▪︎ In weather – Job 37:14-15; (full text… Job_37:1-16
1“At this also my heart trembles,
And leaps from its place.
2“Listen closely to the thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
3“Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
And His lightning to the ends of the earth.
4“After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
5“God thunders with His voice wondrously,
Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.
6“For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
7“He seals the hand of every man,
That all men may know His work.
8“Then the beast goes into its lair
And remains in its den.
9“Out of the south comes the storm,
And out of the north the cold.
10“From the breath of God ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
11“Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;
He disperses the cloud of His lightning.
12“It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.
13“Whether for correction, or for His world,
Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.
14“Listen to this, O Job,
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
15“Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?
16“Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,
) And leaps from its place.
2“Listen closely to the thunder of His voice,
And the rumbling that goes out from His mouth.
3“Under the whole heaven He lets it loose,
And His lightning to the ends of the earth.
4“After it, a voice roars;
He thunders with His majestic voice,
And He does not restrain the lightnings when His voice is heard.
5“God thunders with His voice wondrously,
Doing great things which we cannot comprehend.
6“For to the snow He says, ‘Fall on the earth,’
And to the downpour and the rain, ‘Be strong.’
7“He seals the hand of every man,
That all men may know His work.
8“Then the beast goes into its lair
And remains in its den.
9“Out of the south comes the storm,
And out of the north the cold.
10“From the breath of God ice is made,
And the expanse of the waters is frozen.
11“Also with moisture He loads the thick cloud;
He disperses the cloud of His lightning.
12“It changes direction, turning around by His guidance,
That it may do whatever He commands it
On the face of the inhabited earth.
13“Whether for correction, or for His world,
Or for lovingkindness, He causes it to happen.
14“Listen to this, O Job,
Stand and consider the wonders of God.
15“Do you know how God establishes them,
And makes the lightning of His cloud to shine?
16“Do you know about the layers of the thick clouds,
The wonders of one perfect in knowledge,
▪︎ God overrides the natural course of events providentially by controlling kings and rulers –
► God ruled in Assyria just as He planned – Isa 14:24, 25, 27, 32;
► God controlled Nebuchadnezzar bringing him against Israel, calling him His servant – Jer_25:9-10
9behold, I will send and take all the families of the north,’ declares the LORD, ‘and I will send to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land and against its inhabitants and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them and make them a horror and a hissing, and an everlasting desolation. 10‘Moreover, I will take from them the voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones and the light of the lamp.
;► God used Nebuchadnezzar to discipline Egypt – Ezek 29:19, 20; 30:10, 19, 26;
► He then sent Israel into exhile for 70 years – Jer 25:11; Lam 2:17;
► God removed sovereign rule from Nebuchadnezzar for seven years until he learned of God’s true Sovereignty, per Daniel’s prophesy – Dan 4:33, 35 (full text – Dan_4:24-35
24this is the interpretation, O king, and this is the decree of the Most High, which has come upon my lord the king: 25that you be driven away from mankind and your dwelling place be with the beasts of the field, and you be given grass to eat like cattle and be drenched with the dew of heaven; and seven periods of time will pass over you, until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes. 26‘And in that it was commanded to leave the stump with the roots of the tree, your kingdom will be assured to you after you recognize that it is Heaven that rules. 27‘Therefore, O king, may my advice be pleasing to you: break away now from your sins by doing righteousness and from your iniquities by showing mercy to the poor, in case there may be a prolonging of your prosperity.’
28“All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29“Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30“The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ 31“While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, 32and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ 33“Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
34“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can ward off His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
[key: very good, good, not good]
) 28“All this happened to Nebuchadnezzar the king. 29“Twelve months later he was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon. 30“The king reflected and said, ‘Is this not Babylon the great, which I myself have built as a royal residence by the might of my power and for the glory of my majesty?’ 31“While the word was in the king’s mouth, a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘King Nebuchadnezzar, to you it is declared: sovereignty has been removed from you, 32and you will be driven away from mankind, and your dwelling place will be with the beasts of the field. You will be given grass to eat like cattle, and seven periods of time will pass over you until you recognize that the Most High is ruler over the realm of mankind and bestows it on whomever He wishes.’ 33“Immediately the word concerning Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled; and he was driven away from mankind and began eating grass like cattle, and his body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair had grown like eagles’ feathers and his nails like birds’ claws.
