God speaking Job’s language

I had this thought when I was reading Daniel Harrell‘s book ‘Nature’s Witness: How evolution can inspire faith.’ (I’m only about half way through so I’m not going to review it here, but I feel I should acknowledge it.) I hadn’t noticed before that in Job 12, Job himself talks about creation and how it speaks to him of God’s wisdom and provision:

⁷ “But ask the animals, and they will teach you,
or the birds of the air, and they will tell you;

⁸ or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,
or let the fish of the sea inform you.

⁹ Which of all these does not know
that the hand of the LORD has done this?

¹⁰ In his hand is the life of every creature
and the breath of all mankind.

So when God speaks to Job in chapters 38-41, God is speaking Job’s language – he’s reminding Job of something he already knows (Elihu doesn’t really need to remind him of it in chpts 36 & 37), but God takes it further and uses it to give Job an answer about why he is suffering. It makes me want to go back to Romans 1: God reveals himself in a number of ways, including the incredible world he’s made – that’s something we just know instinctively.