Sermon Job 26 God is Great

We hear the rally cry of the Islamic world, “Allah Akbar” and we cringe thinking that we are going to witness a great calamity or actually be caught up in it ourselves. We lose ourselves in the emotions of the phrase and forget the reality of who God is. God is great and acknowledging that is one of the greatest acts of worship we can exhibit.

Job gives us a glimpse into how he views God on the heels of Bildad saying that man is inferior (true) and a worm (true) and a maggot (also true). What Job learns, and I think this is the great lesson of the book of Job, is that to focus on man, however lowly you look at him/her, is not the same as focusing on God.

So, let’s see how Job views God. He sees …

Exposition

God is Greater than the Grave, v. 5-6

Exp

The departed spirits tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Naked is Sheol before Him, and Abaddon has no covering. Job 26:5-6

Dead doesn’t take you away from God’s greatness. Death is not an escape from who God is. Death, especially eternal death, might separate a person from the personal presence of God, but it doesn’t change who God is and it doesn’t diminish the dead person’s recognition of who God is. In fact, after someone dies, he/she might come to a greater, more accurate, idea of who God is and regret not accepting it and acknowledging this before death. By then, it is too late.

Specifically, these verses say that

Water cannot hide the dead, instead the dead trembles

Sheol cannot hide the dead, instead the dead stands naked before the sight of God.

Abaddon (destruction) cannot hide the dead, for it is not protected

The idea of covering is that of the protection against the elements. It is in addition to the daily clothing a person wears. Metaphorically, it is translated as “vindicated” in Genesis 20:16. The idea is that the eyes are covered and the wrong done is not noticed, ie., the person is vindicated.

App

If we think we can hide from God, we are fooling ourselves. If we think that death can free us from God’s requirements to recognize him and acknowledge him, we are truly and certainly wrong.

Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD, How much more the hearts of men! Proverbs 15:11

God can see in the grave, and He can see in the heart of the living.

Ill/Trans

But this isn’t enough for Job to pass on. He now tells us that…

God is Greater than the Earth, v. 7

Exp

He stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing. Job 26:7

The reference to the north is that God set the earth in a place in space, set it rotating and maintains it there. It is probably a reference to the North Star and the rotation in a certain spot in space. The earth rotates at a point in space and stays there. It isn’t just floating around in the nothingness of space.

App

The creation of the world is a wonderful thing. It is in the creation that He shows His greatness.

For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. (Rom 1:20 NAU)

It is God’s greatness, not the creation’s greatness. We need to be very careful where we give our attention.

Ill/Trans

Many earth-type religions emphasize our relationship with the earth. Wiccans, Native Americans and many others do this. But, they miss the mark. They are blinded by the dim glow of the creation and miss the great light of the Creator (and the Redeemer).

This brings us to point three, that…

God is Greater than the Sky, v. 8-11

Exp

He wraps up the waters in His clouds, and the cloud does not burst under them. He obscures the face of the full moon and spreads His cloud over it. He has inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters at the boundary of light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble and are amazed at His rebuke. (Job 26:8-11 NAU)

There are at least four points here:

The clouds hold tons of water, yet they float around in the sky

The clouds are made of a clear liquid, yet they obscure the moon

The circle of the earth is an indication of belief in a round earth, not a flat earth, and

The “pillars of heaven” are a reference to tall mountains that “tremble” yet are amazed at God’s rebuke.

On this last, if you’ve ever experienced a volcano, then you understand the idea of mountains trembling. They are a sign of real power, but they have nothing on the power of God.

App

The scientific accuracy of this passage should amaze us like the mountains are amazed by God’s rebuke. It was not until just a few decades ago, maybe a few hundred years that the truths of these statements were established by scientific means. Yet, we take some of them for granted.

Ill/Trans

Maybe it is because our lives come at us fast and we don’t take time to smell the roses, or we don’t think about the Author of the design we have before us. Romans 1 tells us that it is man’s propensity to make God irrelevant. When we are more fascinated with the design, and forget the Designer, we have done just that ourselves.

Fourth, we see that…

God is Greater than the Sea, v. 12

Exp

He quieted the sea with His power, and by His understanding He shattered Rahab. (Job 26:12 NAU)

One commentator says, “God can stir up the sea or still it as He desires, and He has power over sea creatures (“Rahab” and “the gliding serpent,” niv). He can blow the storm clouds away and clear the sky after the storm.”

Power to quiet the sea

Intelligence to shatter “Rahab”

Rahab means proud one

In Job 9:13 we see this as a reference to the mythical monster of the sea could not stand against the anger of God.

In Isaiah 30:7; 51:9-15 and Psalm 87:4; 89:10 we see it as a reference to Egypt.

The verbiage is still the same. Something is proud and stands against God and God shatters it by His understanding.

App

“Here the sea that God subdues is not the deity Yam. Job depersonalized Yam by using the definite article (the sea), thus expressing his innate monotheistic theology. Marduk employed seven winds to overthrow Tiamat; here God’s own breath clears the heavens. All the power of the wind is his breath. Further, by his own wisdom, skill, and power he ‘cut Rahab to pieces’ and ‘pierced the gliding serpent,’ unlike Marduk who depended on the enablement of the father-gods. . . . Job, then, demonstrated God’s authority over the domain of Mot (the god of death) in Job 26:5-6 and over the domain of Baal (the cosmic storm god in Job 26:7-10). And in Job 26:12-13 Job drew attention to God’s awe-inspiring power over the domain of Yam (the stormy sea-god).”

Ill/Trans

God is all powerful and all great. There is none like Him, either in the seas, winds, or earth. And now we shall see that…

God is Greater than the Heavens, v. 13

Exp

By His breath the heavens are cleared; His hand has pierced the fleeing serpent. (Job 26:13 NAU)

Breath=Spirit

Cleared=garnished =made beautiful=brightness=splendid

As we look at the heavens we will see two things: stars and groups of stars called constellations. The first part of the verse tells us that the stars are the adornment of the heavens. It is like a beautiful string of pearls on the neck of a woman. It is meant to draw the eye. The stars draw the eye to the heavens where God is at (at least in general terms). The second part of the verse tells us that the constellations are at the mercy of the hand of God.

App

Even the magnificence and orderliness of the heavens are no match for the greatness of God.

Ill

Conclusion

Let me conclude with the final verse of the passage:

Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand? (Job 26:14 NAU)

This greatness of God that is demonstrated in this passage is just the fringes. Just like Moses glowed by seeing the glow of the backside of the glory of God, Job is saying that creation can only demonstrate the fringe of God’s greatness.

“All these wonders of nature are wrought by the Almighty power of God, but marvelous as they seem, to us they are after all only the edges, the fringes of His ways, and the sound of His voice is scarcely heard in them. If He were to raise it, and manifest Himself as He is in reality, who could stand?”

I find it interesting that the one place that is not listed here is in the world of the living. I have a theory about this: Ephesians 2:6-7 says, “and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in Kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

All of creation is a testament to the glory and greatness of God. We are part of that testament. We show, by how we live our lives and how we exhibit the salvation of God toward the world tell the world just how Great God Is!

So, when someone looks at you, what would they say about God? How Great is God in your life?

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