Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind: “Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge?… I will question you, and you shall declare to me.”
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements – surely you know! … On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy?
Have you commanded the morning since your days began, and caused the dawn to know its place, such that it might take hold on the skirts of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? Have you comprehended the expanse of the earth? Declare, if you know all this.
Job 38:1-2, 2-7, 12-13
The book of Job tells the amazing story of a man (Job) whom God claims is faithful. God allows Job to undergo the most severe suffering possible. Yet Job remains faithful to God amidst it all. Much of this Old Testament book contains dialogue between Job, his friends, and God. In this passage, God answers Job, letting him know his place as a creature talking to his creator. In verse 31, God asks Job if he can ‘loose the cords of Orion?”, referring to the belt of the Orion constellation we are so familiar with. The answer is, of course, no. Nobody can change the positioning of stars. At the time this book was composed (likely the beginning of the 5th century BC), it would have been impossible for humans to know that the three stars that we refer to as the belt (cords) of Orion are moving apart. They are loosening, as is described by God in this verse. The Pleiades, also mentioned here, are bound together gravitationally as if chained, and the Bear star mentioned in verse 32 is moving in what appears to Astronomers to be a “random” direction and has smaller stars in tow. These smaller stars are not visible to the naked eye and were only discovered using modern instruments. In short, God is speaking to Job about things no one could have known at the time of the book’s writing. But they were referred to in this divinely inspired book. That God reveals Himself to us in creation is an astounding thing. His love for us is beyond fully comprehending, and His sacrifice to redeem us is beyond measure.
Let us pray with St. Gregory:
God and Lord, life and creator,
merciful, compassionate, light, long-suffering,
God who bears no grudges, all-merciful, generous God who loves mankind,
savior, blessed, praised, glorified, storehouse of steadfastness, bulwark of faith, good without guile, radiance without darkness, pardoner of sins, healer of wounds,
creator of unknowable mysteries, the most approachable of the unreachable, refuge from despair,
your name is proclaimed, God the Son,
and your Father’s with you, mighty and awesome,
and your almighty Holy Spirit worshipped with you,
glory and thanksgiving forever.
Amen
Prayer 89
