Friday, June 25, 2010

The Voice in the Whirlwind

Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, 
Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? 
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. 


Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

  Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb?
When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddling band for it,
And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, 
And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed?
Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days; and caused the dayspring to know his place; 
That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, that the wicked might be shaken out of it? ...
Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the search of the depth? Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death? 
Hast thou perceived the breadth of the earth? declare if thou knowest it all.

 
 
... Who hath divided a watercourse for the overflowing of waters, or a way for the lightning of thunder; 
To cause it to rain on the earth, where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man;
To satisfy the desolate and waste ground; and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth? 
Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew?


. . . Knowest thou the ordinances of heaven? canst thou set the dominion thereof in the earth?  Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee?
Canst thou send lightnings, that they may go and say unto thee, Here we are? 
Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the heart? Who can number the clouds in wisdom? or who can stay the bottles of heaven . . .

These pictures are some that came around on the Internet, supposedly of the skies just before Hurricane Katrina. I don't know who took them or even if they're authentic. 

But, oh my, they are awe-inspiring and at once brought to mind words from the Book of Job -- one of the Bible's most troubling stories with some of its most glorious language.




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11 comments:

Unknown said...

This was a beautiful post. The pictures are all breathtaking. Thanks for sharing this Vicki.
Smiles...

Miss_Yves said...

Mr.Stupid isn't stupid at all: I do agree with his comments.
(I haven't forgotten your last poems, nor my project of translation , just a lack of time)

NCmountainwoman said...

Truly awe-inspiring, just as you said. Beautiful post which gives us pause. Have a good weeked.

nidynoddy said...

I looked at those storm photos and was reminded of how this year has been since our daughter was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. A year filled with tests, doctors,chemotherapy with all its horrific side affects and a scheduled surgery in July. Oh yes, we still chuckle when we see the medical staff in their " bitches wings" pose.

Reader Wil said...

How beautiful are those words of the book of Job. The photos are awsome, very impressive indeed! Have a great weekend, Vicki!

jennyfreckles said...

Awesome pictures - and the words fit so well. Our God is a great God.

Elora said...

Powerful, potentially so wantonly destructive but fascinating and stunning... like watching a coiled snake...where one is mesmerized and compelled to watch, yet terrified wanting to run...

Elora

Stella Jones said...

Very dramatic clouds there Vicki. I would be very very frightened if I saw anything like that. I would think it was the end of the world coming!
Blessings, Star

Vagabonde said...

I am in awe at the photographs, Vicki. The skies are so powerful, this is impressive photography. I have to admit that I had to put your text into Google translate to see if I could understand it better in French. Well, poor Google I don’t think can do that type of translation. I stopped reading it when it talked about lawyers not knowing what they were saying and some guy were wearing swimsuits. I do not have practice for reading religious texts in old English – but the photos are beautiful.

Vicki Lane said...

Though I am not religious, I really love the language of the Bible in the King James translation. I grew up in the Episcopal Church with a prayerbook and liturgy written about the same time as the KJ translation. But oh my, I can see how unintelligible it would be for non-English speakers -- and what a mess the computer would make of translating it.

Tipper said...

The photos are amazing where ever they were taken-and they fit most perfectly with Job.