34“But at the end of that period, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven and my reason returned to me, and I blessed the Most High and praised and honored Him who lives forever;
For His dominion is an everlasting dominion,
And His kingdom endures from generation to generation.
35“All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing,
But He does according to His will in the host of heaven
And among the inhabitants of earth;
And no one can ward off His hand
Or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’
[key: very good, good, not good]
► God finally punished Nebuchadnezzar and Babylon with complete destruction – Jer 25:12, 13;
► Cyrus the Great, King of Persia – Isa_44:25-45:13
44: 25Causing the omens of boasters to fail,
Making fools out of diviners,
Causing wise men to draw back
And turning their knowledge into foolishness,
26Confirming the word of His servant
And performing the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise up her ruins again.
27“It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
And I will make your rivers dry.
28“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
And he will perform all My desire.’
And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
45: 1Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right hand,
To subdue nations before him
And to loose the loins of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;
I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.
3“I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
4“For the sake of Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have not known Me.
5“I am the LORD, and there is no other;
Besides Me there is no God.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me;
6That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is no one besides Me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other,
7The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing well-being and creating calamity;
I am the LORD who does all these.
8“Drip down, O heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness spring up with it.
I, the LORD, have created it.
9“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10“Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’”
11Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,
And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
12“It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it.
I stretched out the heavens with My hands
And I ordained all their host.
13“I have aroused him in righteousness
And I will make all his ways smooth;
He will build My city and will let My exiles go free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the LORD of hosts.
;Making fools out of diviners,
Causing wise men to draw back
And turning their knowledge into foolishness,
26Confirming the word of His servant
And performing the purpose of His messengers.
It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
And I will raise up her ruins again.
27“It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
And I will make your rivers dry.
28“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
And he will perform all My desire.’
And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”
45: 1Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed,
Whom I have taken by the right hand,
To subdue nations before him
And to loose the loins of kings;
To open doors before him so that gates will not be shut:
2“I will go before you and make the rough places smooth;
I will shatter the doors of bronze and cut through their iron bars.
3“I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden wealth of secret places,
So that you may know that it is I,
The LORD, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name.
4“For the sake of Jacob My servant,
And Israel My chosen one,
I have also called you by your name;
I have given you a title of honor
Though you have not known Me.
5“I am the LORD, and there is no other;
Besides Me there is no God.
I will gird you, though you have not known Me;
6That men may know from the rising to the setting of the sun
That there is no one besides Me.
I am the LORD, and there is no other,
7The One forming light and creating darkness,
Causing well-being and creating calamity;
I am the LORD who does all these.
8“Drip down, O heavens, from above,
And let the clouds pour down righteousness;
Let the earth open up and salvation bear fruit,
And righteousness spring up with it.
I, the LORD, have created it.
9“Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker—
An earthenware vessel among the vessels of earth!
Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’
Or the thing you are making say, ‘He has no hands’?
10“Woe to him who says to a father, ‘What are you begetting?’
Or to a woman, ‘To what are you giving birth?’”
11Thus says the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker:
“Ask Me about the things to come concerning My sons,
And you shall commit to Me the work of My hands.
12“It is I who made the earth, and created man upon it.
I stretched out the heavens with My hands
And I ordained all their host.
13“I have aroused him in righteousness
And I will make all his ways smooth;
He will build My city and will let My exiles go free,
Without any payment or reward,” says the LORD of hosts.
Ezra 1:1, 2; … naming Cyrus by name, 200 years before he was even born.
► Pontius Pilate – Mark 10:33, 34; John 19:8-9, 11
see also… God’s Sovereignty At Work;