Job 38 Verses 1 to 7 and Job 40 Verses 1 to 5 Hearing from God in the Storm

Job 38 Verses 1 to 7 and Job 40 Verses 1 to 5 Hearing from God in the Storm

September 11, 2022 Class Presentation Notes AA

Background Scriptures: Ephesians 1:4-10

Main Idea: Sometimes God will bring storms into our lives so we will listen more intently.

Study Aim: To understand that God never intended for us to understand Him, but simply to trust Him and praise Him.

Create Interest:

· In Chapter 37, Elihu asked Job, ironically, to teach us what we shall say to God but denies in the same breath that it is possible to do so, ‘for all is dark, and we cannot marshal our thoughts’ (neb). This is a position that Job has denied all along by repeatedly demanding that God should personally answer his complaints. And it is effectively refuted by the personal appearance made by God in the very next chapter.[1]

· With all his longwindedness and lack of humility, Elihu did say some good things that Job needed to hear.

o Elihu’s use of rhetorical questions in Job 37:14–18 prepared Job for the series of questions Jehovah would ask him in Job 38–41.

o Unlike the three friends, Elihu assessed Job’s problem accurately: Job’s actions may have been right—he was not the sinner his three friends described him to be—but his attitudes were wrong.

o He was not the “saint” Job saw himself to be. Job was slowly moving toward a defiant, self-righteous attitude that was not at all healthy.

§ It was this “know-it-all” attitude that God exposed and destroyed when He appeared to Job and questioned him.

§ So, even though God said nothing about Elihu, the man did have a helpful ministry to Job. Unfortunately, Job wouldn’t accept it.

· Our lesson in Chapter 40 carries on a dialogue God had with Job in Chapters 38 and 39. Job will now get what he’d been asking for: a personal meeting with God. Was he ready? Are we ready?[2]

Lesson in Historical Context:

· Throughout much of the Book of Job, Job had asked God to give him an opportunity to present his case to Him. Near the end of the book, God spoke to Job out of a storm. God asked Job a series of questions that he could not answer. Job was humbled in the presence of the Lord. He never received an answer to his many questions, but he learned that he could trust God even when he did not understand all His ways. In Romans 8 Paul wrote about many subjects, including hope. He said that the sufferings of this life are temporary and that they pale in comparison with the future glory. The whole creation trembles with expectancy of the final redemption. Meanwhile, bad things continue to happen to good people; but God works all things together for good in the lives of those who love Him. God took the initiative in His people’s full redemption.[3]

· Elihu had interposed and had professed his ability to explain everything which was dark in the debate. He had, however, advanced but one new thought, that calamity was designed to be disciplinary, and was not to be regarded as certain proof of the character of him who was afflicted. Beyond this he was unable to offer any explanation; and supposing that Job had not submitted as a good man should under afflictions, he had concluded also that Job lacked the proper spirit of devoutness and joined with the friends of Job in the language of severe reproach. But in the great matters pertaining to the divine administration which had given so much perplexity, Elihu had no explanation to make, and all that he could say was that God was so mighty that man ought to submit to him.

· At this stage of the argument the Almighty himself appears, and addresses Job from the midst of the tempest. He does not indeed appear, as Job had anticipated he would, to vindicate him at once. His first object is to bring Job to a proper state of mind; to reprove the boldness and presumption with which he had spoken of the divine dealings; and to show him how utterly incompetent he was to judge of the ways of God. At the close of the scene, however, he expresses His approval of the general spirit of Job in preference to that of his friends, and restores him to more than his former prosperity.[4]

· In our exploration of Job, it is now God’s turn to speak: Unlike Elihu and the friends in their confrontations with Job, the Lordgot right to the point. He immediately began to question Job about his knowledge of creation. If Job was so wise and knew so much about God, then certainly he could answer a few questions about how God had created the world. But of course, Job would not be able to. Warren Wiersbe comments, “Knowledge of our own ignorance is the first step toward true wisdom.” This statement summarizes Job’s awkward position and that of his three friends quite well. They were all in sore need of wisdom, and in great need of recognizing their own ignorance

· Through a series of blazing questions, the Lord confronted and challenged Job. Essentially, God asked: “Where were you when I created the world? Do you understand even one thing about how I created it

· God continued with questions about the earth and the universe. Of course, Job had done none of these things; it was entirely the Lord. God is the Creator and Sustainer of all that exists, and He is both intimately and continuously involved in His creation. In other words, He actively participates in nature and all the events of nature. Scripture teaches this throughout its pages, time and again.

