Behold, God is great, and we know him not, Neither can the number of his years be searched out.] For he draweth up the drops of water: They distil the rain of his vapour; Which the clouds pour down, And drop upon man abundantly. Who can understand the spreadings of the clouds, Behold, he spreadeth his light around him, And covereth the tops of the mountains. (?) He veileth his hands with his light; And sendeth it forth against its mark. (?) His roaring telleth tidings of him; He maketh his anger to glow against iniquity. (?) Yea, at this my heart trembleth, And leapeth up out of its place. Hear, oh hear, the noise of his voice, And the muttering that goeth out of his mouth. He sealeth up the hand of every man; And remain in their lairs. Out of his chamber cometh the whirlwind: By the breath of God ice is given : And the breath of the waters is straitened. He ladeth the thick cloud with moisture, It moveth round about, And turneth around by his guidance; That they may accomplish whatsoever he commandeth them, Upon the face of his earth. (?) Hearken unto this, O Job: Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. [Dost thou know how God layeth his command upon them, And causeth the light of his cloud to shine? (?) Dost thou know the spreadings of the clouds, The wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge?] Thou whose garments are warm, When the earth is still because of the south wind, (?) Canst thou with him spread out the skies, Firm as a molten mirror? Teach us what we shall say unto him; For we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. Shall it be told him that I would speak? Or shall a man say that he would be swallowed up? (?) And now we see not the light, because it is hidden in the clouds, But a wind hath passed over and cleared them. (?) Golden brightness cometh out of the north: With God is terrible majesty. The Almighty! we cannot find him out: great is he in power, And abundant in judgement and justice. (?) Men must therefore fear him: He respecteth not any that deem themselves wise of heart. $34. The Theophany: God's speech.-We now come to the speech of the Almighty, the last act of the drama. I have already indicated the tenor and purpose of the divine speech, how it gives no definite solution of the problem, but only suggests that as God is the wise ruler of nature, so is he also the wise ruler of man. As his spirit is immanent in nature, so is it also immanent in man and human society. As he is concerned with and interested in nature, so is he also interested in and concerned with man. Yet even as his rule in nature is full of mystery, so is his rule of man. But even as we believe in his wisdom as the Lord of nature, so may we believe in it as the Lord of man. And if he be wise' in rule, then is he also good. To the Hebrew, as to the Greek, true wisdom implied goodness. A full understanding is possible for us neither in the one sphere nor in the other. In the survey of creation's marvels, earth and sea and sky come first, then, in no very connected or clearly observed order, light and darkness, snow and hail, rain and lightning, frost and ice, clouds and stars. Then, as Professor Davidson puts it, 'the manifoldness of the divine mind' is set forth 'as displayed in the world of animal life.' GOD INTERROGATES JOB 191 The last paragraph of God's speech is obscure. If Job is more righteous than God, he must be more competent to govern the world. Let Job, then, exercise God's ruling functions by humiliating the wicked. Does this ironical invitation merely mean : God's wise omnipotence in his rule of man can be as little questioned or understood as his wise omnipotence in his rule of nature? But why is special mention made of the punishment of the wicked? Does this conceivably imply: Were you omnipotent, you would presumably show your justice by the immediate annihilation of the wicked. But not on such crude principles do I, God, rule the world.' (So Duhm). In his brief reply Job admits that in his cavillings and criticisms he had entered on a subject beyond the limits of human understanding. He retracts his daring complaints and submits in chastened resignation to the will of God. Note that God has held out no hope to him of recovery or restoration even if he does submit. It will be also observed that God does not for a moment hint that Job's sufferings were 'deserved,' nor does Job pass beyond the attitude of resignation. We end, as we began, with a problem, each aspect of which is equally important and equally true. Job's sufferings were undeserved: God is always just. Then the Lord answered Job out of the tempest, and said, Who is this that darkeneth purpose By words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; I will demand of thee, answer thou me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath fixed the measures thereof, that thou shouldest know? Or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foundations thereof sunk ; Or who laid its corner stone; When the morning stars sang together, And the sons of God shouted for joy? Who shut up the sea with doors, When it broke forth, and issued out of the depths? When I made the cloud the garment thereof, And thick darkness its swaddling-band, And appointed for it a limit, And set unto it bars and doors, And said, 'Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further : Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; Didst thou enter into the springs of the sea, Or walk upon the bottom of the depth? What is the way to the abode of light? And canst bring it on the path to its house? Hast thou entered into the treasuries of the snow? By what way is the wind parted, And the east wind spread over the earth? Who hath cleft a channel for the rainstorm, Or a way for the lightning of thunder; To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is, On the wilderness, wherein there is no man; To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, And from the parched land to cause the tender herb to sprout? Hath the rain a father, Or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose lap came the ice, And the hoar frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters close together like a stone, And the face of the deep hideth itself. Dost thou bind the fetters of the Pleiades, THE LORD OF NATURE Dost thou bring forth Mazzaroth in their season? Dost thou determine the rule thereof upon the earth? That abundance of waters may cover thee? Or who emptieth the bottles of heaven, When the dust runneth into a molten mass, And the clods cleave fast together? Dost thou hunt the booty for the lion, And abide in the covert to lie in wait? Who hath given to the wild ass his freedom, Whose house I have made the wilderness, He scorneth the tumult of the city, Neither hearkeneth he to the crying of the driver. He spieth out the mountains as his pasture, And he searcheth after every green thing. Will the wild ox be willing to serve thee, Or to sleep by thy crib? Wilt thou bind him with harness ropes to the furrow, Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great, Or wilt thou leave thy labour to him? 193 Wilt thou have faith in him, that he will bring home thy seed, And gather thy grain into the barn? [The wing of the ostrich beateth joyously, Is it a kindly pinion and feather? |