A. Overall Lesson Objective

B. Learning Competencies

C. Lesson

We see the complexity of weather more today than ever because of advances in observation techniques and modeling, but the state of the art does not touch the depth of the subject as God knows it. All this weather occurs within an extremely narrow, lower band of atmosphere (0-10 km). If you drew a circle the size of a typical breakfast bowl on a piece of paper, the pencil mark relative to the circle is about as thick as this band where atmosphere exists, and only in the bottom few kilometers do most weather events occur. This speaks of an incredible balance of forces, the grand effects of the water cycle, and the interaction of the sun’s energy—all direct results of a finely tuned creation. The Bible, however, goes further into weather effects on us.

If extremes of weather are experienced, whether positive or negative as assessed by the local population, the thought of returning to God, praying, or giving thanks to Him is not part of everyday vocabulary. So, is weather entirely natural and without the hand of God, or should our approach to the subject be different? We will examine the scriptures concerning the topic.

Make note of one scripture first: Matthew 16:1-4. People spoke with authority and pride that they could interpret the sky in terms of weather, but Jesus explained there was a problem. He said they believed they could interpret the sky but failed to interpret the true signs of the times. The passage remains pertinent today, because we often fail to see His hand at work. This is also true for weather, because, in general, God speaks of it as a phenomenon that receives His attention—far beyond the first days of creation when the atmosphere was given its characteristics.

Following each reference is a listing of a few key words and sometimes a note.

Deuteronomy 11:10-11, 13-15 (rain, harvest, God’s awareness)

Job 36:24-33 (water, rain, clouds, showers, thunder, lightning)

Note verse 31, where Elihu states that the weather is a manner in which He governs the nations.

Job 37:3, 6-7, 11-18 (lightning, snow, rain shower, downpour, tempest, cold, winds, ice, clouds, water)

Note for the chapter: this repeats the same theme but with more detail than chapter 36. Verse 12 cites (by inspiration) the swirling winds over the earth, but the statement was made before anyone knew the globe’s general characteristics. Verse 13 may be an uncomfortable truth, but it is clearly stated: God on occasion uses weather for correction and to show love.

Job 37:21-22 (wind, sun, skies)

This is a poetic description of a cold-front passage on the earth. Any mid-latitude resident can watch the interesting changes that occur when a cold-front passage occurs; where the low-pressure region passes, the winds change direction, and the sky is swept clean. It is an occasion to see beautiful conditions that last only a short time (from hours to a day or so).

Job 38:22-30 (snow, hail, lightning, torrents, rain, thunderstorm, dew, ice)

This chapter begins with God speaking in first person to Job. Nearly half of the verses are connected to weather. God is true; there can be no lie, or He would be practicing deception. He explains details of weather and part of its purposes (see verse 23). He states that He understands the path of thunderstorms (verse 25) and is fully aware of watering lands where no man dwells (verse 27).

Job 38:34-38 (clouds, water, lightning, dust)

After addressing things in the heavens in the form of rhetorical questions to Job, God returns to the weather. In the middle of this section, God appears to switch to another subject: wisdom. He questions Job about whether he can endow the heart with wisdom or give it understanding. This change of subject may seem out of place, but God, who created, monitors, and uses weather, has the same control and oversight of wisdom.

Psalm 65:9-13 (care, water, showers)

This is obviously poetic but also factual. God is thanked and acknowledged for His watering the earth, which makes it abundant with respect to crops and grasslands.

Psalm 104:10-18 (streams, water)

This Psalm speaks of the results of a watered land. It mentions streams, but their continuous flow, which is required for land to yield its abundance, is dependent on the rain or water cycle to maintain the springs. Any seasonal scarcity of rain makes a severe problem. Again, the section is poetic but true: God is to be praised because He is the source of water that feeds the land.

Isaiah 40:12; 44:3-4, 27 (waters, streams)

The prophet Isaiah, speaking God’s words, makes frequent reference to God’s ability to bring dryness or water, but links the picture to His ability to bring His Spirit to a people. He explains in these and other verses about His ability to supply or withhold rain. If these things were not under His control, He would be lying. God is not the Author of lies or deception. The use of water in God’s hand under His authority has direct relationship to His abilities to bless a people or place.

Amos 4:6-8 (rain, water, drink)

All of Amos 4 is worth a careful reading as God explains His efforts to get a people’s attention. He does this by giving or withholding rain; other verses refer to different actions. No inference need be made because God is plain: He uses complex circumstances involving natural things (in these verses) in a local area to get people’s attention. The detail is fascinating: one town gets water but the next one does not; one field has water but an adjacent one does not. This seems completely foreign today, but this is because God is relegated to myth rather than being the Grand Overseer and Controller of circumstances—especially those caused by weather. God has not changed.

🦕 CT? Remember the introduction of a couple of God’s functions in the first lessons of this course as Overseer and Quality Control Expert? Using the preceding verses, discuss how the use of weather pertains. Use quotes from the verses to defend your answers.

Weather has been observed for centuries. Done correctly, it is a discipline. A person must be trained to be a good observer. Anyone, however, can begin. In the hands of someone who recognizes God’s hand in creation, observing weather is a powerful encouragement, since the details of weather changes and conditions can be fascinating. The Lord uses the subject extensively in His conversation with Job. As we have said in previous lessons, God’s questions to Job are meant to get his attention, to cause him to understand. We can have the same privilege to see His hand at work as we observe what happens, whether it be temperature, humidity, clouds, precipitation, flood, drought, front passages, or dozens of other weather-related phenomena. Good observers of weather with a proper understanding of God can be of great benefit among men, because God can cause those observers to be ready, to prepare, to help their neighbor, to call people to pray, to give thanks for good weather, and in all circumstances to recognize the One who made the atmosphere and its characteristics.

One note about Job and weather: God takes the time to speak of weather and climate in a Fallen world. It was not a perfect time. The Fall had already occurred; the Flood had already occurred. The land is not so willing to give up its produce without a lot of work. The weather was not as kind or “good” as it was in the beginning. Yet, God speaks of its current conditions for Job’s benefit and ours, because we have the same weather characteristics that Job had. This is ample reason to observe the weather within a larger context: the hand of God is at work in our environment, which suffers the consequences of sin. Not every day is pretty and perfect, but God has not relinquished or abandoned His position of involved Overseer, which is confirmed by His hand in the weather.

D. Assignment

In the largest categories possible, list and describe with examples at least five kinds of vegetation as if you were creating the vegetation by ‘kinds’ alongside God in Genesis 1:11-13 or Genesis 2:9. Two of the five must be one of those mentioned in a Bible verse or story.

E. Learning Activity

🦕 CT? List, as if you were a teacher, the requirements for your students to observe a full-length thunderstorm event. What do you want the student to observe and record? What verses would you want the student to use for the report as a reference and why? (This should be done by teams of students. Then the teams should present their results and compare them.

F. Concluding Assessment

The Lord and Creator of all things created an atmosphere with weather phenomena. He uses weather to get the attention of people, water the earth, express love, or execute judgement.