August 9, 2026
Sermon for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost, 2026, from Job 38:4-18
Pastor Peter Ziebell
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.
The text for our sermon today is Job 38:4-18, our Old Testament Reading read before.
4 [The Lord said to Job:] “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy? 8 “Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, 9 when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, 10 and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, 11 and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’? 12 “Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, 13 that it might take hold of the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? 14 It is changed like clay under the seal, and its features stand out like a garment. 15 From the wicked their light is withheld, and their uplifted arm is broken. 16 “Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep? 17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness? 18 Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.”
Lord God, heavenly Father, sanctify us through Your truth, Your Word is truth. Amen.
Dear friends in Christ,
The story of Job is one of the most touching and sorrowful stories in the entire Bible. Job was once blessed beyond measure by the Lord. We learn that he had ten children and owned an impressive array of possessions, including 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yokes of oxen, and 500 female donkeys, as well as many servants. He was known as “the greatest of all the people of the east” (1:3). But, very suddenly, he lost everything. His flocks and servants were taken by raiding parties from neighbouring nations, and tragedy struck again when his children lost their lives in their home during a powerful storm. To make matters even more heartbreaking, not long afterwards, Job was afflicted with a terrible disease that covered him with painful sores from head to toe. Truly, describing Job’s suffering only scratches the surface of his ordeal.
Nevertheless, throughout his suffering, Job’s unwavering faith in God shines through, even in the face of intense temptation. Time and again, he expressed his struggles by voicing complaints and questioning God’s reasons. He openly said, “I loathe my life; I shall give free utterance to my complaint; I shall speak in the bitterness of my soul. I shall say to God, Do not condemn me; let me know why You contend against me” (10:1-2). While he didn’t directly accuse God of unfairness, his words came quite close! Job also longed for the opportunity to speak directly with God and defend himself: “But I would speak to the Almighty, and I desire to argue my case with God” (13:3).
Maybe you relate to this in some way. Perhaps you haven’t endured the same level of suffering as Job, but you certainly know what it means to face hardship. Maybe you have bravely buried your children, spouses, or loved ones. Others have battled financial hardship or endured long, painful illnesses and gruelling treatments. While Job’s suffering was especially severe, it’s something many experience in different forms. Living in a broken world means suffering is a common part of our lives. When we suffer as Job did, we often question God as he did. We want to know why God has allowed these terrible things to happen. Why would God allow a young child to die of cancer or be killed in a car crash? Why would God send that drought or flood to destroy my crop? Why would God make me suffer for years with this disease? Why am I still languishing here on earth while my spouse and all my friends are already in heaven?
Suffering of any kind is a severe test of our faith. It shakes us and makes us wonder whether God is really good and whether He cares about us at all. It makes us wish we could stand toe to toe with God and ask Him straight to His face, “What are You doing, God? Why must I suffer in misery?”
And that brings us to today. Chapter 38 of Job begins, “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind” (v 1a). God gave Job the chance he was seeking—Job stood toe-to-toe with God. But he didn’t get the answers he was looking for. In fact, instead of Job doing the questioning, it was God who asked the questions. “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to Me” (vv 1b-3). Literally, those words “Dress for action like a man” read, “Gird your loins like a man.” In ancient times, people didn’t wear trousers, jeans, or shorts as people do today. They wore long, flowing garments which they would tie up with a sash or belt when they engaged in physical activity. This was particularly true in warfare or athletic contests. In these words, God challenges Job to get ready for a contest with Him. The Lord asks Job questions, which Job is to answer if he can. The Almighty doesn’t have to answer to us; we answer to Him!
Of course, Job had no answers for God’s questions. He couldn’t fully understand the greatness of God’s creation. When God asked, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding,” Job realised he wasn’t there to witness these wondrous works. The questions about the measurements, the lines, and the setting of boundaries—these are all things only God knows and has done. For instance, God asked, “Or who stretched the line upon it? On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouting for joy? Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb, when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, and said, ‘Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed’?”
