Job 40
The Lord said to Job:
2 ‘Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!’
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 ‘I am unworthy – how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer –
twice, but I will say no more.’
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 ‘Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 ‘Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendour,
and clothe yourself in honour and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 ‘Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plant it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?
In the face of God’s questions (there are loads in these three chapters), Job couldn’t help but acknowledge his own unworthiness and insignificance as He was confronted by majesty he saw in God.
Job’s only response was to shut up and be quiet (literally).
Dear friends, I wonder how much less talking there would be if we adopted Job’s attitude and a continual awareness of the presence of God. We all have questions about life. Questions, mind you, that God has chosen, even in His Word, not to reveal the answers to.
It is my experience that the longer I am a Christian, striving to walk faithfully with the LORD, the more questions I have and the more I become aware that I will not get all the answers this side of heaven.
Here in the Book of Job, God was pointing out Job’s lack of understanding on so many fronts about 2 types of animals in 40v15 and 41v1.
Human beings cannot control animals like these, but God can and does. The first is called Behemoth and the second the leviathan. Whatever the species, whatever its size and power, God can control it as easily as an ant.
So, is God capable of taking care of our problems today? Indeed He is.
PRAYER: Thank You, LORD, for Your power and protection on us this day. We entrust our lives to You. AMEN