a whirlwind

October 6, 2017

The lost crop (Hos 8:7-8:7)

“They sow the wind.

But they shall reap

The whirlwind.

The standing grain

Has no heads.

It shall yield

No meal.

If it were to yield

Anything,

Foreigners

Would devour it.”

The northern Israelites were in a unique position. They would sow with the wind, but it suddenly would become a whirlwind. The planted grain would never mature in the field, since there would be no heads of grain. Therefore, there would be no harvesting of the grain for meals. Even if it yielded any grain, foreigners, and not them, would devour it, because of the invasion of the Assyrians.

August 3, 2015

Yahweh responds to Job (Job 40:6-40:9)

“Then Yahweh answered Job out of the whirlwind.

‘Gird up your loins like a man!

I will question you.

You declare to me.

Will you even put me in the wrong?

Will you condemn me that you may be justified?

Do you have a divine arm?

Can you thunder with a voice like his?’”

Once again, Yahweh will speak out a whirlwind like he did earlier at the beginning of chapter 38. The whirlwind was the classic place for the voice of Yahweh. Once again, it is a challenge to Job. Was Job going to justify himself by saying that God was wrong?   In fact, he mocked Job by saying that he did not have a divine arm or a divine thunderous voice.