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Job 38:1-41
(Job 38:1-7 [43-41] )
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• Reading the Text:
  • NRSV (with link to Anglicized NRSV) at Oremus Bible Browser.
  • Hebrew Interlinear Bible, WLCv, WLC5, CHES, AV.
  • The Bible Gateway: NRSV, RSV, NIV, NASB, CEV, The Message, KJV, etc.
  • The Blue Letter Bible. KJV, alternate versions, Hebrew text with concordance, commentaries.
  • The World Wide Study Bible includes commentary, exposition and sermons.
• Historical References, Commentary and Comparative Texts:
  • Chapter XX of The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Clement of Rome (ca. 96)
  • Rashi's Commentary, c. 1075. chabad.org.
  • From the Geneva Notes.
    • "Seeing he could not judge those things which were done so long before he was born, he was not able to comprehend all God's works: much less the secret causes of his judgments."
  • From Matthew Henry's Commentary.
    • "As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it."
  • From Wesley's Notes.
    • "Counsel - God's counsel. For the great matter of the dispute between Job and his friends, was concerning God's counsel and providence in afflicting Job; which Job had endeavoured to obscure and misrepresent. This first word which God spoke, struck Job to the heart. This he repeats and echoes to, chap.42:3, as the arrow that stuck fast in him."
  • From the Commentary on the Whole Bible (Jamieson, Fausset and Brown, 1871).
    • "Jehovah appears unexpectedly in a whirlwind (already gathering Job 37:1, 2), the symbol of "judgment" (Ps 50:3, 4, &c.), to which Job had challenged Him."
• Contemporary Commentary, Studies, and Exegesis:
  • Commentary, Job 38:1-7 [34-41], Karla Suomala, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
    • "In a universe created by God and in which humans live, the challenge is how to hold these two aspects together -- 1) the world is orderly and 2) tragedy doesn't always have a reason."
  • "What Job and God Learn from Each Other: Prophpetic Grief Meets Prophetic Beauty," David Henson, Edges of Faith, 2015.
  • "Falling Down, Letting Go: The Triumph of Job," Anna Shirey, The Labyrinth Way, 2015.
    • "We can't learn the lesson of Job until we experience the spiritual descent ourselves, and that only happens when we're ready."
  • The Center for Excellence in Preaching commentary and sermon illustrations, Scott Hoezee, 2015.
    • "Thankfully, there's nothing wrong with asking why."
  • From the Whirlwind, Lynn Miller, Art & Faith Matters, celebrating our creative and living God by generating art and architecture resources for congregations and individuals. Art and Faith Matters facebook page contains additional resources.
  • Pulpit Fiction, plus podcast. Reflections of lectionary text, pop culture, current events, etc. Robb Mc Coy and Eric Fistler, 2015.
  • "Shhh! Why Don't You Let God Talk?" Journey to Penuel, 2015.
    • "How do you feell about there really being no answer given? Is that always bad?"
  • Commentary, Job 38:1-11, Walter C. Bouzard, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2015.
    • "While we may dislike our inability to penetrate the mysteries of God, at some point we are better off if we accept the reality of our human limitations."
  • "Job," sermon discussion from Frederick Buechner, Frederick Buechner Blog.
    • "As for the children he had lost when the house blew down, not to mention all his employees, he never got an explanation about them because he never asked for one, and the reason he never asked for one was that he knew that even if God gave him one that made splendid sense out of all the pain and suffering that had ever been since the world began, it was no longer splendid sense that he needed because with his own eyes he had beheld, and not as a stranger, the one who in the end clothed all things, no matter how small or confused or in pain, with his own splendor.  And that was more than sufficient."
  • Commentary, Job 38:1-7 [34-41], Kathryn Schifferdecker, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
  • "A Right to an Answer?" Mark Ryan, Ekklesia Project, 2012.
  • "Open Thread," Todd Weir, bloomingcactus, 2012.
  • Commentary, Job 38:1-11, Fred Gaiser, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2012.
    • "The book of Job, like the lament psalms, serves to keep us honest."
  • "When Whirlwinds Speak," Mike Baughman, The Hardest Question, 2012.
    • "I know I'm in trouble when God calls me a pansy."
  • "What Job Meant to Say Had He Girded Up His Loins," Michael Coffey, 2012.
  • Commentary, Job 38:1-7 [34-41], Pentecost 20, Karl Jacobson, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "'Some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers,' drawled Garth Brooks."
  • Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal.
  • Job 38:1-7, (43-41), Pentecost 20, 2009, The Old Testament Readings: Weekly Comments on the Revised Common Lectionary, Theological Hall of the Uniting Church, Melbourne, Australia.
    • "The God who appears in Job does not hold out the comfort Job had hoped for, preferring instead to expound the majesty and otherness of God."
  • Job 38:1-7(34-41), Pentecost 20, Commentary, Background, Insights from Literary Structure, Theological Message, Ways to Present the Text. Anna Grant-Henderson, Uniting Church in Australia.
  • Job 38:1-11, Studies on Old Testament texts from Series B, Ralph W. Klein, Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.
  • "Recovering Discarded Images," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Women and the Church," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2009. Focus article: "Recovering Discarded Images," Kristina Lacelle-Peterson.
  • Commentary, Job 38:1-11, John C. Holbert, Preaching This Week, WorkingPreacher.org, 2009.
    • "Because God is God, and we humans do not determine how God will act, nor are we always the reason for God's actions. In the end, God is holy and other and fleet. The world is God's, not ours."
