping its long ears upright to listen for predators, and takes up an astonishing number of insects with its long, sticky tongue--as many as 50,000 in one night. The aardvarks' claws enable it to dig through the extremely hard crush of a termite or ant mound quickly, avoiding the dust by sealing the nostrils. The ants and termites cannot bite the aardvark because of its thick skin.

The aardvark excavate deeply into the ground. Only mothers and young share burrows. It attacked in the tunnel, it will seal the tunnel off behind itself or turn around and attack with its claws. The gestation of aardvarks is seven months, and produce a single cub. The little cub can leave the burrow after two weeks, and soon eats termites and ants in large number.

I have an idea that God had a lot of fun creating the aardvark. Think of all these characteristics and behaviors. This is just another example of God, our marvelous Creator and Sustainer. I hope YOU appreciate the aardvark and all of God's works. Just look around, and you will be amazed. Let me hear from YOU. Share YOUR ideas with others.

John Willis

Elihu--Part 7 [Human Beings Cannot Comprehend God]--Job 36:24-37:24

Elihu concludes his speech[es] declaring that no human being, including Job, can even begin to comprehend God--God's nature, God's works, God's feelings, God's purposes, God's ways in the world, including human life. Clearly, Elihu beautifully prepares Job to listen to God, and ushers Job into God's presence, which will follow immediately in Job 38:1-42:6.

This final speech or section of Elihu's speech is recorded in Job 36:24-37:24. This falls naturally into two parts, as indicated by the emphatic new introduction in 37:14: "Hear this, O Job."

I. Elihu proclaims that Yahweh is "great, and we do not know him"; "the number of his years is unsearchable"; Yahweh "does great things that we cannot comprehend" [note especially Job 36:26; 37:5]. Elihu illustrates this by describing a thunder storm. Job 36:24-37:13.
a. Elihu reminds Job that earlier generations had "sung" great songs portraying God's "mighty acts." All people have viewed this, and everyone watches this from afar. 36:24-25.
b. Elihu declares forthrightly that God is great, and we do not know him; the number of his years is unsearchable. 36:26. How absurd it is for a human being who lives at most 100 years of age can comprehend the powerful, eternal, wise God of the universe who has always existed and always will exist.
c. Elihu gives his example. Notice he begins with the word "For" in 36:27. God brings clouds and causes rain: Can ANYONE understand HOW this happens? Oh yes--we can describe these phenomena on earth. But HOW does this happen? Can WE make this happen? God is incomprehensible. By rain, God "governs peoples and gives food in abundance." The Bible claims that God causes rain and through rain causes seed to produce plant to produce food. We seem to think this just happens at Wal-Mart or at the grocery store. Verses 33:27-33.
d. God's thunder is powerful. The Bible calls thunder "the voice of God." God commands snow and rain to fall on the earth. Animals retreat because of the thunder and rain and snow. God does all this "to accomplish all that he commands them" for various purposes: (1) for correction or punishment; (2) for the land; (3) for love. In all these, GOD DOES NOT ALLOW this. On the contrary, God CAUSES IT TO HAPPEN. 34:1-13. The idea that God "allows" rain to fall or plants to grow is a modern scientific idea, but is not biblical. Note especially Job 36:31; 37:12-13.

II. Elihu now challenges Job to explain HOW God works in the world. Job 37:14-24.
a. Elihu pauses and emphatically challenges Job to "stop and consider the wondrous works of God." verse 24. Job has been talking and arguing and contending. Elihu says it is time to STOP--and listen to God. We all need this advice.
b. Does any human being KNOW HOW God causes lightning and clouds? God alone does "wondrous works" and God is "the one whose knowledge is perfect." Verses 15-17. Human knowledge is always imperfect. God's knowledge is perfect. Remember that Elihu has already made this point in Job 36:4.
c. Can a human being spread out the skies. Human beings cannot "draw up a court case" against God because we are "in the dark." This is absurd and out of place. Verses 18-20.
d. Elihu points to God's whirlwind coming "out of the north." "Around God is awesome majesty." We human beings cannot find god. God is great in power, justice, and abundant righteousness. Verses 21-23.
e. The ONLY position of human beings is to "fear"=stand in awe of God. Obviously, God "does not regard any who are WISE IN THEIR OWN CONCEIT." Verse 24. Once again, Elihu emphasizes that Job's problem--our problem--the human problem--is pride, self-centeredness, ingratitude. Job was "blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil," and Job was very PROUD about his righteousness. This is OUR problem. The Book of Job reveals our problem, and attempts to help us to deal with this problem.

