He Hangs the Earth on Nothing
As a boy on a family vacation, I bought a packet of postcards as a souvenir from the Kennedy Space Center. A memorable image on one postcard was of the earth in daylight surrounded by the darkness of space. The earth, suspended in space, appears to be held in position by nothing at all. God “hangs the earth on nothing” (Job 26:7).
If I were to do something as ordinary as hang a coat or hat, I would need a hook. In comparison, God positions the whole earth, the sun, moon, the stars, and the other planets without any such aid. In doing so, God demonstrates His incomparable power daily both through and to His created works (Rom. 1:20).
God’s almighty power is declared in His created works by His arrangement of the heavens. The depths of His love are made known to us in His saving works through His Son, Jesus Christ. In creation, He “hangs the earth on nothing.” In salvation, Christ died by hanging on a cross. On the cross, He bore our sins and God’s curse for our sins. He lovingly and powerfully offered Himself to God and suffered in our place to forgive our sins and reconcile us to God.
Two valuable verses to remember in connection with Job 26:7 are Hebrews 1:1 and Proverbs 30:5.
Hebrews 1:1–2 says,
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
When images of the earth were released from space, it could have been said, “Long ago, . . . God spoke” because our text from Job faithfully describes the photo from space. Now “he has spoken to us by his Son.” Truth that God reveals in His Word about creation—long before photographic evidence became available—is designed to lead us to faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. It is a prompt to listen to the Son through whom God made the world and trust in Him for redemption and the forgiveness of our sins.
A personal application of Job 26:7 is gained from Proverbs 30:5: “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” The image from space showed what scientists believed in theory and what God had revealed in Scripture long before the scientific age. Reflecting on Job 26:7 gives confidence that “every word of God proves true.”
In personal experience, as was true for Job, there may be long and difficult struggles in life before a Christian is persuaded of what Scripture reveals immediately afterward or before it is evident to all. Yet when we perceive that “he is a shield to those who take refuge in him,” it is for us another wonderful discovery, revealed as God’s abiding truth.
Dr. John C.A. Ferguson is minister of Inverness Associated Presbyterian Church in Scotland. He is co-editor of Theology for Ministry: How Doctrine Affects Pastoral Life and Practice.
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