  • "God's Measure of Creation," study guide, Robert B. Kruschwitz, (other resources at) "Moral Landscape of Creation," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2001.
  • "God's Measure of Creation," Norman Wirzba, (other resources at) "Moral Landscape of Creation," Christian Reflection, The Center for Christian Ethics at Baylor University, 2001.
    • "When God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind, he realizes that God delights in a wild creation that exceeds the vision and interest of humans. Understanding our place in the creation requires that we see it in terms of God's intention and scale."
• Recommended articles from ATLAS, an online collection of religion and theology journals, are linked below. ATLAS Access options are available for academic institutions, alumni of selected theological schools, and clergy/church offices. Annotated list of "starting place" articles at ATLAS for this week's texts (includes direct links).
  • Are, Tom, Jr., "Between Text & Sermon, Job 38:1-7," Interpretation, 1999.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials 
  • Copenhaver, Martin B., "Risking a Happy Ending," The Christian Century, 1994.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials 
  • Dearlove, J.E., "'J.B.': The Artistry of Ambiguity," The Christian Century, 1976.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Dick, Michael B., "The Neo-Assyrian Royal Lion Hunt and Yahweh's Answer to Job," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2006.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Fox, Michael V., "Job 38 and God's Rhetoric," Semeia, 1981.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Gammie, John G., "The Angelology and Demonology in the Septuagint of the Book of Job," Hebrew Union College Annual, 1985.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Gulick, Walter B., "The Bible and Ecological Spirituality," Theology Today, 1991.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Hess, Margaret B., "The Labyrinth of Life," The Christian Century, 1997.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Horne, Milton, "From Ethics to Aesthetics: The Animals in Job 38:39-39:30," Review and Expositor, 2005.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Johnston, Scott Black, "'Where Were You When I Laid the Foundation of the Earth?'" Journal for Preachers, 2008. (Sermon)
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Lacocque, André, "The Deconstruction of Job's Fundamentalism," Journal of Biblical Literature, 2007.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Nelson, Susan L., "Facing Evil: Evil's Many Faces," Interpretation, 2003. (See also, "Evil," issue focus, Interpretation, 2003.)
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Newell, B. Lynne, "Job: Repentant or Rebellious," Westminster Theological Journal, 1984.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • O'Brien, J. Randall, "World, Winds, and Whirlwinds: The Voice of God Meets 'the Vice of God,'" Perspectives in Religious Studies, 2003.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Patterson, Richard D., "The Imagery of Clouds in the Scriptures," Bibliotheca Sacra, 2008.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Read, David H.C., "Communicating Joy," The Living Pulpit, 1996. (see Joy issue focus of The Living Pulpit, 5.4, 1996.)
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Rowold, Henry, "Yahweh's Challenge to Rival: The Form and Function of the Yahweh-Speech in Job 38-39," The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 1985.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Strong, David, "The Promise of Technology Versus God's Promise in Job," Theology Today, 1991.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Taylor, Barbara Brown, "On Not Being God," Review and Expositor, 2002.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Thompson, Kenneth, Jr., "Out of the Whirlwind: The Sense of Alienation in the Book of Job," Interpretation, 1960.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Timmer, Daniel, "God's Speeches, Job's Responses, and the Problem of Coherence in the Book of Job: Sapiential Pedagogy Revisited," Catholic Biblical Quarterly, 2009.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wallace, Mark I., "The Wild Bird Who Heals: Recovering the Spirit in Nature," Theology Today, 1993.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wheeler, David, "Job 38:1-40:2 -- Rain on a Land Where No One Lives, Oxen Who Won't Plow Your Field," Review and Expositor, 1999.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
  • Wilcox, Karl G., "'Who Is This...?': A Reading of Job 38.2," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 1998.
      EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
      EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
    • Bimson, John J., "Who is 'This' in 'Who Is This...?' (Job 38.2)? A Response to Karl G. Wilcox," Journal for the Study of the Old Testament, 2000.
        EBSCO ATLASerials, Religion Collection
        EBSCO ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials
• Sermons:
  • Proper 7, AKM Adam, Flesh and Bones, 2001. (Download is one long PDF file for book of sermons.)
• With Children:
  • Worshiping with Children, Proper 24, 2015, Including children in the congregation's worship, using the Revised Common Lectionary, Carolyn C. Brown, 2012.
  • "Storypath Lectionary Links: Connecting Children's Literature with our Faith Story," 2015, Union Presbyterian Seminary.
  • "Job," Illustrating the Story (lessons, children's sermons), coloring pages, activity sheets, crafts, children's songs. MSSS Crafts.
  • "I Know that My Redeemer Lives," Sunday School Lessons: Family Bible Study, art projects, music, stories, etc.
  • "The Lord Speaks," children's study, puzzles, coloring sheet, etc. Higher Praise Christian Center.
• Drama:
• Graphics & Bulletin Materials:
  • Images for this week's readings, Proper 7B, Proper 24B, Pitts Theology Library Digital Image Archive.
• Hymns and Music:
  • Hymnary.org, hymns, scores, media, information.
  • Hymns with Scripture Allusions: Job 38:7. The Cyber Hymnal.
  • Hymn Selections, The Lutheran Hymnal, Lutheran Worship.
  • At Digital Hymnal (midi files, guitar chords, karaoke files, projection text):
    • Eternal Father, Strong to Save
• Fine Arts Images Linked at The Text This Week's Art Index:
  • Job
• Movies scenes with the following themes, listed at The Text This Week's Movie Concordance:
  • Judgment
• Study Links and Resources for the Book of Job

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