“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
(Job 38:4-7)
God does not argue His right to rule; He declares it, as we see in this passage. Job is asked where he was when the earth was founded, who measured it, who stretched the line upon it, who fastened its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone. The point is not only to return Job to his proper place but to establish the infinite gulf between the Creator and the creature. The morning stars sang, and the sons of God shouted for joy, but Job did not stand among the builders. He was not there. He was not the architect. He was not the hand that framed the world.
The psalmist speaks in Psalm 102 of the Lord whose years have no end, and whose hands laid the foundations of the earth and formed the heavens. The apostle applies those words to Christ in Hebrews 1. Indeed, the One addressed as the unchanging founder of heaven and earth is the Son. He is not counted among the works of God’s hands; He is the hand. He is not part of the created order; He is the Creator.[1]
“In the beginning” is the language in Genesis to mark the beginning of the created world. John uses that same phrasing to declare Christ’s existence before the world as made. Christ was “in the beginning.” The world was made by Him. That contrast is decisive.
Christ Himself declares this in John 17, speaking of the glory He had with the Father before the world was. The elect were God’s in His purpose, yet they did not personally exist with the Father before the world was. Christ, however, did. That glory is His peculiar privilege as the eternal Son.
The God who speaks from the whirlwind is the God who has given His Son, and that Son is the Lord of creation. And the natural response of a creature who has not only been shown his smallness but also the majesty of his Redeemer can only respond with gratitude, worship, and praise.
Contemplations:
- God’s questions put me in my place. The Lord asks Job where he was when the earth was founded, and I can only imagine how Job must have felt. But I am thankful God does not flatter me, but instead corrects me, because pride blinds me to reality.
- Christ is not part of creation. I thank God that Scripture will not let me reduce Christ to a great teacher or other moral model because He is God. He exists eternally. All things were made by Him. This makes worship stronger and comfort deeper. My salvation rests on One who is not fragile or temporary; my Redeemer is the eternal Lord.
- Creation magnifies mercy. The God who laid the foundations of the earth has every right to silence sinners forever. Yet He reveals Himself to us so we have the opportunity to bow and live. I thank Him that He brings me to repentance and then sustains me there.
- Repentance is a gift. Job ended in dust and ashes, not because he was emotionally overwhelmed, but because God showed him who He is. I am thankful that when my heart wanders into self-importance, God’s truth brings me back to a place of worship.
Prayer (Thanksgiving)
Lord God, I give You thanks that You speak as the Creator and do not surrender Your glory to the errors of the creature. I am thankful that Your Word also puts me in my place, because my pride is real and my understanding limited. You are the One who measured the earth, stretched the line upon it, fastened its foundations, and laid its cornerstone. I thank You for the reality that You are God, and I am not.
I thank You for the sharp mercy of Your correction. When You confront presumption, You are not being cruel. You are rescuing me from living as though my thoughts are final. Thank You for exposing the limits of my wisdom, because I have often acted as though my judgments could sit in the seat of authority. And then You remind me that I was not there at the beginning, and that I do not hold the world together now.
Thank You for the glory of Christ revealed in this same truth. Your Word teaches that the Son is not counted among the works of creation but stands as the Lord who laid earth’s foundations and formed the heavens. I thank You that Christ was in the beginning, and that the world was made by Him. I thank You that He had glory with You before the world was, as the eternal Son in true communion with the Father.
I thank You that the eternal Christ is my Redeemer. If He were only an example, I would be left condemned. If He were only a teacher, I would still be lost. But He is God, eternal and uncreated, and therefore able to save to the uttermost. I am grateful that my salvation rests on One whose years do not fail and whose dominion is not threatened.
Teach me to carry this gratitude into ordinary life. Keep me from arguing with Your providence as though I were wise enough to judge Your ways. Make me quick to bow, quick to trust, quick to praise. Let Your greatness silence my pride and enlarge my thanksgiving, until my heart learns to rest in Your rule and rejoice in Your Christ.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for Job 38:4-7:
Isa. 40:12; Job 26:7; Psalm 148:2; Rev. 22:16
[1] Thomas Goodwin, The Works of Thomas Goodwin, vol. 7 (Edinburgh: James Nichol, 1863), 7-9.
