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Scripture Guide

Job 38:1-11

Author

William Rowley

Keywords (19)

Scripture (7)

Updated

Sep 16, 2024

Preaching Commentary

Note: This was originally part of a guide for the Fifth Sunday after Pentecost (RCL Year B), which includes Job 38:1-11 and Mark 4:35-11. I have adapted the discussion of each of these two passages into separate scripture guides.

Context for God's Speech in Job

Genre

Some interpreters liken Job to a stage play, but it actually seems to be a variation on a theme in Ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. There are a few…

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Featured Image

Hubble Telescope image of NGC 7635, also known as the Bubble Nebula.

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? …When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"

—Job 38:4a, 7, ESV

NASA, via Unsplash

Author

William Rowley

William Rowley (MA, Talbot School of Theology; PhD, University of Rochester) is a freelance editor and administrative assistant for The Pastor's Workshop. He is involved in leadership at his local church and is an occasional lay preacher. His theological background is equal parts evangelical and anglican.

He is broadly interested in matters at the intersection of faith and reason. He has a Master's degree from Talbot School of Theology and a PhD in Philosophy from the University of Rochester. His specializations in philosophy are epistemology (the theory of knowledge), early modern philosophy, and philosophy of religion/philosophical theology. He dabbles in ethics. William was privileged to teach philosophy, writing, and logic to undergraduates for six years in the Rochester area.

William now works for the Pastor’s Workshop on a freelance basis. He assists with customer service, marketing, design, curation, planning, and editing content. He sometimes creates content for the site, primarily in his areas of theological interest, which include Ancient Near Eastern history, culture, and Old Testament interpretation, New Testament interpretation, literary and poetic analysis of scripture, and philosophical perspectives on the Bible and theology. His ministry passions are fostering a love and reverence for scripture and increasing space within churches for the life of the mind.

William also is available as a freelance editor and writer. As an editor, he has worked on long and short-form, from blog posts to full-length published books. As an author, he has experience and expertise to work on theological, philosophical, and literary topics. Contact him through LinkedIn.

Outside of his professional life, William lives in the New Haven area in Connecticut, with his wife and two dogs.