Job 38:1–11

¹Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind (tornado) and said: ²"Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge? ³Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. ⁴"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. ⁵Who determined its measurements—surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? ⁶On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, ⁷when 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, ⁹when I made clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling band, ¹⁰and prescribed limits for it and set bars and doors, ¹¹and said, 'Thus far shall you come, and no farther, and here shall your proud waves be stayed'? (Job 38:1 ESV)

Your god is too small! You worry too much; you are often anxious; afraid of what the future will bring; you get depressed about your circumstances in life, children, spouse, finances, health, and so forth. All this is idolatry; sin against the First Commandment. How so? As Luther explains the First Commandment, we "should fear, love and trust in God above all things." But you fear your future; you fear other people; you fear financial crisis; you fear what's going to happen to you as you get older. Fearing other things rather than God, that is idolatry. You are anxious and depressed because you don't trust God above all things. You aren't quite sure he is hearing you when you pray. Or that he will answer you the way you want. It often seems like he is asleep in the middle of your stormy life. While you are being overwhelmed by the wind and waves, he is in the back of the boat sleeping. That's because your god is too small. He can't handle all your problems, worries, fears, and anxieties. Your god is small and weak and uncertain about what to do, because you have the wrong god; an idol, and that is idolatry.

Job's god was too small, just like yours. Job had been threatening and challenging God. Rebuking him for being unfair and unjust. In fact, up until this point in the book of Job, he was telling God how righteous he was and that God was being unfair for causing all the suffering and grief in his life. Like you, Job had the idea that he was pretty good. He was a "righteous" man. He worked hard to serve God. He was faithful in church and worship. He offered daily sacrifices to God. He even acted as priest on behalf of his children, offering up sacrifices for their sins. He expected a blessed and problem free life as a reward for being a righteous man. Job was just like you who think that you really aren't much of a sinner. Oh sure, a few small things you do wrong, but they don't really make much difference. You haven't murdered, you haven't cheated on your husband or wife. You have been a faithful worker and earned an honest living with hard work. You have always been active in church and committed to serving in some capacity on a board or holding an office.

But now disaster struck Job. He lost his home, his business, his family, his flocks, his wealth, and his health. He languished in poverty, alone, and with boils all over his body. Job didn't deserve such treatment. He deserved better than that. God was being unfair. Like Job, then, when disaster strikes, illness, old age, loss of home or job, children in trouble with the law, you get angry with God and accuse him of being unfair with you. You deserve a better life. You deserve better treatment from God. You deserve more respect from others. You deserve that people feel sorry for you, have compassion on you and help you out.

Just like Job, you have many undeserved storms in your lives. Often the wind and waves seem to overwhelm you and threaten you. Sometimes there is even a tornado in the storm. There is awesome power in a tornado. We're not talking here about the little cartoon version of a tiny dust devil which stops and taunts its victim until he grabs a pitchfork and chases the tornado away. No, we're talking about a half-mile wide F4 tornado that rips apart entire neighborhoods, killing and injuring its blood covered victims and strewing the debris of houses and buildings across the countryside. The pictures on the TV news alone strike fear in our hearts and make us feel small and insignificant before the mighty power of nature. Not to mention the feeling you have as you watch that monstrous, roaring, menacing, whirling black cloud coming toward you. That's the kind of storms you have in your life.

This is the setting for our Old Testament pericope today: a tornado. Up until that moment, like the cartoon character chasing the tornado with a pitch fork, Job had been threatening God. But then God stood up and challenged Job: "Dress for action like a man." These are fighting words. "Let's go out back," said God. "Put on your gloves. Get ready for the punch! I'm taking you down!" God spoke to Job out of a tornado.

"Who do you think you are, Job, challenging me like this? Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Who determined its measurements? What are its foundations? Did you shut in the sea with doors and set the limits for it with bars? Do you command the mornings and cause the dawn?" Who are you to question me? Who are you to doubt me? Who are you to accuse me of being asleep in the back of the boat during the storm? God has the right and power to rule. You are mere mortals, mere created beings. What right do we have to question God? In the power and might of a blackened sky and a roaring tornado, Job saw the awesome glory of God and fell to his knees in trembling and fear. And the only thing Job could answer was, "I am insignificant. What can I reply to you?" Job had to confront an almighty, infinite, and absolute God. "I am too small for you," he cried. "Do not destroy me."

