JOB
CHAPTER 38
God asks Job where he was when the foundations of the earth were laid, when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy—The phenomena of nature show greatness of God and weakness of man.
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. [ The Lord is asking Job if he understands who and how the earth was created. ]
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? [ Or Job do you know how the earth was laid out and measured? ] or who hath stretched the line upon it? [ Suggesting that everything done in the creation of the earth was exactly according to Gods measurement. Which refers to a very important ancient Egyptian temple building ritual where a line or a rope was stretched out to lay out the temple’s foundation and to plot its axis. In ancient Egypt, the stretching of the line ceremony was directly associated with Ma’at, which represented truth and righteousness and order. ]
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; [ Here is symbolic relations hip between the creation of the cosmos, the earth and the creation of a temple as God(Yahweh) directly links the creation of the world with building a building with brick and mortar(a temple). ]
7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? [ Having the plan of salvation ( happiness) introduced to us in the premortal world, we were so happy at what the Father was telling us, you and I shouted for joy. We often quote the book of Job, which reads: “The morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” ]
8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, [ Brought organization to the great deep(chaos). ] when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
9 When I [ Jehovah is tell Job that it was he who did the work of the creation. The first day of the first month in the Assyrian and Babylonian calendars, the month of Nisan. New Year’s Day. The ancient Mesopotamians celebrated It was the birth of the world out of the primordial waters on the very first day of the year, like a cosmic birthday. And they celebrated it every year, cosmogonically renewing the creation each time. This New Year’s Day festival was known as the Akitu Festival. In fact, our modern day New Year’s Day celebration comes directly from the New Year’s Day rites that we find in the ancient world. However our current version is a secularized version of the ancient tradition. To the ancients it was a rite which originally celebrated the high gods beloved sons triumph over the dragon. And the day he initiated the creation of his kingdom and the very first mound of land appeared out of the chaos. in ancient Mesopotamia, the month of Nisan, the first month of the ancient Mesopotamian calendar corresponds roughly with our modern day month of March. The ancient Mesopotamian calendar, New Year’s Day, started on the spring equinox. ] made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it,
17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
20 That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest know the paths to the house thereof?
25 Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder;
27 To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?