The Bible Says
Job 38:34-38 Meaning

In Job 38:34-38, the Lord continues to challenge Job’s understanding of creation and the natural world. God asks, “Can you lift up your voice to the clouds, So that an abundance of water will cover you?” (v. 34).

He points out that the simple act of causing rain is beyond human capability, illustrating that only the Creator has command over weather patterns. Likewise, the Lord follows with “Can you send forth lightnings that they may go And say to you, ‘Here we are’?” (v. 35).

God highlights to Job that he is not able to direct a single flash of lightning. None of these weather phenomena are within human control. We take it for granted, but God holds all things together by His hand (Colossians 1:17). By confronting Job with these questions, God leads Job to expand his perspective and see the reality of God’s sovereignty over all creation. This is something all humans have the opportunity to do, as God’s nature is clearly visible through all He has made (Romans 1:19-20). The question is whether we will see and recognize or suppress the truth (Romans 1:18).

The next questions shift to God’s design of the spirit life. He begins with His creation of the human mind: “Who has put wisdom in the innermost being Or has given understanding to the mind?” (v. 36).

That humans have a mind is evident. But no one has any idea what it is. We only know we have a mind and it is in full operation. This is a mystery even greater than that of lightning. We can explain, to a degree, how lightning occurs in nature. But we really have no ability to measure the mind. We can understand a little bit about the brain, but it is not the mind.

The mind is the user and processer of intelligence. It is the seat of values and exerciser of discernment. It is the seat of spiritual battles, where we choose what perspective is true (2 Corinthians 10:5). Experiments have shown that all humans have the same values, they are just expressed differently (depending on culture and preference). As Romans 2:14 asserts, even those who are ignorant of God’s law do the things of the law instinctively. This is because God put wisdom in the innermost being of each person. We know deep down what is right. The problem with humans is that we suppress what is true and believe a lie (Romans 1:18). Genuine wisdom flows from acknowledging God as Creator and Lord (Proverbs 3:19).

Then God asks, “Who can count the clouds by wisdom, Or tip the water jars of the heavens, When the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together?” (vv. 37-38).

The Lord returns to His sovereignty over weather. God numbers the hairs of our heads (Matthew 10:30). He can also count the clouds. The Hebrew word “hakma” is translated wisdom in verses 36 and 37, in the phrases saying God put wisdom in the innermost being of each person as well as the phrase asserting that God can count the clouds by wisdom. This infers that God placed some of His wisdom into humans as a part of His creation. This fits with Genesis 1:26-27, which says God made humans “in His own image.”

Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God put “eternity” in the heart of humans. It seems that God gave humans sufficient wisdom to see the clouds and recognize they are numerous, but not to count them (as they exist over the entire earth at once). Similarly, we have sufficient wisdom to recognize a cloud that might rain, but we cannot determine exactly the precise time or amount of rain they will create. Conversely, God can tip the water jars of the heavens, meaning He can and does cause it to rain at any time. For example, God sent the rain for forty days upon the earth at a time before it had ever rained (Genesis 7:4). And He sent rain upon the earth after bringing a drought upon Israel (1 Kings 17:1, 18:1).

When it rains, the dust hardens into a mass And the clods stick together. Since God referenced His placing wisdom into humans in Job 38:36, the reference here of dust and clods might be intended to remind us that humanity is made from dust, and dust alone cannot transform itself into life or consistency without His command (Genesis 2:7). God formed man from the dust, and breathed the breath of life into him. In breathing life into humans, He placed a mind into them, making them in His image.