What are YOUR responses to Elihu's speech in Job 36:24-37:24? Share YOUR ideas with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis

Fort Hood Tragedy

We were all shocked and mesmerized by the horrible homicides at Fort Hood, in which a man murdered eleven innocent people and hurt 34 more. It is beyond our comprehension to understand how anyone could commit such a crime. Our emotions are in turmoil. We become angry. We are frustrated. Our hearts go out to the numerous families who have been affected. Where do we turn? How do we cope with such terrible actions?

Through history, people have done similar terrible events. Adolf Hitler murdered millions of innocent Jewish people in the early months of World War II. Herod murdered several members of his own family. Henry VIII is notorious for such crimes. We just cannot imagine why people do such terrible things.

Walter Brueggemann wrote a prayer addressed to this kind of events. Perhaps this will be helpful. Brueggemann entitles this prayer: God's Gift in the Midst of Violence.

The world trembles out of control.
The violence builds,
some by terrorism,
some by state greed
dressed up as policy,
violence on every side.

You, in the midst of the out-of-control violence,
We confess you steadfast, loyal, reliable,
but we wonder if you yourself are engaged in brutality.
We confess you to be governor and ruler,
but we wonder if you manage.

We in the midst of out-of-control violence,
we in great faith,
we in deep vocational call,
we in our several anxieties.
We--alongside you--in the trembling.

This day we pray for freedom to move
beyond fear to caring,
beyond self to neighbor,
beyond protection to growth,

That we may be a sign of steadfastness,
that anxiety may not win the day.

You are the one who said, "Do not be anxious."
And now we submit to you.

As each of us face our tragedies, the only place to turn is to God for strength, for help, for comfort, for healing, for hope.

Share YOUR experiences and thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis

Elihu--Part 6 [God delivers the afflicted by affliction]--Job 36:1-23

Elihu continues his speech[es] in Job 32-37. We are ready to turn to Job 36. The next paragraph is Job 36:1-23. Elihu suggests that God uses "affliction" to help the "afflicted." At first, this does not make sense. But as we think about life, "discipline" is an important aspect of physical, emotional, and especially spiritual growth. Disciplines seems painful, but later it yields peaceful fruit of righteousness. Read Proverbs 3:11-12 and Hebrews 12:3-13. My guess is that YOU have learned in your own life the importance of "discipline." Here, Elihu tries to make this point. This paragraph falls into four segments.

I. Elihu begins by asking his hearers to "bear with him a little bit more." Elihu intends to "say something further on God's behalf." Elihu wishes to extol God and God's righteousness. "One who is perfect in knowledge" is not an arrogant claim of Elihu (verse 4), but God himself, as indicated by the fact that Job 37:16 uses this same expression and clearly refers to God. Verses 1-4.

2. Elihu asserts that God punishes the wicked and supports the righteous, even though this often does not seem to be the case. God is "mighty" and does not "despise" any person. God watches over the "righteous," even when they are suffering. Frequently, even the righteous are suffering BECAUSE "they are behaving arrogantly." Elihu keeps repeating the fact that Job's problem and the problem of all human beings is PRIDE=Self-centeredness=ingratitude. If people listen to God's discipline to correct their pride, God will bless them richly; if not, he will punish them, and if they persist in their pride, they will perish. Verses 5-12.

3. If the godless persist in sin, God will punish them. But God's desire is to "deliver the afflicted by their affliction and open their ear by adversity." God works in marvelous ways, which lie beyond our human comprehension. God uses punishment and suffering and pain to refine and purify and redeem sinful humanity. Verses 13-16.

4. Finally, Elihu speaks to Job directly. "You" here is singular. Elihu tells Job that Job is "obsessed" with his idea that the wicked prosper. Elihu encourages Job to resist the temptation to call on God to punish or destroy the wicked. God will take care of all of this. Elihu declares:
"God is exalted in his power;
who is a TEACHER like him?"
What human being can say to God: "YOU [God] have done wrong?" Verses 17-23.
God is a great, wise, amazing teacher. God does not LECTURE in a class. Rather, God uses love, patience, and even suffering, to carry out God's purpose to bring all of us sinful human beings to repentance. This is Elihu's point in this section of his speech.

What are YOUR responses to Elihu's speech in Job 36:1-23? Share YOUR thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU. I need all the insights I need.

John Willis

Pumpkins

As we move through Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas, a favorite throughout the United States is pumpkins. Evelyn and I buy several pumpkins in this season, and Evelyn makes wonderful pumpkin bread and pumpkin pies, usually mixed with nuts. She usually distributes these to many people in this community.

Pumpkin is a kind of squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae. Pumpkins are usually orange or yellos and have many creases running from the stem to the bottom. They have a thick shell on the outside and seeds and pulp on the inside.

The English word "pumpkin" comes from the Greek word "pepon," meaning "large melon." The French adapted this word to "pompon," and the British changed this to "pumpion," and later American colonists changed this to "pumpkin."

