Do you know how God lays his command upon them and causes the lightning of his cloud to shine?
Elihu, one of the men answering Job, has been describing snow, rain, wind and thunder — weather no one can command. Now he turns to Job with a direct question about the storm cloud overhead. The issue is not the weather but authority. Job cannot say how God makes the lightning flash in a cloud. So on what ground can he judge how God has run his life?
Why Elihu Points to the Sky
Job 37 argues from the visible world. Christ had not yet come.
William KellyThe chapter before turned our ears to the ways of God in providence. Those ways are clearly righteous and good, mighty as He is, and especially so in corrective blessing. Job 37 now turns our eyes to the wondrous works of God in the outward world. It follows on from the close of Job 36, which singled out the rain and the thundercloud. These, I admit, fall far short of the depth of truth that the doctrine of Christ or His grace gives. It is not the unseen, but the visible... For that very reason, because Christ was not here, the outward world shows God's majesty, faithfulness, and gracious power in all that surrounded man.
Stand Still First
Verse 15 follows an order to stop and look.
Scripture QuarterlyIn the first of these passages God calls a halt. He tells Job to listen, stand still and consider the wonderful works of God. Whenever God has something important to communicate He calls man to stand still and listen. Job 37-39 describes the wonderful works in creation, which reveal God. Everything in creation is an evidence of God!... Nothing has appeared by chance, but by design and that of God.
A Question That Ends the Argument
"Do you know how God lays His command upon them?" is not asking for information. It is measuring Job against the One he had been accusing.
William KellyWho and what was Job then to put His ways on trial? It would be better to weigh it all, stand still, and consider His wonders. Granted, there is such a thing as law in the universe. But did Job know how God imposed that law on the atmosphere? Did he know how God caused the light of His cloud to shine? Did he know anything about the balancing of the clouds, the wondrous works of Him who is perfect in knowledge...? Man can feel, but can he explain?
The Cloud Is Under Orders
God "lays His command" on the clouds. Elihu names three reasons for what He sends.
F. B. HoleElihu recognized that God ordered the weather with wise purpose. What He sends may be "for correction," that is, discipline for wrongdoing. It may be "for His land," that is, to keep the earth productive as usual. Or it may be "for mercy," that is, to bring about some merciful deliverance. This too had a bearing on Job's case.
Light in the Cloud, and Clouds in Balance
Verse 15 speaks of light shining out of the cloud, and verse 16 of clouds held in balance. Both become pictures of how God handles a suffering life.
Samuel RidoutLet Job forget himself, his troubles, his "friends"; let him "stand still and consider the wonderful works of God." Can he explain these purposes? Does he realise the light that shines behind the clouds? Does he understand the balancing of these clouds? How amazingly simple such a statement is. All nature is balanced in this way, one force against another. God keeps the clouds of a life in the same balance. He will "with the temptation provide the way of escape." All things work — but they work together for good to those who love God.
Why the Cloud Stays Dark
Elihu's question expects the answer no. The cloud itself shows why.
Leslie M. GrantElihu answers this by directing Job's eyes to heaven. Just to observe the heavens should make anyone bow in awe at the greatness of the glory of God. Both the heavens and the clouds are "higher than you." Clouds hide what lies behind them. That should make us realise something: no mere man can perceive why God deals as He does. His ways lie beyond human sight.
Summary
- Stop. Before God explains anything, He calls a halt. Job must forget himself, stand still and consider.
- Look up. The cloud overhead is evidence. Nothing in creation came by chance, and Job had no right to put on trial what he could not command.
- Commanded. God lays His orders on the clouds, sending what He sends for correction, for His land, or for mercy.
- Balanced. The same hand that weighs the clouds keeps the clouds of a life in balance. All things work together for good to those who love God.
- Hidden, not absent. The dark cloud means His reasons are above us, not that they are missing. Light shines behind it, from Him who is perfect in knowledge.