· The list could go on and on. Human knowledge concerning the natural world has grown phenomenally since the days of Job. Still, we will never uncover or understand even a fraction of what there is to know. Thus, creation will forever boggle the human mind and testify to the glory of God.

· The Lordthen turned Job’s attention to the animateor living things of the earth—to twelve animals in particular. He bombarded Job with another set of staggering questions. Although the Lord’s questions in this point sought to humble Job, they were also meant to stir him to magnify the Lord.

Thoughts to soak on putting ourselves in Job’s shoes😊

· Too few of us take the time to gaze upon, ponder, and stand in awe of God’s creation. The forces of nature, the beauty and mystery of every creature, the vast array of living organisms and non-living things around us all bear strong testimony to God’s infinite wisdom, His power and glory. We all need to pause and look around, to reflect on the magnitude and complexity of creation, giving thanks and praise to the Lord who has created it all.

· This was only the first round of the Lord’s many questions, but Job was already humbled—completely silenced by this dramatic encounter with God.In the present text, the Lorddirectly confronts Job about his prior accusations. Job had felt the Lord was unfair by allowing him to suffer so much in so brief a time. For that reason, he had expressed his wish for a hearing with God so he could present his defense to Him. Thus, the Lord gave Job his chance.[5]

Job 38:1-7 (NASB) 1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said, 2 "Who is this that darkens counsel By words without knowledge? 3 "Now gird up your loins like a man, And I will ask you, and you instruct Me! 4 "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, 5 Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? 6 "On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7 When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

· Vs. 1: The Lord’s first words, as well as most of His speech, were a stern rebuke of Job. Note that the Lord began with a question. Furthermore, this is just the beginning, for there will be over seventy more to come. Before reading the Lord’s response, imagine sitting at the edge of an approaching storm and watching it edge closer and closer. Imagine the fierce wind and distant roar of thunder getting nearer and nearer. As the storm draws overhead—the winds begin to whip and howl all around—suddenly, a thundering voice bursts forth from the clouds and shatters the silence. Now, imagine being confronted by God, the Majestic Creator of the universe.

· Vs. 2: Who is this that talks at this rate? Is it Job? What! a man? That weak, foolish, despicable, creature—shall he pretend to prescribe to me what I must do or to quarrel with me for what I have done? Is it Job? What! my servant Job, a perfect and an upright man? Can he so far forget himself, and act unlike himself?

o Who, where, is he that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Let him show his face if he dare, and stand to what he has said.” Note, Darkening the counsels of God’s wisdom with our folly is a great affront and provocation to God.

o Concerning God’s counsels we must own that we are without knowledge. They are a deep which we cannot fathom; we are quite out of our element, out of our aim, when we pretend to account for them. Yet we are too apt to talk of them as if we understood them, with a great deal of niceness and boldness; but, alas! we do but darken them, instead of explaining them.

o We confound and perplex ourselves and one another when we dispute of the order of God’s decrees, and the designs, and reasons, and methods, of his operations of providence and grace.

o A humble faith and sincere obedience shall see further and better into the secret of the Lord than all the philosophy of the schools, and the searches of science, so called. This first word which God spoke is the more observable because Job, in his repentance, fastens upon it as that which silenced and humbled him, in 42:3. This he repeated and echoed as the arrow that stuck fast in him: “I am the fool that has darkened counsel.” There was some color to have turned it upon Elihu, as if God meant him, for he spoke last, and was speaking when the whirlwind began; but Job applied it to himself, as it becomes us to do when faithful reproofs are given, and not (as most do) to accommodate them upon other people.[6]

· Vs. 38:3 The Lord addressed Job by challenging him to enter into a dialogue in full possession of his human strength and faculties. The Hebrew word translated man often reflects a man in his strength and virility (Jer 30:6). It is used at times of vigorous spiritual strength (Job 16:21). Get ready to answer renders the Hebrew “gird up your loins.” The idiom reflects the tucking of one’s long garment between the legs and into the belt in preparation for an arduous task such as running (1 Ki 18:46) or battle (Isa 5:27). Job’s difficult task consisted of fully understanding and answering God’s questions.[7]

· Vs. 38:4 laying the foundation of the earth In ancient Near Eastern cosmology, the earth was thought to be supported by pillars sunk into the sea (e.g., 1 Sam 2:8; Psa 104:5).[8]