Experts have found pumpkin-related seeds in Mexico dating between 7000 and 5500 B.C. Pumpkins range in size from 1 pound to over 1000 pounds. Most pumpkins range between 9-18 pounds up to a little over 75 pounds.

Pumpkins are monoecious, having both male and femal flowers on the same plant. The female flower is distinguished byt he small ovary at the base of the petals. These bright and colorful flowers have extremely short life spans and may only open for as short a time as one day. The main nutrients of pumpkins are lutein and both alpha and beta carotene, the latter of which generates vitamin A in the human body. Honeybees play a major role in the fertilization of pumpkins.

The only continent that does not have pumpkins is Antarctica. The largest international producers of pumpkins include the United States, Mexico, India, and China. The traditional American pumpkin is the Connecticus Field variety.

Pumpkins is one of the most popular crops in the United States. The USA produces 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkins each year. The top producing states are Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and California. Beginning in early July, it is easy to grow and produce pumpkins.

In 1981, Howard Dill of Nova Scotia produced a pumpkin of almost 500 pounds as a record. By 1994, the Giant Pumpkin crossed the 1,000 pound mark. The current record holder is Christ Harp's 1,725 Atlantic giant pumpkin, which won the Ohio Valley Pumpkin Growers annual weigh-off in October 2009.

Pumpkins are just another gift of God, our Creator. Pumpkins are "different" [like all of God's creations], intriguing, and very delicious.

I hope YOU enjoy and appreciate pumpkins. But far beyond that, I hope YOU appreciate God, the Creator of all that is.

Share YOUR thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis

Elihu--Part 5 [God does not hear an empty cry]--Job 35

In the debate, Job repeatedly challenged God to meet Job in a fair court trial--see Job 9:30-33; 14:7-19; 16:18-22; 19:23-29; 23:1-2; 31. As we continue Elihu's
speech[es], Elihu now responds to this challenge of Job, recorded in Job 35. This brief chapter falls into two parts.

I. Elihu reasons that if a human being is righteous, that person does not make God better; OR, if a human being is wicked, that person does not make God worse. Job 35:1-8.
a. Again, Elihu consistently "quotes" Job position to make sure Elihu is not misunderstanding or misrepresenting Job's ideas. Job claims: "I am just; I am righteous." But in spite of this, Job claims: "This does not make my life any better; there is no advantage to live a righteous life." Verses 1-3. In my opinion, this is precisely what Job proclaims. Elihu is correct.
b. Elihu responds to Job and Job's three friends (verse 4): The heavens [the sky] and the clouds are "higher than" human beings. So, obviously, God is "higher than" human beings--by definition. Verses 4-5.
c. Accordingly, if a person "sins" against God, that person does not accomplish anything against God or do anything to God. God is still God--all powerful and all wise. Verse 6.
d. Likewise, if a person is "righteous," that person does not "give" anything to God. A human being does not help God. God is God, whatever human beings may think, say, or do. A wicked human being may hurt another human being, or a righteous person may influence another human being for good. But no human being affects God as God's being and nature at all. Verses 7-8.

II. Elihu declares that God does not answer an empty cry. Job 35:9-16.
a. People cry out to God because oppressors afflict them. But they fail to honor God as their MAKER. We are so concerned about God helping us when we are hurting, but often we ignore God when our lives are prospering. Yet, the appropriate situation in our lives is to LISTEN to God and LEARN from God rather than constantly complaining because of our plight in life. Verses 9-11.
b. The fundamental problem is PRIDE. Elihu had already made this point in Job 33:17, and Elihu will continue to make this point. THIS is Job's problem. Job is "blameless and upright, one who fears God and turns away from evil," and Job is supremely PROUD of his righteousness. Verse 12. Unfortunately, we all have this problem. Oh, it sounds very "thin," but there a huge difference between being "righteous" and being "proud that that person is righteous."
c. Elihu now directly addresses Job's argument:
"Surely God does not hear an empty cry,
nor does the Almighty regard it.
How much less when you [Job] say that you do not see him,
that the CASE [court case] is before him, and you are waiting for him!"
If a human being challenges God to meet that person in a court case, this is obviously inappropriate. God does not answer to a human being. On the contrary, a human being must answer to God. This is fundamental in understanding the entire issue in the Book of Job. Verses 13-14.
d. Job's challenge to God is but "empty talk," "words without knowledge." Verses 15-16. We often think we know what we are talking about. Not so. God is all wise. We know so little. Job is "out of line" to challenge God to meet Job in a fair court case. How absurd. God will soon reverse the situation, and demonstrate that God alone is right, and all human beings are sinful and ignorant before God.

How do YOU feel about Job's challenge to God? How do YOU respond to Elihu's reply in Job 35? Share YOUR thoughts with others. Let me hear from YOU.

John Willis