Job

Job Chapter 41

Job 41:1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

Whatever this leviathan is, it can't be caught by a hook like regular fish so this must be some kind of sea creature. Some have speculated a whale, a crocodile, dragon like sea monster and a very large serpent. So we just do not know for sure but it is something stronger than an ordinary fish that we catch with hooks. Crocodiles have very strong jaws so it could be referred to them or alligators. They probably know how to catch these animals of the sea now in modern times.

I do notice that in the sea as well as land animals there are ones that are dangerous and ones that are harmless. Good and evil dwells on the earth at all places it seems.

Job 41:2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?
3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?
4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?
5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

This creature cannot be tamed like an ox or horses. Only God would be able to control these creatures. They are dangerous and never can be pets like we see in kid's cartoons.

Job 41:6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?
7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

Somthing used to catch fish were not strong enough to catch these creatures discribed here.

Job 41:8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

Whoever goes to battle and tried to capture this creature better know what they are doing. One failure to lose control could cost one his or her life.

Job 41:9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

Most of us would not try but lose heart just to see one of these monsters unless our faith was strong and we trusted in the Lord. This verse reminds me of the time in Exodus when God called Moses and used a serpent to show Moses the power God would place upon him to go before Pharoah and lead the children of Israel out of Egypt.

Exodus 4:1 And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
2 And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
3 And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
4 And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
5 That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee.

The serpent was one of the ones that was poisonous and meant death if it would bite anyone. That is why Moses fled from before it.

Job 41:10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

God is greater, more powerful and none can stand before Him even more than the wildest and most dangerous creatures on land or the sea.

Job 41:11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

The power of God is greater than the strongest of animals. None in all of Heaven or earth is greater and it all belongs to God who created it.

Job 41:12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.
13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?
14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.
15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.
16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.
17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.
18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

No matter how great the monsters are whether man or beast, they cannot prevail against God and I'm glad it's that way. Imagine the world we live in without the power of God to protect the innocent and offer us eternal life when our life on earth is done. Mankind can become so evil that the misery and harm done to the innocent and weak would never stop but only get worse. God is our refuge, our help and our way out of this mess we get into. Innocent children suffer from the wickedness of mankind. Yet in all this trouble, God provides a way out through faith in His Son, Jesus who He sent from Heaven to make all things new.

To us it seems like it is taking so long but His return is guaranteed. He came the first time to make and offering for our sin. He will comes a second time first to save those that believe in Him and resurrect His faithful believes who have died. He then will come to reign on the earth. During the reign of Jesus Christ, a child will be able to play around dangerous animals and not be harmed.

Isaiah 11:1 And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:
2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;
3 And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
4 But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.
5 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins.
6 The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them.
7 And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together: and the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice' den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
10 And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.

He's coming, He's coming. When God sends His Son back to set up His kingdom. Nothing can be done to defeat or stop His coming when our God says, "Go."

Job 41:19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

Now this verse does make it sound like a legendary dragon but most say this is how a corcodile acts when he holds his breathe underwater and comes up and starts to breathe again. He brings forth smoke our of his nostrils. Verse 15 mentions scales which would hint of a sea creature of some kind.

Job 41:20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.
21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.
22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.
23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.
24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.
25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.
26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.
27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

He is so strong that iron, spears, darts do not make him fear. Neither arrows stones thrown at him.

Job 41:28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.
29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear.
30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.
31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.
33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

All other animals fear this one described in this chapter of Job. We might wonder why God created creatures like this. My view is that before the fall of Adam, these animals were harmless as doves.

When sin came in and Satan entered our atmosphere, things changed. When Jesus comes and God makes a new heaven and earth in the future, things will change back to they way they were before sin entered into the world.

Jesus has reversed the curse by coming and dying for our sin. Things are going to change back to the way God intended them to be at the beginning of the creation of the earth when all evil is defeated and we all stand before God to face judgment.

The faithful believers that received forgiveness of sins in their lifetime will be judged by the Lord Jesus for their works but those that face the great white throne judgment will face God for rejecting the way out of their sin, which is to receive Jesus and find forgiveness. God made the way for all who believe to be saved from the wrath to come.

Job 41:34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

These animals are so strong and mighty that they can't be controlled tamed and would be almost impossible to capture. How much greater is God who does have power over all these things. At His word they would flee. God has all power.

This discourse shows us how much God is needed in our lives. Nations rise and fall at His command. How much more should we learn to trust in Him for protection, guidance, salvation and mercy. As we shall see in the last chapter of Job. God restores, blesses and answers those that belong to Him. DC

Job Chapter 42