· Vs. 38:4 The climax of the Job narrative came when God spoke to the ailing and complaining patriarch. God did not defend Himself against the false accusations. He rather pointed to the great universe and asked Job how much he knew about its origin and nature. God bombarded Job with words about the creation of the earth and the things in it. The “foundation” means more than the structure upon which a building sits. God asked Job if he understood the fundamental nature of the universe. God made a world that has order and meaning even if creatures such as Job do not always see it. The human mind cannot understand the inequities of this world. God does not provide us with a formula concerning His activity.People who seek such a solution to religious matters are doomed to disappointment and frustration. We must trust God and believe that the One who created the wonders of this world will guide us if we make an honest effort to live in fellowship with Him. Faith in the Creator offers ultimate answers. Human reason does not. Human wisdom is in no way superior to the Creator’s wisdom. Only One who is personally acquainted with all of creation in all of its history can understand all its riddles.[9]

· Vs. 38:5-7 God points out the obvious fact that Job was not present at creation and notes the way God went about this building project. God was like a man building a house; perhaps the idea is that God was building a house to live in, which makes us think of the temple but also of the cosmos as a whole as God’s home. As a house builder, God makes sure that this home has secure foundations. God likely speaks metaphorically. Job has implied that the world is not securely founded; to put it in the terms that Psalm 11uses, it is as if the moral foundations of human life are destroyed. In that psalm it is faithless people who are destroying them. In Job, it is as if God has not given human life a proper foundation. God here claims to have done so at the beginning and notes how the very stars and the divine beings recognized the wonder of God’s creative work. The divine beings are the members of the heavenly cabinet whom we met in chapter 1. The stars, too, are the entities through which God’s purpose is achieved in the world. The implication is that the stars and heavenly beings were happy enough with the evidence that God could formulate a purpose and implement it in such a way as to give human life a secure foundation. Is Job more discerning than they?[10]

Thoughts to Soak On

· Sometimes we have wished that those men and women who deny God’s creative acts, and seek to undo the Genesis account of creation, could sit for a moment in Job’s place as God thunders out question upon question to Job, in order to bring him to a realization of his own utter ignorance.

· Great men are not always wise. After all, how little do any of us mortals know of the works of the eternal God!

· What we would do, is to drive us all back to God as the One who existed before anything that is made, was made. There, in the might and power and love of His Eternity, God, the Solitary One, stood. He stood “glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders.”

· Where was man? He was uncreated; he had not yet appeared on the scene of human activities. “In the beginning God”—these are the words to which we all must bend the knee, as we worship Jehovah. He it is who works all things after the counsel of His will.[11]

Bible Study:

Job 40:1-2 (NASB) 1 Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it."

· Vs. 1: To conclude his first discourse Yahweh directly questions Job about his complaint. Since this question has a different tenor than the preceding questions and since it specifically applies the discourse to the legal demands made by Job, this short interrogation by Yahweh receives its own introduction.

· Vs. 2: The term “faultfinder” here (Heb. ykkh) assumes a legal setting and means something like “seeks a legal determination.” It can mean “reprove” or “rebuke,” but it may also mean “establish the truth” in a particular situation. Job certainly believes he is innocent and undeserving of the suffering he experiences. Job’s certainty, along with his desire to have God acknowledge his righteousness, runs the risk of putting God in the wrong. In response, God has begun to display to Job the essential nature of his power and character in relation to the world. At this intermezzoJob is given an opportunity to reflect on what he has learned and to balance it against his desire for vindication.

· God referred to Himself as the Almighty,and accused Job of seeking to correct God. As you can imagine, this was an awesome experience for Job. He had wanted God to speak to him, but he had not expected it to be like this. He had expected to be treated like a prince (31:35–40). But he had been silenced by God’s questions. He asked God, “How can I answer You?” (v. 4, HCSB). He said that he was going to put his hand over his mouth, a way of saying “I’m not going to continue speaking.” He saw himself as he was, not as he had boasted. The English word vile may be too strong, but other translations also show how Job viewed himself at that moment: “unworthy” (NIV), “insignificant” (HCSB), and “of small account” (ESV). He realized that he had filled the air with many words.

