Job 26:8 | KingComments | STEP | Job continues his description of the greatness of God, now looking north and upward ( ). He sees the vast expanse of the universe. He looks north – the place from which God reigns ( ) – the northern ceiling of the heavens, which is like a curtain overhanging the expanse. In that vast expanse of emptiness, where nothing can be hanged on, the earth hangs. God has hung the globe “on nothing”. That the earth “hangs” is an established fact. If Scripture mentions anything about creation, it is God’s truth. Scientific ‘truth’ is different. Scientific language is soon outdated. Scientific conclusions have to be rewritten regularly because new insights destroy the previous ones. The Bible, inspired by God and therefore faultless, is not written in scientific language, but in everyday language and never needs to be changed. Everything God has said remains current for all ages and generations ( ). Thus God also wraps up the waters together in His clouds ( ; cf. ), without the cloud bursting because of its weight. It is God who gathers the fumes of the earth into thick clouds, as it were the jars of heaven ( ). It is His way of giving rain on earth wherever He wills (cf. ; ). Above the clouds is God’s throne, which He makes invisible by spreading His cloud over it ( ; cf. ). Of course this is meant to be symbolic, because even without clouds the throne of God is invisible. The throne is the center from which creation is ruled (cf. ). Man, with all his knowledge and ability, is incapable of discovering Him. He also excludes God in his research on the origin and progress of the universe. He is willfully ignorant ( ). As a result, he has fallen into the foolishness of evolution theory. God not only controls the water above the earth’s surface, but also the water on the earth’s surface ( ). The water above the earth is held by God in clouds. The water on earth is held by God within the limits set by Him ( ; ). Also in another sense God has drawn a boundary over the surface of the water. That boundary is the horizon. We become aware of this when we stand on the shore of an ocean. If we look into the distance, we see the horizon. We cannot look any further. There is the boundary between the light sky and the dark sea, the boundary between the water in the cloud sky and the water in the sea. Also the impressive, massive, unshakable mountains, rising high above the landscape and touching the heaven, are under His authority ( ). They are poetically called “the pillars of heaven”, as if heaven is resting on them. But when He rebukes them, and we might think of an earthquake, they tremble ( ). Of all that imposing nothing remains. Only His majesty above all else is permanent. Then there is also His power in the wind with which He whips up the sea ( ; ; ; ). With the same authority He also restrains the wind and causes “the storm to be still” ( ). What is attributed to God here we see the Lord Jesus doing in the Gospels ( ; ). It is one of the many proofs that the Lord Jesus is God. God is not only great in His omnipotence and majesty, but also in His clearness ( ). The Spirit of God gives that clearness in heaven. We see the clearness of the sky, the clouds, the heavenly bodies. David is deeply impressed by it: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” ( ). God creates, controls and delivers ( ; ). That clearness was lost by “the quick [or: fleeing] serpent”, the devil ( ), when he brought sin into the world. But God is in Christ the Victor over the devil. He will renew the face of the ground ( ) and restore creation to its original beauty. Then the devil will be bound and the corruption of creation will be taken away ( ).

‏ Job 26:8

God Rules Over the Universe

Job continues his description of the greatness of God, now looking north and upward (Job 26:7). He sees the vast expanse of the universe. He looks north – the place from which God reigns (Isa 14:13-14) – the northern ceiling of the heavens, which is like a curtain overhanging the expanse. In that vast expanse of emptiness, where nothing can be hanged on, the earth hangs. God has hung the globe “on nothing”.

That the earth “hangs” is an established fact. If Scripture mentions anything about creation, it is God’s truth. Scientific ‘truth’ is different. Scientific language is soon outdated. Scientific conclusions have to be rewritten regularly because new insights destroy the previous ones. The Bible, inspired by God and therefore faultless, is not written in scientific language, but in everyday language and never needs to be changed. Everything God has said remains current for all ages and generations (2Tim 3:16-17).

Thus God also wraps up the waters together in His clouds (Job 26:8; cf. Pro 30:4), without the cloud bursting because of its weight. It is God who gathers the fumes of the earth into thick clouds, as it were the jars of heaven (Job 38:37). It is His way of giving rain on earth wherever He wills (cf. Jer 10:13; Psa 104:3).

Above the clouds is God’s throne, which He makes invisible by spreading His cloud over it (Job 26:9; cf. Psa 97:2). Of course this is meant to be symbolic, because even without clouds the throne of God is invisible. The throne is the center from which creation is ruled (cf. Job 1:6-12). Man, with all his knowledge and ability, is incapable of discovering Him. He also excludes God in his research on the origin and progress of the universe. He is willfully ignorant (2Pet 3:5). As a result, he has fallen into the foolishness of evolution theory.

God not only controls the water above the earth’s surface, but also the water on the earth’s surface (Job 26:10). The water above the earth is held by God in clouds. The water on earth is held by God within the limits set by Him (Psa 104:9; Jer 5:22b).

Also in another sense God has drawn a boundary over the surface of the water. That boundary is the horizon. We become aware of this when we stand on the shore of an ocean. If we look into the distance, we see the horizon. We cannot look any further. There is the boundary between the light sky and the dark sea, the boundary between the water in the cloud sky and the water in the sea.

Also the impressive, massive, unshakable mountains, rising high above the landscape and touching the heaven, are under His authority (Job 26:11). They are poetically called “the pillars of heaven”, as if heaven is resting on them. But when He rebukes them, and we might think of an earthquake, they tremble (Exo 19:18). Of all that imposing nothing remains. Only His majesty above all else is permanent.

Then there is also His power in the wind with which He whips up the sea (Job 26:12; Psa 107:25; Isa 51:15; Jer 31:35). With the same authority He also restrains the wind and causes “the storm to be still” (Psa 107:29). What is attributed to God here we see the Lord Jesus doing in the Gospels (Mt 8:26; Mk 4:39). It is one of the many proofs that the Lord Jesus is God.

God is not only great in His omnipotence and majesty, but also in His clearness (Job 26:13). The Spirit of God gives that clearness in heaven. We see the clearness of the sky, the clouds, the heavenly bodies. David is deeply impressed by it: “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained” (Psa 8:3). God creates, controls and delivers (Isa 27:1; Rev 20:2).

That clearness was lost by “the quick [or: fleeing] serpent”, the devil (Rev 12:9), when he brought sin into the world. But God is in Christ the Victor over the devil. He will renew the face of the ground (Psa 104:30) and restore creation to its original beauty. Then the devil will be bound and the corruption of creation will be taken away (Rom 8:21).