The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 160

alniigbt:r power. The modern ecientist imagines, when he has predicted the advent and meaeured the velocity of a tempest, he hn.s effectually disposed of the Hebrew poet's notion of supernn.turnlism in connect.ion with the marvels of the sky. But the laws by which storm-clouds are l,uilt up and let down, swept along and finally dlsporscd, have not been spontaneously developed, or inherently possessed by, but eitternnlly imposed on, nature by him whose strength is in the clouds (Ps. lxviii. 34), who employs them !IS his chariot (Ps. cil·. 3), and who when he pleases draws them across the face of l,eaven (Ps. cxhii. 8). 4. Walking on the billows. "And lreadeth upon the wave1 [literally, 'the h<'ights '] of the sea" (ver. 8); i.e. upon the lierce mountainous billows. The two clauses are descriptive of a storm at sea, in which sea and sky appear to inter- mingle (Ps. cvii. 25, 26). As the wind, so the water; as the sky, so the sea; as the clol'd, so the wave, recognizes the authority of God. The Divine power is usually exhibite,l as calming the troubled billows (Ps. !xv. 7; lxxxix. 9, 13). • Here Jehovah is portrayed as exciting a tempest, bringing down his clouds, sending forth his hurri- canes, raising the still waters into gigantic billows, lashing the quiet sea into a wild and tumultuous commotion, and then going forth in sublime sovereignty amidst the hurricane he has produced, walking calmly upon the crested heights of the ocean; causing his voice to be heard above the loudest roar of the storm, and at length saying, "Peace, be still! " So Christ visibly walked upon the Sea of Galilee (Matt. xiv. 26). Another picture of God's sovereignty over creation, another l!'l5son of God's ability to be the confidence of them that a.re a.far off upon the sea (P$. liv. 8). III. IN THE CREATION OF THE STELLAR WORLD. 1. The constellations of the northern Mmi,!phere. "Wl,ich maketh Arcturus, Oriori, and the Pleiades [literally,' who made']." (1) 'Ash; identified with Ursa Major, the Wain, the Bear, an exceedingly bright con- stellation in the northern sky, the Hebrew term signifying (according to some) "the Nightly Watcher," because of its never setting (Schultens), or perhaps with greater probability being contracted from an Arabic root n'ash, meaning "bier," the three stars in the tail being designated "Daughters of the Bier" (Gesenius); cf. eh. xxxviii. _32. (2) Chesil; literally, "Fool," regarded by the Assyria.as as the famous _hµnter Nimrod, styled by the Arabs "the Hero," and by the Chaldea.ns, "the Giant;" commonly allowed to be the splendid constellation Orion, whicb "stands like a great giant in thl;! heavens south of Taurus and Gemini" (Carey). (3) Chimah; literally, "Heap;." the well-knOlrn cluster of stars named "the Pleiades," a sparkling group compared by Persian poets to a bouquet formed of jewels (Delitzsch). 2. T'1.B constellations of the, southern hemisphere. "And the chambers of the south; n i.e. the regions ,of the southern sky, which are completely veiled fcom view to us, and only occasionally diHcnvered to Arabian spectators. , IV. I:i. THE PROVIDENTIAL GOVERNMENT OF THE UNIVERSE.• The sentiment of ver. 10, which almo~t verbatim repeats the utterance of Eliphaz (eh, v. 10), may b~ vie1Ved as a general description of the mighty power of God in uph6laii:Jg, as well as creating, the stupendouo fa.bric he has surnmooed into bemg. Regarded in: this light, it describes the operations of Divine energy a.s: 1. Great. He "doeth great things" (ver. 10), Everything that God does (in creation and providence) may be characterized as ·great (Ps. xcii. 5; cxi. 2), as being the production of infinite power. The ,distinction between great and little, when applied to Divine acts, exists only i~ the human under- standing. The creation of a solar system is as easy to Omnipotence as the construction of an atom, aad the for=tion of the latter as ruuch dependent on Divine:power as the production of the former. 2. Wondeeful. "He doeth wondrous things." 'l'he wis\iom displayed in the Divine works is conspicuous to every intelligent observer (Pa. civ. 24). Tbe marvels of creation are fully equalled by the wonders of providence. The formation of a crystal, the strocture of a flower, the organization of a.n animal, are examples of the former; the Deluge, the Exodus from Egypt, the Da.bylonish exile, the incarnation· and death of Christ, illustrations of the latter. 3. Unsearchable. lle doeth things "past finding out." Much as modern science has discovered of the secrets of Nature, there a.re vast realms lying unexplored around and beyoiid her, into some of which it_ is doubtful if she will"ever be apJe to penetrate. Her a.scerta.~ed results also [llake it probable that there are works of God into which she cannot smk the plummet of her finite ur,derstandiag; as e.g. the nature of electricity and magnetism, the mystery of life m all its forlllli and gradations, the mode in which matter and_ mind act and OH, IX, 1-36.] THE BOOK OF JOR 163