· God provides space within the overwhelming onslaught of the theophany (Theophany is a personal encounter with a deity, that is an event where the manifestation of a deity occurs in an observable way) for Job to answer Him. As we saw in 38:1, the formulae introducing the divine speeches in this section downplay the divine authority and place Job on a more equal footing with God. These indicate that God pursues real interaction with Job (and humans in general). Here is the opportunity Job has been seeking all along: a chance to state his case before God.[12]

· The tables have been turned. Job, the questioner, is being questioned. Building on the evidence just given, Yahweh asks Job a penetrating question that pinpoints the implication of his complaint. That is, in advocating the rightness of his own position so tenaciously, Job has implied that God needs to be corrected. Having presented his position, Yahweh now offers Job the opportunity to articulate such a correction. Moreover, since Yahweh has spoken in response to Job’s challenge, Job may not remain silent without voiding his oath of innocence. His silence would imply his concession. But if he continues to argue, he will leave himself open to divine rebuke.

· If Job had repented of some contrived sin to find relief, he would have compromised his own integrity and violated the purity of his faith in God by seeking to use God for personal gain.

o Now the issue Yahweh puts before him is whether he will continue to place his trust in Yahweh as a good and faithful God or reject God, thinking him to be a capricious, hostile force.

· According to Yahweh’s argument, it is improper for Job to judge His governance of the world based on the appearance of matters on earth.

o Since Job is not knowledgeable enough to discover why things take place on earth as they do, he is left with a decision—either to trust Yahweh, believing that he wisely rules his created world, or to pursue his complaint that exalts himself above Yahweh. Yahweh leaves the initiative with Job either to believe Him or to continue to accuse Him.[13]

§ We should understand He does the same with us!

Job 40:3-5 (NASB) 3 Then Job answered the LORD and said, 4 "Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to You? I lay my hand on my mouth. 5 "Once I have spoken, and I will not answer; Even twice, and I will add nothing more."

· Vs. 3: Job’s response is subdued, humble. He rates himself as ‘insignificant’, but hardly ‘contemptible’. But is it correct to say, as Rowley does (p. 326), that Job ‘confessed and submitted’? Job has nothing to say. But does declining the invitation admit ‘defeat’? Misunderstanding at this point has made it difficult for some commentators to see why a second speech from God should be needed. Quite apart from the artistic requirements pointed out in the Introduction, we suggest that Job’s reply is somewhat evasive, and not at all a satisfactory end to the matter.

· Vs. 4: The gesture of placing the hand over the mouth could be a mark of respect (cf. 21:5; 29:9) or a sign of silence.

o Job admits that he cannot answer, but he still does not admit to any sin, so there is no ‘confession’.

o Nor does he retract any of his former statements, so there is no ‘submission’.

· Vs. 5: The x + 1 formula was an ancient Hebrew way of saying, “I have spoken once too many times already.” The GNB reads, “I have already said more than I should.” What Job had said in 9:9 came back to haunt him and confirm its truth, “Though one wished to dispute with him [God], he could not answer him one time out of a thousand.” Job had outtalked Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar; but in the presence of God he was dumbfounded, that is, dumb and confounded.[14]

· On the contrary, he seems to be sticking to his guns. He has already spoken once, and need say no more. Indeed, he has already repeated himself (twice) and will not ‘add’ anything. This suggests that Job has nothing to say that he has not already said.

o But it would be going too far in the other direction to find defiance here, or even a complaint that God has still not answered his questions.

o But even if that were so, the words of God which immediately follow supply this lack.[15]

Thoughts to soak on to help us with clarity on what we have observed thus far in the book of Job

· Job stops himself from speaking by placing his hand over his mouth. This illustrates the shock he has received through understanding what God is and what God is getting at with his questions. He realizes that God cannot be argued with. Now he has the opportunity to talk to God, he is gripped by awe and is humbled in God’s presence.

· When God speaks, Job is silent! As a result, Job becomes humble, happy and healthy again. It is pertinent to note:

o The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are to be read carefully, and readers must respond to God’s precepts and promises with faith and repentance in the fear of God and with the help of the Holy Spirit.

o The fallen mind of man is not sufficient to find God. We need to hear God’s voice through the Holy Scriptures of truth under the influence of the Holy Spirit (John 16:8). Job had understood the voice of creation as it revealed a sovereign Designer, but he also needed to understand the words of God in order to have fellowship with Him (John 1:1–3; 14:6).

· Never think that anyone will be proud or strong enough to be assertive in the presence of God on Judgement Day. People may be tempted to speak plainly and unreservedly now; they may shout at God when greatly distressed or in pain; but this will not be the case when they stand before him on the last day (Rev. 6:12–17).

o The doctrine of the sovereignty of God (Matt. 20:16; Rom. 9:13; Eph. 1:4–6) is one of the most neglected truths among Christians today. Yet understanding this truth properly is the door to salvation and to finding the fullness of peace and joy. When Job grasped this doctrine and its implications, he quickly began his road to recovery.

