Job 37, Impending Storm

A storm is coming. Elihu reacts to its power and pulls in the power of the storm to make his points.

Job 37:1-4, Listen to the roar, the violence!

"At this my heart pounds 

and leaps from its place.

Listen! Listen to the roar of his voice,

to the rumbling that comes from his mouth.

He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven 

and sends it to the ends of the earth.

After that comes the sound of his roar; 

he thunders with his majestic voice. 

When his voice resounds, he holds nothing back.

The impending storm is loud, violent, intimidating. Elihu equates the noise and dramatic lightning with God's power and voice.

Job 37:5-12, Power in marvelous ways

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;

 he does great things beyond our understanding.

He says to the snow, `Fall on the earth,'

 and to the rain shower, `Be a mighty downpour.'

So that all men he has made may know his work, 

he stops every man from his labor.

The animals take cover; 

they remain in their dens.

The tempest comes out from its chamber, 

the cold from the driving winds.

The breath of God produces ice, 

and the broad waters become frozen.

He loads the clouds with moisture; 

he scatters his lightning through them.

At his direction they swirl around over the face of the whole earth 

to do whatever he commands them.

The thunderstorm reminds Elihu of other dramatic scenes of nature -- of snowfall or a rain shower. As the rain increases, the men stop their work and the animals hide in their dens. At times -- even in the Middle East -- God's work produces snow, ice and sleet (Psalm 147: 15-18)! God has complete command over the dramatic lightning, thunder, ice, snow, cold wind.

Job 37:13-18, Control of the clouds

He brings the clouds to punish men, 

or to water his earth and show his love.

"Listen to this, Job; 

stop and consider God's wonders.

Do you know how God controls the clouds 

and makes his lightning flash?

Do you know how the clouds hang poised, 

those wonders of him who is perfect in knowledge?

You who swelter in your clothes 

when the land lies hushed under the south wind,

can you join him in spreading out the skies, 

hard as a mirror of cast bronze?

Elihu claims that God uses storms to punish men and rain to show His love.  He then gives a challenge to Job: can you control the clouds like God can? This challenge will be echoed when God finally speaks to Job. 

The clouds coming in the impending storm are powerful and beyond human control. So too is the hot sirocco of the mideast, when there are no clouds and the sky is a blue bronze mirror, never changing from day to day.

Job 37:19-24, Don't look at the sun

"Tell us what we should say to him; 

we cannot draw up our case because of our darkness.

Should he be told that I want to speak? 

Would any man ask to be swallowed up?

Now no one can look at the sun, 

bright as it is in the skies after the wind has swept them clean.

Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; 

God comes in awesome majesty.

The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; 

in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.

Therefore, men revere him, 

for does he not have regard for all the wise in heart?"

Just as we cannot look at the sun, the Almighty is beyond us -- we cannot look at Him or challenge Him.  In this regard (says Hartley), Elihu ends his speech in agreement with the end of Job's ode to Wisdom in Job 28: "The fear of the Lord—that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding."

The impending storm is indeed a theophany, a physical manifestation of God. Finally, at the end of these debates on suffering and righteousness, the Almighty, Himself, will speak. That speech begins in the next chapter.