God is God, we’re not ∙
Take time to think about the great things God does. – Job 37:14
Job 37:14-24
14 Listen to this, O Job, stand and consider the wonders of God.
15 Do you know how God controls the storm and causes the lightning to flash from his clouds?
16 Do you understand how he moves the clouds perfectly and skillfully?
17 When you are sweltering in your clothes, and the south wind dies down, and everything is still,
18 He makes the skies reflect the heat like a bronze mirror. Can you do that?
23 We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; dismiss, but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us.
24 No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence.
Goosebumps are also referred to as goose pimples, goose flesh, horripilation, and piloerection. The medical term is cutis anserine (cutis means skin, and anser means goose). Goosebumps are a skin response, a temporary change in texture from smooth to bumpy. They result from the contraction of the piloerector muscles, triggered autonomously by the sympathetic nervous system.
Goosebumps erupt often when we are extremely cold. They frequently occur in unpleasant situations involving fear or, perhaps more accurately, horror. Goosebumps usually arise during awe-inspiring experiences, when things happen that give us “chills,” or when we are spiritually or emotionally moved. Their eruption is often concurrent with awe, pride, exhilaration, listening to music, and the excitement of experiencing God.
Fallen humanity cannot comprehend the marvels of the creation and the creator God, the Father who made them all.
“It is good to remind ourselves that the Lord is God and we are not. He is the Creator; we are the created. He is the Original; we are the image. He is our Friend, but absolutely not our peer” (Stanley).
Psalms 111:2-4
2 How amazing are the deeds of the LORD! All who delight in him should ponder them.
3 Everything he does reveals his glory and majesty. His righteousness never fails.
4 He causes us to remember his wonderful works. How gracious and merciful is our LORD!
The Father’s creation appears without end. In the book of Job, Elihu, one of his friends, points this out to him. He reminds Job that the Father alone is God, and Job is not. The Father is unlimited and all-powerful. The Father has perfect knowledge. Elihu is awed by the Father, the living God. He fixates on the Father’s majesty and perfection in everything He thinks and does. Elihu reminds Job that we humans can’t begin to understand the complexity of the Father and His creation.
Job 37:22 God is clothed with awesome majesty.
Elihu challenges Job to call to mind the Father’s excellent majesty as Job struggles with his losses. He warns Job against giving into arrogant conceit.
Job 37:24 All who are wise show him reverence. He does not regard any who are wise in their own conceit.
Ultimately, there are only two responses to the majestic glory of the eternal, omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God. Either people are wise and respect the Father, or they are conceded, wise in their own eyes, and turn away from the Father.
No matter what we’re going through, the Father is God. He is always at work, even though we cannot see or understand what He does.
Job 5:9 He does great things that are too marvelous to understand. He performs countless miracles.
Contemplating the Father and all He is, all He has done, and all He is doing should give the children of the King chills. He is totally awesome!
REFLECT & PRAY
The Father is always at work. We are fascinated and moved to worship Him as we observe and recognize His handiwork and creativity. His extraordinary intelligence and splendor give us chills.
Father thank You, for Your magnificent creation. Thank You, for even when we cannot see You, You are at work in our lives. Empower me to see You with the eyes of faith.
INSIGHT
Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above.
With wisdom pow’r and love. Our God is an awesome God.
Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is the God of gods and Lord of lords. He is the great God, the mighty and awesome God.
The Hebrew word translated as excellent is yare. Yare means to inspire awe, reverence, or fear.
Job and his friends Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar engage in three rounds of heated discussion. They finally reach an impasse regarding theodicy, the question of why a good God permits evil. Elihu, being the youngest, waits for his turn to speak and now chimes in with his insights (Job 32-37).
Job 37:14 Pay attention to this, Job. Stop and consider the wonderful miracles of God!
Elihu draws attention to the Father’s immense power, majesty, and sovereignty. He challenges Job to “consider the wonderful miracles” (Job 37:14).
The Hebrew term “amad” is often translated as “stand” or “stop.” Here, it conveys the idea of pausing, remaining quiet, suggesting a moment of contemplation or silence. Similarly, the Hebrew word “bin,” translated as consider, has a sense of diligently considering, observing, and carefully seeking to understand or discern.
Elihu essentially says to Job, “Focus on me while you ponder the astounding deeds of God” or “Take a moment to reflect on the magnificent acts of God” (UBS). He emphasizes that the Father orchestrates the workings of His creation.
Elihu aims to instill a sense of humility in Job, urging him towards repentance by confronting him with questions to explain the inexplicable. Namely, the Father’s mysterious command over natural elements like clouds, lightning, winds, the heavens, and the sun (Job 37:15-24).
Hebrews 11:3 By faith, we understand that the entire universe was formed at God’s command and that what we now see did not come from anything that can be seen.
Hebrews 11:6 It is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
The Father is God, and we are not!
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 1-12-2
© Dr. H 2024
Dr H Reflections 