The Lord Speaks\u2014Job 38<\/p>\n
There are interesting circumstances towards the close of Elihu\u2019s address, which the reader must not overlook.<\/p>\n
Every one has admired the description of a thunderstorm which he gives at the commencement of the thirty-seventh chapter. Many descriptions of such storms have been given, but this excels them all, and is only itself surpassed by that of another sacred writer in Psalms 18. But it does not perhaps occur to many readers that it is a storm then actually raging that Elihu describes; although the expressions of personal emotion which are interspersed might suffice to indicate the fact, that Elihu, while he speaks, is witnessing the progress of the awful storm, ending in \u201cthe whirlwind,\u201d out of which the voice of the Lord was heard. After this description, Elihu begins to touch on other manifestations of God\u2019s presence and power in the phenomena of the natural world, the storm still continuing, and increasing in a degree so peculiar and awful, that he begins to see in it the signs of the Lord\u2019s immediate approach, and although he still speaks, he is agitated, and his language becomes abrupt and confused. It is such as one would use whose mind is filled and overawed by the approach of God. It is solemn and full of reverence, but not connected, and is much less calm than his ordinary discourse, until at last, overwhelmed by the awful symbols of the Divine presence, he subsides abruptly into silence; and then, after a solemn pause, the voice of the Lord himself is heard from the whirlwind.<\/p>\n
The speech itself is no less sublime than the circumstances by which it is introduced. \u201cIt is,\u201d says Dr. Young, who has given a vigorous paraphrase of this portion of the book, \u201cby much the finest part of this, the noblest and most ancient poem in the world.\u201d Bishop Patrick declares that its grandeur is as much above all other poetry, as thunder is louder than a whisper. \u201cI imagine,\u201d says Scott, \u201cit will be easily granted, that, for majesty of sentiment and strength of expression, this speech has nothing equal to it in the most admired productions of Greece and Rome.\u201d A recent writer Note: Rev. G. Gilfillan in his Bards of the Bible. Edinburgh, 1851. This author is of those who take the Book of Job to be an allegory. well remarks that, \u201cTo put suitable language in the mouth of the Deity, has generally tasked to straining or crushed to feebleness the genius of poets. Homer, indeed, at times nobly ventriloquizes from the top of Olympus; but it is ventriloquism: Homer\u2019s thunder, not Jove\u2019s. Milton, while impersonating God, falls flat; he peeps and mutters from the dust; he shrinks from seeking to fill up the compass of the Eternal\u2019s voice. Adequately to represent God speaking, required not only the highest inspiration, but that the poet had heard, or thought that he heard, His very voice, shaping articulate sounds from midnight torrents, from the voices of the wind, from the chambers of thunder, from the rush of the whirlwind, from the hush of night, and from the breeze of day. And doubtless, the author of the Book of Job had this experience\u2026. Some poems have voices to the note of the flute and others to the swell of the organ; but this highest reach of poetry rose to the music of the mightiest and oldest elements of nature, combining to form the various parts in the one voice of God. And how this whirlwind of poetry, once aroused, storms along\u2014how it ruffles the foundations of the earth\u2014how it churns up the ocean into spray\u2014how it unveils the old treasures of the hail and the snow\u2014how it soars up to the stars\u2014how the lightnings say to it, \u2018Here we are\u2019\u2014how, stooping from this pitch, it sweeps over the various noble or terrible creatures of the bard\u2019s country, raising the mane of the lion, stirring the wild horror of the raven\u2019s wing, racing with the wild ass into the wilderness, flying with the eagle and the hawk, shortening speed with the lazy vastness of behemoth, awakening the thunder of the horse\u2019s neck, and daring to open \u2018the doors of the fire,\u2019 with the teeth \u2018terrible round about\u2019 of leviathan himself! The truth, the literal exactness, the freshness, fire, and rapidity of the figures presented, resemble less the slow, elaborate work of a painter, than a succession of pictures taken instantaneously by the finger of the sun, and true to the smallest articulation of the burning life.\u201d<\/p>\n
It is remarkable also of this great speech, that it is entirely composed of a series of interrogatory sentences or clauses. Here, more than in any other portion of Scripture, do we perceive the use, value, and effective application of this form of address, in exalting our ideas of the Deity\u2014while every question awes into silence, and inspires with the humblest views of our own insufficiency and weakness. The writer last cited describes, in his own sparkling manner, the speech as \u201ca series of questions following each other like claps of thunder.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although many writers, ancient and modern, have used this form of address with ability and effect\u2014and its use in oratory is well known\u2014there are no instances on record which so strongly manifest how the sense may be strengthened, adorned, and exalted, as in the examples which the prophetical and poetical books of Scripture furnish. Numberless instances might be produced; and amid the large variety, the choice is perplexed in any attempt at selection. One or two may, however, be indicated. Deborah\u2019s words in the person of Sisera\u2019s mother, supply a noble instance of this use of interrogations\u2014\u201cThe mother of Sisera looked out at the window, and cried through the lattice, Why is his chariot so long in coming? why tarry the wheels of his chariots? Her wise ladies answered her: yea, she returned answer to herself, Have they not sped? have they not divided the prey; to every man a damsel or two? to Sisera a prey of divers colors, a prey of divers colors of needlework, of divers colors of needle-work on both sides, meet for the necks of them that take the spoil,\u201d Judges 5. Mark also the skilful use of this form of speech in Paul\u2019s transfer of his address from Festus to Agrippa. First he speaks of him in the third person. \u201cThe king,\u201d he says, \u201cknoweth of these things, before whom I also speak freely.\u201d Then, turning short upon him, he asks: \u201cKing Agrippa, believest thou the prophets?\u201d And immediately answers his own question, \u201cI know that thou believest!\u201d The smoothest eloquence, the most insinuating complaisance, could not have made such an impression upon Agrippa as this most unexpected and pointed address.<\/p>\n
Autor: JOHN KITTO<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Lord Speaks\u2014Job 38 There are interesting circumstances towards the close of Elihu\u2019s address, which the reader must not overlook. Every one has admired the description of a thunderstorm which he gives at the commencement of the thirty-seventh chapter. Many descriptions of such storms have been given, but this excels them all, and is only … Continue reading ““475. THE LORD SPEAKS\u2014JOB 38””<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16827","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermons"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16827","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16827"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16827\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16827"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16827"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/sermons\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16827"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}