Here we see a God who is maker and creator of all things. A God who creates whatever he wants out of sheer nothing. A God who gives and a God who takes away. A God who kills and a God who raises the dead. A God who creates life from the dust, and a God who takes dead, dry bones and puts flesh on them and breathes life into them. Here we see the God of the First Commandment who says, "You shall have no other gods before me." In his presence we are but puny, little, insignificant creatures. Even though we are good people, we are unholy, sinful, mortals who deserve punishment and death from God. As he told Job, he says to us: "Get ready for the punch. I'm taking you down." Down off your seat of pride. Down from your own self-righteousness.

God is a creating God. A life giving God. He is a God who must be feared, but he is also deserving of love and trust above all those little, weak gods you have. With God, there is no need to fear for the future. No need to fear getting older. No need to worry about sickness or even death. Because God is a God of resurrection and life. A God of creation. A God of possibility, opening new doors of opportunity, creating new solutions and ideas, not a god of doom and gloom.

But then we ask, "Why did the church fathers choose to connect this Old Testament pericope from Job in the lectionary of the church year with the Gospel reading in Mark when Jesus calmed the wind and seas? What does Jesus add to our understanding of Job? He adds the Gospel. In Job we see the raw power of God and his absolute authority. We see his rule and authority. Connecting this God of power to Jesus' miracle of calming the winds and waves, we learn that Jesus is that same almighty, infinite, absolute God of creation and life who was speaking to Job. Jesus is the God of creation who spoke to Job and who rules the wind and the waves. When God asked Job, "Who shut in the sea with doors when it burst out from the womb 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'?" this was Jesus himself. This was almost prophetic of Jesus calming the wind and waves in our Gospel lesson.

But in the gospel lesson we see not only his power and rule, we have comfort added—Jesus calmed the sea in order to save his disciples. This is not just unbounded power for the sake of power. This almighty God is a saving and giving God, a God who saves his people. A God who saves us from temporal disaster as well as eternal disaster. Who saves us from sin and from death and from hell.

The other propers for today all speak of God's salvation. In the Epistle reading God says, "In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the favorable time, now is the day of salvation." In the Introit we read, "He made the storm be still and the waves of the sea were hushed." In the Psalmody we sang, "If it had not been for the Lord...the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us..."

This same Jesus who is Lord over the sea and the winds has come to save his people. Jesus Christ is the God who creates everything out of nothing. He is the God of possibility, creating possibility out of failure and despair. He is the God of life, creating life out of the dust of the ground. He is the God of resurrection, raising the dead. He is the God of salvation, saving us from the raging storms of life, but even greater, saving us from sin and everlasting death.

For by the storm of his suffering and crucifixion and death, he saved you from sin. By the waves that poured over him and took away his life on the cross, he has freed you from the power of sin. He came into the storm of your life, of your inner soul, of your sinful thoughts and deeds and he suffered for you. He gave his life to the winds and waters that raged in your soul. He was put to death and went down to the depths of the sea in your place. So that now, through the waters of Baptism that flood over you and drown the old man of sin, he has washed away your sin and raised you back to life. Through the waters of Baptism he has brought you into the safety of the boat and stilled the waters that threatened you with everlasting death and condemnation. He has regenerated you, given you new birth from above.

Yes, it sometimes appears that Jesus is sleeping in the back of the boat. But, in a favorable time he listened to you and in the day of salvation he helped you. Now is the favorable time. Now is the day of salvation. Jesus is awake. He is no longer sleeping in the tomb; he has risen. He is here today with us in the Word and in the Sacrament to save us from God's punishment. Today is the day of salvation from sin as you approach the altar of the Lord and receive his very body and blood. This absolute, infinite, creator God who spoke with Job out of the tornado is here in flesh and blood every time you receive him in the Sacrament of the altar.

So then we rejoice, even though for a little while we must endure afflictions, hardships, and calamities. Like Paul we are beaten, imprisoned, and toil under heavy burdens. We might spend sleepless nights and hunger, but we widen our hearts in hope and joy for today is the day of salvation.

Amen.