Indeed, these are but the fringes of His ways; how faint is the whisper we hear of Him! Who then can understand the thunder of His power?”Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. How small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?”Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?Lo, these are but the outskirts of his ways: And how small a whisper do we hear of him! But the thunder of his power who can understand?
3 sermons cite this verse
… study the book, the Bible. God has revealed the rest of the story. He tells part of the story in creation. But Job is right when he says these are the mere edges of his ways and how small a whisper we hear of him, but the thunder of his power, who can understand? Moreover, here we are now in chapter 27, verse 1. Moreover, Job continued his discourse and said, okay, this marks a literary change now. Up to this point, there have been one, two, and three courses of speech and rebuttals by Job and his friends. Now he is addressing all three of them collectively in the following chapters. He's giving a summary of all that he feels and all that he has heard. So this is now to all three, more of a summary statement, a rather long one, since it takes those chapters. Moreover, Job continued and said, as God lives, who has taken, who has, as God lives, who has taken away my justice. Remember, he has complained. …
… God decide, it's over. Job, behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways. Oh, indeed, how small a whisper do we hear of him, but the thunder of his power who can understand. This is a verse you should all know by heart. Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God. How unsearchable are his judgments. How inscrutable are his ways. Who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Answer, nobody. Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? Nobody puts God in their debt. For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever and ever. God is great. Third observation, God has revealed himself, his ways, his purposes in his word. Otherwise, we're just jabbering. I look at Christians who don't believe the Bible and still hold on to a little bit of Christianity and I say, you're just making it up. If you leave the book, you're making it up. …
I. 1. In the first place I shall endeavor to show in what sense Christians are not perfect. And both from experience and Scripture it appears, First, that they are not perfect in knowledge: they are not so perfect in this life as to be free from ignorance. They know, it may be, in common with other men, many things relating to the present world; and they know, with regard to the world to come, the general truths which God hath revealed. They know, likewise, (what the natural man receiveth not, for these things are spiritually discerned,) “what manner of love” it is wherewith “the Father” hath loved them, “that they should be called the sons of God.” [1 John 3:1] They know the mighty working of his Spirit in their hearts; [Eph. 3:16] and the wisdom of his providence, directing all their paths, [Prov. 3:6] and causing all things to work together for their good. [Rom. 8:28] Yea, they know in every circumstance of life what the Lord requireth of them, and how to keep a conscience void of offence both toward God and toward man. [Acts 24:16] 2. But innumerable are the things which they know not. Touching the Almighty himself, they cannot search him out to perfection. “Lo, these are but a part of his ways; but the thunder of his power who can understand?” [Job 26:14] They cannot understand, I will not say, how “there are Three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and these three are one;” [1 John 5:7] or how the eternal Son of God “took upon himself the form of a servant;” [Phil. 2:7] — but not any one attribute, not any one circumstance of the divine nature. [2 Pet. 1:4] Neither is it for them to know the times and seasons [Acts 1:7] when God will work his great works upon the earth; no, not even those which he hath in part revealed by his servants and Prophets since the world began. [see Amos 3:7] Much less do they know when God, having “accomplished the number of his elect, will hasten his kingdom;” when “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” [2 Pet. 3:10] …