The Bible Says
Job 38:12-15 Meaning

In Job 38:12-15, God continues the “training session” for Job, making it clear to Job how little he understands of creation—in this case relating to the sun’s orbit. Job had requested a hearing so he could give God his perspective, expecting God would then change His course (Job 23:3-7). Instead, God is making it clear to Job that it is the opposite: Job needs more of God’s perspective. God now asks: Have you ever in your life commanded the morning, And caused the dawn to know its place (v. 12).

By invoking the image of the morning and dawn, God points to a phenomenon that occurs daily without fail, underscoring that Job has no ability to control the very rhythms of nature. Every day the sun rises. God wants to know whether Job has ever in his life played a role in that daily event? Of course the answer is “No.” That the sun rises each day is, in reality, a complete miracle. That we take it for granted only testifies to how little we understand and the faithfulness of our Creator.

The Lord then expands on His description of the sunrise, asking Job if he can cause the dawn to rise, that it may take hold of the ends of the earth, And the wicked be shaken out of it (v. 13).

The phrase That it might take hold translates a single Hebrew word “ahaz.” The idea is to fill, to stretch to the edge. When the sun rises, there is no place that hides from its light. The wicked rely on darkness to thrive. When the sun rises, they are shaken out of the darkness and are forced into the light, whether they like it or not. This is because God has ordered things such that the sun rising is an inescapable inevitability. And it is something Job has never, in his life, had anything to do with.

Next, God describes how, when the sun rises, the world is changed like clay under the seal; And they stand forth like a garment (v. 14).

In ancient cultures, seals were used to imprint distinctive marks on clay or wax. This was like a signature that conveyed ownership or dominion by impressing the mark on the clay. Here it conveys the idea that God’s dawn reshapes the earth each new day. Just as a freshly minted seal stamp transforms a blank piece of clay, morning light covers the landscape and reveals the shapes, colors, and boundaries God has designed. In doing so, it also can be viewed as God reminding each one of us of His creative power and dominion over all things.

In context of God’s interview with Job, this is an important part since the main point God is making to Job, His favorite guy, is that He not only made creation, but orders it each day. This simple observation ought to make it obvious to Job, who is very wise for a human, that God does not need his perspective in order to do what is best in all things. The phrase And they stand forth like a garment appears to refer to the earth’s surface appearing in the morning light as a garment on someone emerging from the dressing room. The idea seems to be that God dresses the earth each day, like a mother dressing its newborn.

Finally, the Lord concludes this section of His tribunal for Job by proclaiming that From the wicked their light is withheld, And the uplifted arm is broken (v. 15). Here, God contrasts between righteous living in the light of day and the darkness in which the wicked operate. The uplifted arm signifies the pride and defiance of evildoers against God. God thwarts evil by breaking their power, when their uplifted arm is broken. Just as God brings the light of day with the dawn, He also cleanses the earth with the light of His righteousness.

This underscores His commitment to justice. Evil might prosper for a time but ultimately every person faces divine judgment (Romans 2:5-6). And although it seems to us that God is taking a long time to make things right, to Him a thousand years is like a day, and ultimately God will restore the earth (2 Peter 3:9,13).

This also infers that at any time, and at all times, God knows who is doing what. He knows who is righteous and who is evil. He does not need anyone to inform Him; He knows. God continues to drive home the point to Job (and to us) that He already knows our perspective; what we need is His perspective, the view of an infinite God who is not only all knowing but also all caring and all that is good.

In a broader biblical context, this passage anticipates the light and guidance that God Himself provides, culminating in sending Jesus Christ into the world to be its light (see John 1:4-5).

Jesus was in the beginning, and made all things, and also came into the world as a human to light up a world steeped in darkness.