Job 38:12Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Nevertheless, the Lord graciously invites us to strive for perfection, saying, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect,” (Matt. 5:48). Humanity was unable to recognize His Divine Sonship; thus, He took on human form to become visible, intending that we might gaze upon Him and bear imitation of His life. His incarnation was regarded with scorn by worldly sages, who underestimated the significance of His human frailty, dismissing it as unworthy of the Divine. Yet, with each humiliation He embraced for our sake, humanity’s debt to Him grew. “For when the world through its wisdom did not know God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe,” (1 Cor. 1:21). This illustrates that, as the world, in its wisdom, failed to recognize God, who is Wisdom, it was fitting that He became Man, traversing the foolishness of human existence, so that His divine Wisdom could reach our foolishness, illuminating our darkness with the brightness of His eternal truth (Jn. 9:6-7).

The One who was eternally begotten of the Father chose to be born of His Mother in time to demonstrate that birth is not bound by time’s limits of beginning or end. It is beautifully articulated in the words addressed to Job, “Didst thou command the morning to be born, and didst thou show the dawn her place?” (Job 38:12).

You comprehend, as I do, that the essence of His Divinity is free from concepts of 'before' or 'after.' While He exists eternally, He also encompasses and limits all that unfolds in time. Conversely, the origin of His humanity had a beginning and an end, thereby acquiring the temporal markers of ‘before’ and ‘after.’ However, by embracing the shadows of our temporal experience, He illuminated us with the light of His eternity. Following the beginning that the Creator established in time, the dawn swiftly acknowledges its position beyond it. The dawn, representing the transition from night to day, aptly describes the Church of God’s chosen, which has emerged from the darkness of disbelief into the radiance of faith, akin to the dawn breaking after nightfall. This metaphor is beautifully expressed in the Song of Songs, “Who is this one, shining like the dawn?” (Song of Songs 6:10). The Holy Church, in pursuit of the promise of eternal life, is likened to the dawn, as the light of righteousness dispels the darkness of sin.

Yet, there’s a deeper insight to grasp regarding the nature of dawn. The dawn signifies the end of night, even as the full brightness of day remains awaited. Until the night recedes, light mingles with darkness. Therefore, what are we, who seek truth in this life, but akin to dawn? For we act in light yet are still touched by remnants of shadow. The prophet reminds us, “In Thy sight man shall not live justified” (Psalm 142:2). It is further noted, “For we all sin much” (James 3:2), and Paul conveys, “But I see another law in my members, which is contrary to the law of my mind, and makes me a prisoner of the law of sinfulness which is in my members” (Rom. 7:23). This struggle between the law of sin and the law of the mind indicates a dawning, for the light that shines has yet to fully dispel the encroaching darkness.

Paul emphasizes, “The night is past” (Rom. 13:12), not stating, “The day is come,” but rather, “The day is at hand.” This indicates that he remains in twilight, poised between night and day.

In the Church of God’s Elect, the day will be complete only when sin’s shadows no longer disrupt its radiance. The full day will be characterized by the warm illumination of divine light, and it will truly be day when the memory of past sins no longer haunts the believer. The essence of dawn, still in its formative stage, signifies this transition when it is asked, “Thou hast indicated to the dawn its place.” The term 'place' denotes a movement from one condition to another. What could constitute the dawn’s place but the perfect clarity of eternal vision? Upon its fulfillment, there will be no trace of last night’s darkness. Currently, while the faithful endure temptations and the Church journeys toward a transformation of the heart, the dawn establishes itself. However, if this position is not embraced, we shall find ourselves perpetually in the night of this current life. Persisting daily in the pursuit of perfection and amplifying our light, we shall occupy this destined place, allowing the sun to shine fully upon us. The dawn recognizes its place when the holy soul aspires to contemplate its Creator. David expressed this longing, “My soul thirsteth for the living God; when shall I come and appear before the face of God?” (Psalm 41:3).

Truth directed our attention to the dawn’s place when Solomon asked, “What is the advantage of the wise over the foolish; what is the advantage of the poor man who can walk before those who live?” (Eccl. 6:8). This place was undoubtedly revealed to the Patriarchs prior to His Incarnation; had they not received through the Spirit of Prophecy that their heavenly King would become incarnate, they would not have longed for the gifts of that eternal realm. After His resurrection, our Lord articulated this dawning place, expressing His desire, “Father, whom Thou hast given Me, I desire that where I am they may be also with Me” (Jn. 17:24). He indicated this place of dawn when He proclaimed, “For where the corpse is, there will the eagles gather” (Matt. 24:28). Paul was striving toward the dawn's destined place when he expressed, “I have a desire to be resolved and to be with Christ” (Phil. 1:23). He also stated, “To me, life is Christ, and death is gain” (Phil. 1:21), and “For we know that when our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have from God a dwelling in heaven, a house not made with hands, eternal” (2 Cor. 5:1).

He demonstrated the dawn’s place after His birth, informing His followers that prior to revealing the blessings of His Body’s future, He limited this knowledge to a few. Upon taking on the frailty of human birth, however, His love expanded this understanding of coming glory endlessly. Yet, within the mystery of Divine acts, compassion is intertwined with divine judgement, allowing the secret Judge to bestow mercy upon some while passing over and condemning others. Now that we understand how He enlightens His elect through His Incarnation, let us also learn how He administers judgement upon those who are rejected.

With these questions, He intended to illustrate the greater impossibility of discerning matters within the moral realm, especially when ordinary aspects of the physical universe elude human comprehension (38: 1-3). Initially, God posed questions regarding the origin and foundational state of the earth, highlighting the limitations of human understanding and how much remains unknown, particularly if Job struggles with this singular inquiry (4-6). Meanwhile, the creation of the earth was executed by God with the same ease as an individual constructs a simple building—so magnificent was this act that the heavenly beings rejoiced in unison (7). The Creator's power and wisdom are equally evident in the restraining of the depths of the sea (8 - 11) and the division of light from darkness (12 - 15). However, the depths and boundaries of light and dark are not entirely beyond human observation (16-20). Common earthly phenomena such as snow, hail, rain, and frost exist outside of human control and authority (21-30), and even less so do the movements of celestial bodies and all changes in weather depend on human influence (31-38). Transitioning then to the wondrous marvels of the natural world, which are so remarkably accessible to humanity, the Lord reminds Job that it is through His nurturing providence that predators and birds find sustenance (39-41).