Wisdom Class 6: Job 38-42:6 (Answers)

Answers to Wisdom Class 6 Questions
1. Is God asking Job to teach him? 38:1-3

No, he is stating that Job has been refuting the counsel of his friends with words without knowledge. God has questions for Job that he needs to respond to.

2. Why is God making the point about creating the earth and heavens? 38:4-41:11

To illustrate that He is the creator of everything, He has all wisdom and understanding. There is no possible way Job could possibly know all that God knows, he hasn't seen or been involved with everything in the world, as God has.

3. Did God create the constellations, or just the stars? 38:31-33

Since God created all of the stars, he certainly created the arrangement also, including the ability for man to draw images based on the arrangement with great stories to go with them. God's point here seems to be that he is the only one that has the power to change the arrangement of the starts. One commentary pointed out that the Pleiades in which God says "Can you bind the cluster of the Pleiades" is considered the closest cluster of stars to the earth and the cluster of stars are always in the same relationship with one another, unlink other stars that move around in the sky based on the season, see Wikipedia for more.

4. Does God provide for mankind and animals? 38:39-41

Yes, without God we wouldn't all have the abilities to provide for ourselves. We don't have the power to do it all, but God does.

5. Why do many animals do things that aren’t wise? 39:13-18

God deprived them of wisdom and understanding. We are truly God's chosen people, given the ability to reason and because of the sin of Adam and Eve know the difference between good and evil. Animals have their instincts, which God gave them, in order to survive.

6. In what ways is the horse strong? 39:19-25

From the sound of his snorting to his fearlessness in battle and his ability to "devour the distance." The horse has been blessed with many attributes, but wisdom is not one of them.

7. What direct question does God give Job? What is Job’s response? 40:1-5

Should Job correct God? To which Job responds that he is vile and will not speak any more. Job's response is a great lesson to us, he didn't cower or try to justify himself, he admitted that he had been wrong and won't speak any more.

8. God illustrates the power and wonder of a huge creature, why? 40:15-24

The behemoth was created along with man by God. God who created man and gave him his power also created the largest most powerful land creature on the earth. While we don't know what the behemoth really was, we do have a pretty good description of it here in Job.

9. What creature or being is God describing in Job 42:12-34?

Leviathan. Similar to the behemoth in our lack of association with an animal we have around today, it was a sea creature fierce and terrifying. God is illustrating that he has created several powerful, terrible beasts. The most terrible and powerful being ever created isn't even mentioned, Satan. While God never reveals anything about Satan to Job or his friends in the book of Job, I think God is trying to point out with the behemoth and leviathan that Gad has created many terrible and powerful creatures that Job cannot understand.

10. What is Job’s response to God? 42:1-6

When God stops describing the leviathan and concludes that those who are proud will be ruled by him, Job humbles himself and repents. This act of repenting is an acknowledgment that he did error and must seek God's forgiveness. As we'll see in the final few verses, God has accepted his repentance.

Note:  Give Us A King, The United Kingdom, by Bob and Sandra Waldron and The Holy Bible, new King James Version, Reference Edition, Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.were used in preparing the comments in this post.