God’s Power and Wisdom
Moreover the Lord answered Job, and said: “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”
Job’s Response to God
Then Job answered the Lord and said: “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth.
Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
God’s Challenge to Job
Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: “Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and array yourself with glory and beauty. Disperse the rage of your wrath; look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; tread down the wicked in their place. Hide them in the dust together, bind their faces in hidden darkness. Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you.
“Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; he eats grass like an ox. See now, his strength is in his hips, and his power is in his stomach muscles. He moves his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. His bones are like beams of bronze, his ribs like bars of iron. He is the first of the ways of God; only He who made him can bring near His sword. Surely the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there. He lies under the lotus trees, in a covert of reeds and marsh. The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him. Indeed, the river may rage, yet he is not disturbed; he is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, though he takes it in his eyes, or one pierces his nose with a snare.”
By this point, Job fully realizes that he is in the wrong and makes an abject confession of his ignorance. But God is not through with questioning Job regarding his lack of wisdom and judgement. “Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His?”
God proceeds to further describe His creation by describing a creature He calls the behemoth. We aren’t certain which animal this passage describes. Some people have postulated that God is referring to a hippopotamus while others think it might be a huge crocodile. Some people have even postulated that the behemoth might be a dinosaur that has somehow survived. The fact that this animal eats grass like an ox suggests a hippo; on the other hand, “he moves his tail like a cedar.” This description is generally taken to mean the feathery movement of cedar branches. “In 2003, French scientists working in Baluchistan, Pakistan discovered the complete remains of an extinct variety of rhinoceros called a Baluchitherium, which was much larger and matched the physical description given in Job.” (Wikipedia)
Why does God take all this time describing the behemoth? Perhaps this creature was considered the stuff of nightmares, an indefatigable beast that was nearly impossible to kill. God is using the behemoth to demonstrate that He can create an animal that men cannot control in any fashion.
APPLICATION: By this point, most of us would have simply begged God’s forgiveness. But then most of us would not have challenged God as Job did in the first place. But if Job makes a confession at the beginning of the chapter, why does God continue anyway?
Only God knows the human heart. Perhaps Job is not as humble as he sounds and he still requires more convincing. On the other hand, God also knows that the story of Job will be recorded and taught for thousands of years. Perhaps God is not giving these descriptions so much for Job but for all those who will come afterwards.
The monster Behemoth continues to figure in Jewish literature and to be referred to in the Bible. Tomorrow we will consider another traditional monster, Leviathan. At the end of time, we may learn that both of these monsters are real and not mythological. The important thing is that God is a Creator of infinite resourcefulness and therefore deserving of our praise and worship.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to trust that You are sovereign and in control of Your creation. Thank You for Your goodness and mercy. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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