Introduction

‘Then Job replied: “How you have helped the powerless! How you have saved the arm that is feeble! What advice you have offered to one without wisdom! And what great insight you have displayed! Who has helped you utter these words? And whose spirit spoke from your mouth? “The dead are in deep anguish, those beneath the waters and all that live in them. The realm of the dead is naked before God; Destruction lies uncovered. He spreads out the northern skies over empty space; he suspends the earth over nothing. He wraps up the waters in his clouds, yet the clouds do not burst under their weight. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke.’ Job 26:1-11

JOB’S RESPONSE

Job now goes ahead and rebukes his friends and tells them that they as worthless to him, Job 26:1-2. He says, ‘what advice you have offered to one without wisdom, what great insight you have displayed,’ Job 26:3, which is his way of mocking them. He even asks Bildad if he was inspired by his words as Eliphaz claimed, Job 26:4.

Some believed that Sheol, that is, the realm of the dead, was in the depths of the sea, Job 26:5 / Isaiah 14:9. Job’s point is simply this, the dead aren’t beyond the power of God, that is, no one can escape God, even in death, Job 26:6.

The Pulpit Commentary, says the following.

‘He recognizes God’s dominion as not only existing in heaven and upon earth, but under the earth as well, even over the inhabitants of Hades, spoken of here as being under the oceans.’

He argues that God’s power is undeniable and man can’t hide from Him, Psalm 139. He knew the majesty and power of God and so, what Job wanted to know was how God used His power in reference to His people. As far as the naked human eye can see in the northern night, all we see is an empty space, Job 26:7. The earth isn’t held in place by another material object, Job 26:7.

Dummelow, in his commentary, says the following.

‘The writer seems to speak here of God stretching the vault of the northern heavens with their bright constellations above the atmosphere, and of the earth hanging unsupported, as instances of His power.’

God is able to retain the rain in the clouds without the clouds bursting from the weight, Job 26:8 / Job 38:37. He covers the face of the full moon, spreading his clouds over it, Job 26:9. He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters for a boundary between light and darkness, Job 26:10. The pillars of the heavens quake, aghast at his rebuke, Job 26:11 / Job 9:6.

What Job is describing is the cosmology of his day. His description of the world and universe far exceeded that which had previously been given by any of his friends. He’s saying that God is in control of all things, though at this time in his sufferings he was still wondering why God didn’t intervene in order to bring him relief.

‘By his power he churned up the sea; by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces. By his breath, the skies became fair; his hand pierced the gliding serpent. And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” Job 26:12-14

Job now makes the point that God does many things beyond the understanding of man and therefore, could be doing something to Job that is beyond man’s understanding, Job 1:6-12 / Job 2:1-6. With His power, that is the Holy Spirit, Genesis 1:2, God is able to subdue the sea though it may rage and dismiss any supposed monsters of the sea, Job 26:12. ‘Rahab,’ was the dragon of chaos, Job 7:12 / Job 9:13. He can clear away storm clouds, Job 26:13 / Job 3:8, and God is incomprehensible and man can hear only a whisper from Him, Job 26:14.

Go To Job 27