Job 36:27Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Such individuals resemble stars, producing light through their virtuous lives, but lacking the capacity to share their message through words. However, when some live righteously and also express that righteousness through preaching, they can be seen as stars in the heavens that bring rain. They illuminate others through the examples of their lives while simultaneously showering down their preaching. Did not Moses shine as a rain-star, whose illumination nourished the hearts of sinners with the rain of divine instruction, enabling fruitful growth? Did not Isaiah appear as a rain-star, who, foreseeing the light of truth, saturated the parched hearts of nonbelievers with prophetic words? Likewise, did not Jeremiah and other prophets, like rain stars positioned in the heavens, elevate their messages to denounce the wickedness of those ensnared by human ignorance, watering them with their spoken words? It is through the ministry of heaven that the souls of such individuals, bound in fragile flesh, are drawn away from true life; hence the stars rain down from above. When the souls of the holy, having completed their mission, find eternal rest in the Sanctuary of Serenity, these stars retreat to their hidden realms.

Moreover, if the rain from above were to cease entirely when the stars are removed, the earth would surely suffer drought. Thus it is rightly said, Who takes away the rain stars and pours out showers like whirlpools? When the Lord took away the prophets, He replaced them with the apostles; the rain stars associated with the external proclamation of the Law vanished when the ancient figures were removed. Consequently, He takes away the rain stars and sends forth a deluge of rain, for after the removal of the law preachers to His concealed abode, a more powerful proclamation emerged through their successors.

These rain stars could also represent the holy Apostles, as Jeremiah declared to the rejected people of Judah: The rain stars were taken away, and there is no late rain (Jer. 3:3). The Lord removed those who preached, and as He did so, He poured out showers of rain, giving the entire world a refreshing dose of the doctrine of new grace. This understanding can equally apply to events within the Church. When He took the souls of the Apostles to the highest secret places, freeing them from their mortal forms, the rain stars indeed vanished from the heavens. But with their departure, He sent down showers; for through the oratory of later interpreters, He revealed an even more abundant stream of Divine knowledge that was once obscured. What the earlier figures communicated succinctly, the later interpreters expanded and diversified, interpreting the original words in greater depth. Thus, the preaching of these interpreters is rightfully likened to a downpour, as they collect and elaborate upon the teachings of those before them, dispersing them more richly through their own understanding. By intertwining testimonies with one another, they create a cascade of understanding. While teaching the world of non-believers with their words, they bless the minds of sinners with divine wisdom that falls like rain. However, these interpreters should not presume to equate their wisdom with that of the Apostles, merely because they speak at length. They must always remember the Source from whom they have received their revelation. Hence it is rightly stated:

The wonders of nature testify to God’s care for humanity and His just allocation of both blessings and afflictions. The rain and lightning (27-33), as well as the sound of thunder and storms, are wielded by His hand as instruments of either discipline or grace (37:1-13). Given that man lacks the capacity to comprehend the reasons behind these miraculous phenomena, and is even less able to replicate them, it is crucial for him to relinquish any inclination to dispute with God and instead submit in humble awe before His sovereignty (14-24).