Who hath given him a charge over the earth? or who hath disposed the whole world?
Job 34:13 stands in the speeches of Elihu in chapters 32-37, which come after the argument between Job and his friends closes in chapter 31. Elihu is the younger man who steps in at that point, confident that his superior wisdom will correct Job. His aim is to convince Job that Job himself is not great while God is everything, yet in substance he follows about the same line as the other friends.
No answer is made to Elihu by Job, and no comment is given upon his plea before the Lord Himself answers Job. The question itself teaches that no one gave God charge over the earth and no one disposed the whole world for Him, for His authority to rule and govern is His own. Because His government was not imposed upon Him, He cares for the world freely and not to fulfill a duty or to earn a reward.
His love and compassion and mercy sustain life, and from His infinite power and wisdom His goodness can be known, so that human life depends on His unselfish goodness. Applied to Christ bearing the burden of the whole world, the following verses show that if He turned back to Himself and withheld His Spirit and breath, all flesh would perish together and humanity would return to dust. By giving Himself He made life possible for others, and therefore He could not withdraw from His sacrifice.
Job 34:13 stands in the speeches of Elihu in chapters 32-37, which come after the argument between Job and his friends closes in chapter 31. Elihu is the younger man who steps in at that point, confident that his superior wisdom will correct Job. His aim is to convince Job that Job himself is not great while God is everything, yet in substance he follows about the same line as the other friends.
No answer is made to Elihu by Job, and no comment is given upon his plea before the Lord Himself answers Job. The question itself teaches that no one gave God charge over the earth and no one disposed the whole world for Him, for His authority to rule and govern is His own. Because His government was not imposed upon Him, He cares for the world freely and not to fulfill a duty or to earn a reward.
His love and compassion and mercy sustain life, and from His infinite power and wisdom His goodness can be known, so that human life depends on His unselfish goodness. Applied to Christ bearing the burden of the whole world, the following verses show that if He turned back to Himself and withheld His Spirit and breath, all flesh would perish together and humanity would return to dust. By giving Himself He made life possible for others, and therefore He could not withdraw from His sacrifice.