· Charles H. Spurgeon’s words are once again helpful at this point:

o “There are great benefits to come out of these severe trials and depressions. You cannot make great soldiers without war, or train skillful seamen upon shore. It appears necessary that, if a man is to become a great believer, he must be greatly tried; if he is to be a great helper of others, he must pass through the temptations of others; if he is to be greatly instructed in the things of the kingdom, he must learn by experience; and if he is to be a loud singer to the tune of sovereign grace, he must hear deep calling unto deep at the noise of God’s waterspouts. The uncut diamond has but little brilliance, the unthreshed corn feeds none, and so the untried professor is of small practical use or beauty. The time shall come with you whose faces are covered with sorrow, when you shall bless God for your sorrows; the day will come when you shall set much store by your losses and your crosses, your troubles, and your afflictions, counting them happy which endure.”

· The people of God are not to think that God owes them an easy life because they are good, obedient and his beloved, adopted children. Nonetheless, he has promised never to leave them nor forsake them (Ps. 23:1; Heb. 13:5–6; 1 Peter 5:7). Surely these promises are to be treasured and grasped during our short pilgrimage here below?[16]

Thoughts to Soak on in Closing

· The Book of Job is crucial for answering the question dealt with in this lesson. Job never received a careful explanation for his suffering, but after seeing and hearing God, he was content. The point is that we seldom get careful, logical statements of explanation for our suffering; but we can trust God even when we cannot understand.

· One thing we can say for sure based on the Book of Job is that all suffering is not the result of personal sin. Some suffering is the direct result of personal sin and some is the result of the sins of others, but not all suffering can be explained in the way Job’s three friends tried to explain it.

· Because of our pride, the Lord may have to knock us down a few notches to get us to see how small we are and how big He is. He is God and is not accountable to us at all. He does what He pleases when He pleases. His way is perfect, even if we don’t like it, don’t agree with it, or understand it. Our responsibility is to trust in Him.

· * Psalm 18:30—As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

· God put Job in His place. He does this by asking Job a number of questions which Job really cannot answer. The questions reveal Job’s puniness compared to God’s powerfulness. They also reveal interesting facts about His creation. Let’s begin.[17]

What are some lasting truths in Job 40:1–5?

1. Some people experience great suffering.

2. Many explain suffering as direct punishment by God for personal sin.

3. Some suffering is caused by personal sin, but all of it is not.

4. We can trust God even when we do not know why we suffer.[18]

As we have had the privilege of studying Job, possibly your thoughts and emotions have gone wild. Perhaps the following excerpt from a Sermon by George O. Wood will give you pause and some reflective peace😊 Soak on these things.

God’s Answer to “Why Me?”

The Book of Job does not attempt to give a complete answer to the question of why we have trials or pain—why we suffer adversity or debilitating and terminal diseases. The Book of Job more narrowly hones in on the question of a man who has lived an honorable and righteous life and is suffering and wants to know why. We know that Scripture in its totality contains some additional responses other than what is reflected in Job to answer the question of why suffering comes to us. Any presentation or sermon on suffering is not complete if it is confined within the Book of Job.

I. Reasons for suffering.

A. Sometimes suffering is a punishment. For example, when the Children of Israel failed to have faith to go into the Promised Land, they were told they must wander for thirty-eight years in the wilderness. Their suffering was directly related to their sin. The Scriptures are replete with instances where there has been punishment because sin has occurred.

B. Another dimension is sometimes suffering has a corrective intention to it. Paul shows this in 1 Corinthians 5:5 regarding the man in the Corinthian church who is living with his father’s wife. He says as a matter of church discipline, “Hand this man over to Satan, so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (NIV). There should be some kind of physical visitation of consequence in his life to bring him back to a position of well-being with God and well-being with the rest of the Body.

C. A third thing we can say as to why trials and pain and suffering occur is that they are simply preludes to what God is going to do to reverse them. In John 9, a man born blind is brought to Jesus. He is faced with the question of who sinned—the man or his parents. The prevailing thought was that the blindness was either a punishment or a correction. Some people will look at suffering as belonging to these two categories. Jesus says not at all. Neither this man nor his parents sinned. The reason was so that the glory of God might be revealed. Then He gave the man his sight. The blindness was a prelude of the great sight the Lord was going to visit him with.

D. Sometimes suffering and pain and adversity come to our lives, especially in the sense of spiritual agony, when there is intercession or risking for the sake of another. Jesus knew what that kind of pain and suffering was when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He experienced suffering on a level that no other human has experienced. His agony was so great that He sweat great drops of blood. There is an agony that comes from intercession.

