much fruit, and so prove to be

Job 38-39: what can I say? There is a parallel here; much like Job has no response, so not I when reading it. He speaks out of a whirlwind, for crying out loud, cool beyond belief.

There are different ways to take God's speech. Imperious: throwing around His superiority over Job and daring him to answer. Angry: flashing His eyes over Job and daring him to answer. Incredulous: wondering in indignance at Job and daring him to answer. I think how you view God shapes how you perceive His tone in these chapters.

So what does it say about me that I view this as much more friendly and instructional? Imagine God trying to save Job from the ridiculous aspersions of his "friends". Imagine Him looking at the surroundings and pointing out the various aspects of the world around him that he can't possibly understand. Imagine Him pointing out all of the things in Creation that define the characteristics of God. Imagine Him pointing out to Job and using language that indicates how He views the world (much more in this point that I need to revisit at a later date) and letting Job in on how it was all made. Imagine Him indicating to Job in the manner of a John Edwards southern trial attorney and proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that man knows nothing.

And then daring him to answer.