Bible Commentary - Job 37

In this chapter, Elihu extols the glory of God in a thunderstorm and challenges Job to match God in glory and power.

In the previous chapter, Elihu described an approaching thunderstorm as a metaphor for God’s glory and power (Job 36:27-33).  Elihu begins this chapter the same description with “the thunder of His voice” (v. 2) and so on.  Verses 3 and 4 even point out the time delay between a flash of lightning and the sound of thunder.

Elihu continues this lyrical description of a thunderstorm until verse 12.  I really like verse 1, because it opens the chapter with an emotional description.  And it’s an emotion that I can relate to.  I remember in my childhood watching thunderstorms from my bedroom.  At night, with all the lights off, watching lightning flash and hear thunder boom from your childhood bedroom is an impressive experience.  Elihu describes it the same way, with his “heart leaping” at the sight and sound of the storm, and to me it heightens the sense that Job and his friends are looking at a real storm moving in even while Elihu concludes his remarks.  I also really like verse 8, with all of the animals fleeing to shelter in their “dens” when the storm arrives.  This is not theologically significant but it is a colorful detail.

Verse 13 is an interesting aside.  Elihu lays out several possible motivations for why God could be guiding the storm as it goes along.  He gives three possible explanations: “for correction, the earth, or for lovingkindness”.  We can imagine what this might mean.  “For correction” suggests that the storm is sent as punishment, with lightning and rain lashing wicked people or… I don’t know, something like that.  For “the earth” suggests that the storm is sent to different places so that the life-giving water can promote new growth, keeping the earth healthy.  The final explanation, “for lovingkindness”, suggests a similar motive.  God could be sending the storm to places in the earth to rain down water, helping crops and filling cisterns.

In modern times, “going through a storm” is a common metaphor to suggest hardship or suffering, but to the ancient Hebrews who lived so close to the earth and so dependent upon it, storms were more often than not a boon and indeed necessary to their survival.  Without water, nothing would survive in the harsh Middle Eastern deserts of Israel.  From this point of view, storms are usually a blessing.  What we can see in this chapter is that while storms are a blessing and bring life to the world, they are also impressive, powerful and intimidating.  It certainly seems like an appropriate analogy.  We depend on God for our lives, but he is powerful, mysterious and fearsome.  We live in fear and respect of God, while ultimately acknowledging that our lives depend on him.

Beginning in verse 14, Elihu challenges Job to match the splendor and wisdom of God.  Once again Elihu is describing God’s glory and power through natural phenomena, especially the clouds, lightning and winds of a thunderstorm.  It’s a continuation of the same theme as before, but presented as a series of questions or challenges for Job to compare himself to God and see if he can equal God.  The implication is obvious: he cannot.

This also presages God’s response in the next chapter, where God will ask Job a long series of questions.  In fact I would say this chapter is very similar to God’s response in general, both in tone and general content.

In conclusion, Elihu finally asserts that God maintains justice and “abundant righteousness” (v. 23).

In the next chapter, God speaks for the first time since chapter 2.