Sunday: Out of the Whirlwind
Read Job 38:1. What happens here that is different from everything else in all the other dialogues?
Suddenly and unexpectedly, the Lord now appears in the book of Job, the first time since Job 2:6—“And the LORD said to Satan, ‘Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life’ ” (NKJV).
Image © Elfred Lee from GoodSalt.com
Nothing really prepares the reader for this sudden appearance of God. Job Chapter 37 ends with Elihu’s speech, and the next thing we know, “the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind” (Job 38:1). Instantly it is just God and Job, as if the other men are irrelevant, at least for now.
The word whirlwind comes from a Hebrew word that means “storm” or “tempest,” and it has been used in connection with the appearance of God to humans (see Isa. 29:6, Zech. 9:14). It was also the word used in the context of Elijah’s being taken to heaven: “When the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal” (2 Kings 2:1, NIV).
Though we are not given any physical details about this “theophany” (a visible manifestation of God to humanity), it is clear that God isn’t speaking to Job in a “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12). Instead, the Lord manifested Himself in a very powerful way, one that certainly got Job’s attention.
Of course, this isn’t the only time God had revealed Himself to fallen humans. Again and again, the Scriptures show us the closeness of God to humanity.
What do these texts teach us about how near God can be to us? Gen. 15:1–6, Gen 32:24–32, John 1:29.
The Bible teaches us the great and important truth that our God is not a distant God who created our world and then left us to ourselves. Instead, He is a God who closely interacts with us. No matter our sorrows, our troubles, or whatever we face in this life, we can have the assurance that God is near and that we can trust Him.
| It’s one thing to believe intellectually in the nearness of God to us; it’s quite another to experience that nearness. How can you learn to draw close to God and to derive hope and comfort from this relationship? |
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The nature is a powerful teacher to show us how is our Lord, his character, his loving attention to what He created. Even when the world is going down as a rotten thing, it's still showing us how lovely is our heavenly Father. Can you imagine how sweet was the mango in the Eden's garden if our mangoes are corrupted and polluted by the sin may taste like that? All of this is to show us how we can trust our Lord. The Marakech 22th conference to the nature brought us to consider potable water all over the world because of her scarceness, but with this polluted water all around the earth, God sustains our lives,He is a God who closely interacts with us. No matter our sorrows, our troubles, or whatever we face in this life, we can have the assurance that God is near and that we can trust Him.
Through the Holy Spirit and our conscience in our mind which works in our brain. God is functionally as close to us as our brain is. This is inside our body and affects us physically because the nerves from the brain control every physical and chemical process in this body we live in.
The Holy Spirit does not affect our brains without our permission, however. So our connection with the Creator-God of the universe is just one "choice" away from a very powerful interaction between humanity and Divinity.
Our problem is that most of us only rarely (if at all) evoke this choice to allow Divinity to connect with us and give us the motivation that motivated Jesus and has motivated the very Creator-God eternally.
Infinite Love is the motivation of God's Law which is the foundation of His character. His Spirit of Love is also the motivation for the character of God to develop within us humans and to make us His children and that we would be like Him.
CHOOSE LIFE!!!
Elihu's commentary in Chapter 37 that states his knowledge regarding the Majesty of God and His creation, may be part of the reason for the questions of God to Job in chapter 38. God asks Job in Chapter 38,many questions about the meanings and the sources for much of what Elihu may possibly be commenting about? Meaningful questions that pertain to Creation and life as we know it. Interesting verses, are verses Job 38:19,20,and 21. I think about Genesis 1:2,3and 4. We have wondered where the light came from before the Sun, Moon and Stars were created. Now I wonder if there is some relevance to darkness between the two texts?
2 Corinthians 6:16-18
... As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Therefore "Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you."
"I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."
What else could one ask for. God promises are true. It builds my relationship and appreication for God. You see, when we make God the center of our lives, the things we once loved we love them no more and the things we did not love we now love. To love God is to know him, to know Him is to keep on our knees daily, to study His words and to share His words. This experience gives me great comfort and hope in a relationship with God.
What does it profect a man to gain the world and loose his soul?
May God help us to be better stewart for Him. May God help us to love our neighbours as ourselve. God bless. Love you
I experienced the nearness of God yesterday: One of my neighbours is an old lady who is heavily addicted to alcohol. Every two or 3 months I find her lost in the staircase and she needs help to have her door unlocked. This time she was in a very bad condition, crying and feeling fear of something she could not express in words any more. She asked me to join her and I started to talk to her, hug her and comfort her, but it did not really help. Suddenly it came to my mind to ask her if I should pray to her, she said yes do that if you think it helps but she was not really convinced. But then I told her that I am absulutely sure that God is looking after us and that he loves her and me. I explained her that she is very valuable and that I always appreciate her help. (she takes care of one of my flowerpots in winter). She was listening attentively and got calm at the moment. Suddenly she had a big smile in her face and just said thank you. I really felt that God was with us that moment and made her feel much better. Bless you.
God has many ways of drawing our attention to His presence and the whirlwind is one of them. Whenever we find ourselves in the whirlwinds of life, let us lift up our heads and listen out for God for after the whirlwind has passed we will be left with a testimony on the nearness of God.
God speaks to us as He sees fit and as He knows best how to get through to us in our situation. He is a loving God and will deal well with us we just need to trust Him continually.
We cant understand the mysteries of God because he has no genesis. Those who will b saved hv a say on other issues that God never reavealed while there were in this world.
God avails himself to a humble and contrite spirited being. His silence and his seemingly absence in the case of Job is a clear testimony that Job was a man of great patience and endurance.
To draw attention God came in a stormy way to give evidence that all of that He created give glory and reveals His presence and He can be in anyplace.We can experience God's nearness when we believe in the existence of His love.
The word says,"trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight..."(Proverbs 3:5-6).
The Lord really is with us always.The story of Adam and Eve also reveals this.When they ate the fruit and were ashamed with their nakedness,and were hiding behind the leaves from the presence of the Lord,He asked them,"Where are you?"(Genesis 3:8,9).It does not mean God was not around and didn't see them,but He was calling them to seek His presence still...
Job had life still despite of the calamity that befell him,and because of his trust on God ,he had hope...
Rarely would one experience or have an encounter with the Almihgty in some comfortable circumstance.Most people who have experienced God have done so in uncomfortable situations. I guess its so cos we have to be nothing for God to be something. Total dependance on him will then be the theme. Then we will realise that we can do nothing apart from him. A relationship built on trust and obedience will be the result. Bit by bit our life wil begin to change as christ will begin to live in and through us. God bless as we try to build a relationship with him in every situation(good or bad).
While it is true that physical, emotional and spiritual pain have all drawn me closer to my Creator, it is also true that some of my closest moments with Him happened when I gazed at the stars on clear, dark nights, when I looked long into the innocent and unadulterated eyes of a baby, when I keenly observed and appreciated the amazing beauty of flowers, sunsets or rainbows and when I was privileged to watch the birth of my two children.