One of the new songs the musicians and singers at my church have begun working on recently is Chris Tomlin\u2019s \u201cIndescribable<\/a>\u201c. I\u2019ve liked the song ever since I first heard it on the radio, although I\u2019ve sometimes joked that it might have been more appropriate if the lyrics had been just the word \u201cindescribable\u201d and then nothing else after that. If one has declared God \u201cindescribable\u201d, what more remains to be said?<\/p>\n As I\u2019ve now had a chance to look at the words more carefully, I\u2019ve found myself reflecting further on this topic. One of the lines in the song\u2019s lyrics<\/a> are \u201cWho has told every lightning bolt where it should go? Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow?\u201d This is clearly inspired by chapter 38 of the Book of Job<\/a>, where God is depicted as manifesting himself to Job in a whirlwind and posing questions to him.<\/p>\n That passage in the Book of Job, in its historical context, emphasized the ignorance of human beings, and thus the need for humility instead of confident claims to knowledge about the \u201cbig picture\u201d and the \u201cways of God\u201d. Ironically, as human knowledge has progressed, it has surpassed that of the author of the Book of Job, since we now know that, literally speaking, there are no \u201cstorehouses of the snow or\u2026storehouses of the hail, which I reserve for times of trouble, for days of war and battle\u201d (Job 38:22-23<\/a>).<\/p>\n This serves as a useful warning. Whenever we move beyond saying that God is \u201cindescribable\u201d into speaking about God \u2013 or even going so far as to actually place words in God\u2019s mouth, claiming to know what God does or does not do, claiming to understand the nature of the universe and relate God to it in a specific way \u2013 we risk making God<\/em> look less knowledgeable about the universe than future generations of humans inevitably will be.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think that this is the aim of the Book of Job, however. As I said in a post about Job which appeared here a couple of years ago<\/a>, I think that the genre of this book, as Wisdom literature, is crucial to interpreting the \u201ctheophany\u201d presented at the end. As Norman Habel highlights in his commentary<\/a> on Job, Wisdom literature proceeds on the basis of observation of nature, eschewing claims to special revelation. And thus one can imagine the author\u2019s tongue firmly placed in his cheek as he depicts God appearing at the end of the book simply to ask questions about human understanding of natural phenomena.<\/p>\n I think the author of the Book of Job would rejoice at the progress we\u2019ve made in understanding many phenomena listed in his book among things not comprehended by humans. And since that book also emphasizes the need to rethink traditional understandings of God and God\u2019s relation to the world in light of experience, I think its author would also have agreed that we need to rethink our concepts of God in light of such progress in knowledge as have occurred since his time.<\/p>\n Once one grasps the imagery and emphases of the Book of Job, one can sing \u201cIndescribable\u201d with a fresh and deeper perspective, recalling when the Book of Job is echoed that we now know that there are no \u201cstorehouses of the snow\u201d in any literal sense. But as our progressing scientific knowledge has overturned earlier scientific and religious thinking, it has also opened up new mysteries that can be explored and pondered with insights and perspectives of both a religious and scientific nature.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s a video, for those who may not know the song \u2013 or may just want to listen to it again!<\/p>\n