Elihu continues to extol the greatness and majesty of God by pointing to the developments in the atmosphere (Job 37:6). He began by mentioning water as a vapor, which arose from the Earth and became a cloud in the sky (Job 36:27) and fell upon the earth again (Job 36:28) in the form of gentle showers and great storms (Job 37:6). Yet, none of these things that occur are chaotic, but they all have a purpose behind them. The same vapors of Job 36:27 become the gentle showers, the great storms, and also the marvels of snow. The one is clear, while the other is white. The one soaks into the ground and feeds the plants, another washes everything in its path away and destroys much of what it touches. Yet, in another form, the snow, it falls and covers the ground in the colder months of the year, protecting the young plant life from being destroyed by the freezing climate of the winter months.
One is able to hear and appreciate the gentle rainfall, or listen to and fear the great storms that arise, but no one is able to hear snow as it falls to the ground! Nevertheless, no matter which form the falling drops of water take, they come from the same vapor in the heavens! Everything occurs according to the will of God, who is great and majestic beyond our abilities to comprehend. Now, no one is saying that Elihu knew the science behind all this, but you don’t have to be a scientist to appreciate the Lord’s works. Whether we have in mind the direct intervention of God or his creating the laws that govern the atmosphere, it is still he who is responsible for it all, and this is Elihu’s point. He wasn’t able to understand everything about atmospheric events (Job 37:5), but he was able to appreciate the great works of God and order his life according to what he witnessed, as the seasons came and went.
Not only so, but while these things are occurring, (as a rule) the labors of men cease (Job 37:7). In effect mankind is forced to cease his work, while the works of God take place. Even the activities of the animal kingdom cease. They return to their dens and lairs, while the Lord’s work continues (Job 37:8). In other words, instead of causing chaos in the world by doing all these things, the Lord orders men’s lives around the seasons of the work he does, and all this is done according to his will for mankind. No one is able to prevent the Lord from doing what he does. We simply pause and observe, sometimes blessed but other times feeling the Lord’s rebuke and judgment, and to Elihu’s point, no one, whether singularly or collectively, is able to demand or cause a pause in the Lord’s labor. What does this tell us about the greatness and the majesty of God?
So, out of the south (or a chamber of the heavens) comes the whirlwind or the hurricane (tempest), which Elihu had just described. However, out of the north comes the cold and freezing weather patterns (Job 37:9). Frost on the landscape occurs by the breath of God, and by his breath the waters upon the earth freeze so that men may walk upon them (Job 37:10).[1] So, to conclude this portion of his discourse, Elihu points back to the clouds, which the Lord loads up with moisture in the form of vapor (Job 37:11; cp. 36:27-28). They tumble about and pass through the heavens according to his plans, and they accomplish his will. Whatever the will of God may be (Job 37:12), vis-à-vis for judgment, or for feeding the land or to perform mercy for man and beast, it is all done according to his purpose (Job 37:13). Regardless of how chaotic his works may seem to us, the Lord has a purpose. Moreover, no matter how displeased we are with the Lord’s table, no one is able to prevent God from doing what he pleases. The Lord is sovereign!
[1] In an earlier study under the theme of abortion, I considered what the “breath of God” actually is. It is nothing more than the wind or the air we breath in throughout our lives. See my conclusions in What Is the Breath of God?
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