Job 35:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

This declaration unmistakably illustrates that Job should reflect on how much less he can either assist or harm God through his actions, as he cannot influence the vastness of the heavens or the sky.

While the terms ‘heaven’ or ‘sky’ can refer to the celestial beings who perpetually behold the Divine, they can also be understood in their physical sense. When we examine the external world, we can glean insight into the internal. The splendor of creation serves as evidence of our Creator. Although we cannot yet see Him directly, we strive to perceive Him through His handiwork. Creation becomes a path leading us toward Him, as we view it as His footprints, guiding us back to our Maker. Paul stated, All His invisible attributes are clearly seen through what He has created, even His eternal power and Godhead. In the Book of Wisdom, it reads, For the majesty and beauty of created things allow us to glimpse the Creator.

When sins cloud our understanding, we fail to recognize God for who He truly is. Yet, even stripped of the beauty of His creation, He provides us with indicators of the truth, guiding us toward deeper insight. Through the visible world, He marvelously directs us inward, hinting at the infinite wonder of His essence while presenting us with wonders that are not Him. The Book of Wisdom expresses, He meets them on their path, welcoming them with wisdom. The creations themselves lead us to contemplate the Creator, as we marvel at the power of His works. While observing creation, we meet Wisdom with discernment, for the power of our Maker is manifested throughout all marvelously crafted things.

Wherever the soul looks diligently, it can find God in the very objects that once led it away and reawaken His power by examining those same things in the pursuit of His love. Upon conversion, the soul recalls those things that contributed to its downfall. We strive to ascend from where we stumbled, and as we rise, we reach for the very ground that caused us to fall due to entangled affections. Since our visible failings originate from the invisible, it is fitting that we should endeavor to use the visible to attain the invisible, turning our descent into a stepping stone for ascension until, as previously noted, those rightly contemplated creations beckon us to God, while the misinterpreted ones draw us away from Him. Thus Elihu, seeking to illustrate the vast chasm between divine understanding and human perception, rightly states: Look to the heavens and behold the vastness above you. If you have sinned, can it cause Him harm? If your sins abound, what can you do against Him? And if your actions are just, what can you give to Him, or what will He accept from your hands?

It is as if he implores us to realize that the creations we perceive through our senses exist in a higher realm than ourselves, emphasizing our distance from the Divine. Therefore, we conclude that our righteous lives cannot benefit God, nor can our wrongdoings bring Him harm. If we acknowledge the higher powers represented by the words ‘heaven’ or ‘heavens,’ Elihu warns that even the angelic beings cannot fully comprehend the might of our Creator, notwithstanding their exalted stature. Thus, we must acknowledge how much lower we are than God, even beneath those celestial beings, reminding us of the humility that should accompany our existence. By drawing our attention to the highest realities, he illustrates the disparity and implores us to reflect on our relationship with the Divine.

If you hesitate to respond, one of Job's enlightened companions offers insight, stating: ‘Look at the heavens and behold; consider the clouds—they are higher than you. If you have sinned, what will you do against Him who is above? If your transgressions are many, what will you do? If you are righteous, what will you give Him? Or what does He require from you?’ (Job 35:5-7).

Let us reflect on the commandment, ‘You shall not steal.’ What need has He, who possesses all, and from whom nothing can be taken? You cannot benefit Him by refraining from theft, nor harm Him by stealing, as nothing can be taken from His eternal dominion. However, if this commandment is not essential for the Lawgiver, it is undoubtedly essential for you, to whom it has been commanded. Hence, you are instructed not to steal, so that this principle may be extended universally, guarding you against theft, allowing righteousness to safeguard your peace while preventing unrighteous acts from robbing you of it. Similarly, the prohibition against murder serves to protect your life from violence; the command against false testimony and slander is there to shield you from deceit and malice; and the admonition against desiring and thinking evil is vital to avoid tormenting your heart and corrupting your mind. Even trivial words and thoughts are forbidden; this may seem excessive to the frivolous, and unnecessarily stringent to the uninformed, who argue that idle words are harmless and idle thoughts even less so. Indeed, small insects may not be deadly, yet would you wish to live in an environment infested with them, where they invade your eyes, buzz in your ears, and distract your senses with countless minor irritations? Such is the condition of a soul filled with trivial and empty thoughts: if this state goes unnoticed, it is likely because one has not experienced a more uplifting inner life, requiring belief from those who recognize that the goodness prepared by the commandment to purify the mind far exceeds what one can discern.

The call to divine service is given not out of necessity for God, who requires nothing from those who serve Him—‘a thousand thousand thousands’ (Dan. 7:10) serve Him in heaven, infinitely closer and more favorably aligned than any of humanity. They do not divert themselves to lesser concerns nor seek rest as we do after our brief service. If we are privileged with a call to minister to God, it is so that we may be favored and blessed, to align our thoughts, emotions, actions, will—our very being—with the Most High, that in this intimate approach, we may present our souls before the light of the eternal Sun, allowing them to be illuminated, revitalized, nourished, cherished, and ultimately, grounded in the communion of that light, becoming partakers of everlasting joy.

What can one say about the new commandment (John 13:34), the most elevated, pure, and perfect form of Christian law, the singular and all-encompassing commandment concerning love for God and neighbor? Who does not sense how directly truth connects to peace, and the fulfillment of commandment to blessedness? He who fails to perceive this has likely not received ‘a new heart and a new spirit,’ as foretold by the Prophets for true Christians (Ezekiel 36:26), remaining instead with the old ‘stony’ heart of Adam; such a person indeed deserves to have this exalted law, which he does not wish to acknowledge, removed from him, yielding instead to the base and enslaving law of carnal desires, passions, and uncontrollable forces, akin to cattle and beasts, subject to the harsh laws governing the struggles of an indifferent and suffering creation.