Job knew that God alone had done all these things. He just had no idea how! How did God lay the foundations of the earth? How did God create the seas and set their limits? None of us knows this! Science has done wonderful things and made amazing discoveries about God’s universe, but the truth is, we’ll never fully understand how God made it or how He continues to uphold and rule it. God’s wisdom is so much greater than ours.
If we’re honest, understanding how God does things in creation can be quite challenging. So, it’s natural to wonder whether we can grasp the deeper mysteries of God, such as how He makes “everything work together for good for those called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). The truth is that we can’t fully understand. That’s essentially Job’s only response too. After more chapters of questions from God like these, Job finally finds the courage to speak. He admits, “I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know… I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (42:3, 6).
Job repented. He gave up his foolish thoughts and self-pity and turned with renewed faith back to the LORD. And that, in the end, was God’s goal, as it always is for us all. God desires that we repent of our sins and foolishness and turn back to Him in faith and trust. That is the most important thing to keep in mind as we consider all that Job had to endure—and God’s reply to Job in this text. God was not Job’s enemy. God was not yelling at Job. God treated Job as a believer, as a beloved child. Through these questions, God reminded Job of wonderful truths meant to strengthen his faith, not destroy it. It was arrogant of Job to think that God should have to justify himself to Job. It’s arrogant of us to think that too, and it’s arrogant of us to think that if God did answer us, we’d be able to understand His actions and motives.
We can all find comfort in acknowledging our limitations and turning to God with humility. It’s natural not to understand all the reasons behind God’s choices, and even if we knew, grasping His plans may still be beyond us. Luther beautifully reminds us that the First Commandment encourages us to “fear, love, and trust in God above all things” (Small Catechism). This means trusting that the Creator of the heavens and earth understands His perfect plan for us and guides every aspect of our lives with wisdom.
But we do have one unique advantage over Job. We can look back to the work of Jesus. We know that the very same God who laid the cornerstone of the earth became the Cornerstone of our faith! Rember these words of Jesus? “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?” (Matt. 21:42). Unlike Job, we can see both the wisdom and the love of God at work in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord for our salvation—events God had planned before He laid the foundation of the world.[1]
Knowing all of this means that we can answer some of God’s questions in ways that Job could never have imagined. “Who determined its measurements… Or who stretched the line upon it?… Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb.” Jesus did! The Word who was with God and who was God, through whom all things were made.[2] The One who loved us with an unending love and who was so committed to our eternal good that He came down from heaven and was conceived in our likeness to bear our sins and suffer our death so that we could live eternally with Him. Jesus did those things. He determined the measurements of the earth and shut in the seas. And He determined them with the knowledge that one day that same earth would entomb His bloodied and beaten body and then quake when He rose victoriously from the grave!
The LORD God, who created and upholds the universe by His divine power and wisdom, has also reconciled us to Himself through the blood of Jesus. Therefore, we are beloved by God. We can confess along with Paul that “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32).
Sometimes it can be difficult to see or believe, but remember: God doesn’t let anything happen to us that isn’t ultimately for our eternal good. This means we can trust that He knows what He’s doing, and that everything He does comes from His love for us and His desire for our well-being. During times of suffering, these are the truths we should hold onto tightly. We may not understand how God works inside, since His wisdom and ways are far beyond our comprehension. And that’s perfectly okay. We have to let God be God. If we can’t grasp how He sustains the universe, how can we expect to understand how or why God uses suffering for our benefit? Still, even when we don’t understand everything, we can be confident that God knows exactly what He’s doing, and His love for us is so strong that He was willing to suffer and die for us.
So, instead of questioning God when we suffer, we can remember His questions to Job, which remind us of His wisdom and His love for us in Christ. To God alone be all glory, forever and ever. Amen.
The peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.
[1] Ephesians 1:4; 1 Peter 1:20
[2] John 1:1, 3