E. A fifth thing that may be happening in suffering is that sometimes God allows our sufferings to work in us as an example to other people. This is the case in the apostle Paul’s life. What happens with him by way of adversity becomes a means of strengthening the whole church. Toward the end of his ministry—when it would have been easier to have retired on his minister’s fund somewhere—Paul experienced five years of unjust imprisonment. Yet at that time in Paul’s life, God was working to bring a model or example to display before the whole church that would soon undergo the tremendous ravages of Nero. Always before, up until the Christian era, people equated suffering with being punished. Yet God’s people in the New Testament went through suffering, and it was not at all related to disobedience. In Paul’s life, suffering was being worked out as an example. In those times of adversity—from his pen and from his heart—comes a letter like the Philippian letter, which tells us that in our adversities we can go ahead and rejoice anyway. God is in control.

F. Job really gives us the sixth answer to the question of suffering, and it’s not related to any of the first five. That answer is we don’t know. That covers a multitude of sins. That was Job’s whole point: “I don’t have the foggiest idea why this has come upon me. I can’t see any purpose to it. I don’t know what God is up to. I certainly don’t deserve it.”

There’s a law of balance that says what you reap should be consistent with what you sow. It shouldn’t be out of proportion. But in Job’s case, it’s totally out of proportion. Today there are people like Job’s friends who try to make a strong case that Job did something wrong. But God himself declares him righteous.

Job protests that he does not deserve this punishment. All through the Book of Job he’s been asking God to speak up and tell him why. His friends—Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar—have been telling him, “You’ve sinned. Repent and God will restore.” Elihu, the fourth character, says the other three failed to prove the argument. “There’s profit in serving God,” he says. “If you’re not profiting, something’s wrong in your life.” Then he goes on to make a strong case that God is sovereign and couldn’t possibly be doing anything wrong. Therefore, if something wrong is happening, again it is Job’s fault.

The Book of Job has reached a standoff. Job never dignifies Elihu’s four speeches with a response. He is still insisting on his righteousness. The friends are still insisting that something is wrong. Now, into this dramatic literary drama, comes the voice of God in chapters 38–41.[19]

[1]David J. A. Clines, “Job,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 481. [2]Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Patient, “Be” Commentary Series (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 141. [3]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Fall 2010, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 29. [4]Albert Barnes, Notes on the Old Testament: Job, vol. 2 (London: Blackie & Son, 1847), 191. [5]Leadership Ministries Worldwide, Job, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2010), 255-266. [6]Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: Complete and Unabridged in One Volume(Peabody: Hendrickson, 1994), 731–732. [7]Richard D. Patterson, “Job,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary, ed. E. Ray Clendenen and Jeremy Royal Howard (Broadman & Holman, 2015), 539. [8] John D. Barry et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Job 38:4–7. [9]Trent C. Butler, ed., Disciple’s Study Bible: New International Version (Nashville: Holman Bible Publishers, 1988), Job 38:4. [10]John Goldingay, Job for Everyone, 1st ed., Old Testament for Everyone (Louisville, KY; London: Westminster John Knox Press; Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 2013), 186–187. [11] R. E. Neighbour, Wells of Living Water: Old Testament, vol. 4, Wells of Living Water (Union Gospel Press, 1939–1940), 275. [12]Gerald H. Wilson, Job, ed. W. Ward Gasque, Robert L. Hubbard Jr., and Robert K. Johnston, Understanding the Bible Commentary Series (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2012), 450. [13]John E. Hartley, The Book of Job, The New International Commentary on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1988), 517. [14]Robert L. Alden, Job, vol. 11, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1993), 392. [15]Francis I. Andersen, Job: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 14, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1976), 307–308. [16] Ian S. McNaughton, Opening up Job, Opening Up Commentary (Leominster, England: Day One, 2014), 130. [17] Rod Mattoon, Treasures from Job, vol. 2, Treasures from Scripture Series (Springfield, IL: Rod Mattoon, 2013), 280–281. [18]Robert J. Dean, Bible Studies for Life, Fall 2010, Herschel Hobbs Commentary (LifeWay Christian Resources, n.d.), 31-32. [19]George O. Wood, George Wood’s Sermons: Old Testament, George Wood’s Sermons (WORDsearch, 2013), Job 38:1–42:6. Born in China 1941, Died Jan. 22, 2022. Pentecostal Minister and leader.