God's sovereign power
Text Job 40:6-42:17 Time 28/09/03 Place Childs Hill Baptist Church
We come this week to the final part of the Book of Job and to the second of the two speeches that the LORD makes to Job. In this second speech the LORD begins by rebuking Job and challenging him regarding his attitude. He then gives two final examples of creatures, this time the Behemoth and the Leviathan, that demonstrate his sovereign power. Job then humbles himself before the LORD in dust and ashes and the LORD rebukes Job’s so-called friends for their failure to speak what is right about him. They are forgiven through the prayer of Job. Finally, we are told about how the LORD restored Job’s fortunes following his terrible troubles. There are six things to notice here then in all. We can divide them into two sets of three.
1. A rebuke to receive, a challenge to consider and lessons to learn
1. A rebuke to receive - Receive this rebuke all who accuse God of injustice
We come this week to the final part of the Book of Job and to the second of the two speeches that the LORD makes to Job. In this second speech the LORD begins by rebuking Job and challenging him regarding his attitude. He then gives two final examples of creatures, this time the Behemoth and the Leviathan, that demonstrate his sovereign power. Job then humbles himself before the LORD in dust and ashes and the LORD rebukes Job’s so-called friends for their failure to speak what is right about him. They are forgiven through the prayer of Job. Finally, we are told about how the LORD restored Job’s fortunes following his terrible troubles. There are six things to notice here then in all. We can divide them into two sets of three.
1. A rebuke to receive, a challenge to consider and lessons to learn
1. A rebuke to receive - Receive this rebuke all who accuse God of injustice
In 40:6 we read that God continued to speak to Job out of the storm. As we said previously the LORD’s coming is often accompanied in the Old Testament with stormy weather, a reminder of his power and greatness. It is the LORD who comes near, however, the covenant God of Israel who is full of love and compassion. In 40:7 here repeats what he had already said back in 38:3 Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. As we said then, the term used refers to preparation for any hard work but here refers to wrestling, a fight. ‘You want a fight?’ says God, as it were, ‘then get ready’. You’ve heard of duels in days gone by, two men shooting at each other from 40 paces. Here is a duel between God and Job and Job needs to be ready for the encounter. It’s going to be a rough ride. Here the fight continues.
In verse 8 two further questions are asked, Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Here is a rebuke then to Job for his questioning of God’s justice and to any who are tempted to question God’s fairness to them. We must take great care how we speak of God and his dealings with us. We must not be murmurers against him. This is a loving rebuke, however, and is intended to bring a person to his senses and see what he has done. Have we spoken out in such ways? Then we must be willing to be rebuked and to repent of such foolishness.
2. A challenge to consider – Consider this challenge all who accuse God of injustice
In verse 8 two further questions are asked, Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Here is a rebuke then to Job for his questioning of God’s justice and to any who are tempted to question God’s fairness to them. We must take great care how we speak of God and his dealings with us. We must not be murmurers against him. This is a loving rebuke, however, and is intended to bring a person to his senses and see what he has done. Have we spoken out in such ways? Then we must be willing to be rebuked and to repent of such foolishness.
2. A challenge to consider – Consider this challenge all who accuse God of injustice
Further questions follow in verse 9 Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his? Do you have God’s power? Are you as strong as him? The LORD makes a challenge in verses 10-14 If you are so powerful Then adorn yourself with glory and splendour, and clothe yourself in honour and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low, look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand. Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave. Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you. If Job really does want to contend with the LORD then why does he not cover himself with glory? Does he really think that he can decide who should suffer and who should not suffer? Is he going to be the one who decides who goes to hell? The whole idea is ridiculous.
A Hollywood film recently appeared in which this idea is pursued. The basic plot of Bruce Almighty is that this TV presenter fails to get a promotion and then loses his job and gets beaten up, etc. Everything goes wrong and he blames God for it. Unexpectedly, he is summoned before God and is told that from now on he will be taking care of things. Of course, he soon finds that the task is much more difficult than he had ever realised. There are many faults and failures in the film but it does at least get this idea over. For example simply for Bruce to deal with all the often conflicting prayers of the people of one small town is a major job in itself. Now here we are being challenged by God. If we are so disappointed with the way that he is running our lives then what is our solution? Do we presume to advise him on how things can be improved?
3. A Lesson to learn - Understand God’s sovereign power
3. A Lesson to learn - Understand God’s sovereign power
The LORD then goes on to demonstrate his sovereign power by reference to two particular creatures – the Behemoth and the Leviathan. Already our attention has been drawn to the way that the LORD provides for the lion and the raven and the way the mountain goats and deer procreate as he watches over them. We have also been reminded of the way God possesses the wild donkeys and oxen in a way that leaves them to freely roam at will. Then there was the rapid propulsion of the ostrich and the warhorse on the land and the hawk and the eagle in the sky. Here we meet two more creatures. Before we begin to look at them we must consider four introductory questions.
1 Are we talking here about two creatures or one?
1 Are we talking here about two creatures or one?
Some wonder if the two words simply refer to the one creature first on land and then in the sea. However, it seems more likely that we are talking about two different creatures – one very powerful but quite placid, the second powerful and violent too.
2 Are we talking here about mythical creatures or real ones?
2 Are we talking here about mythical creatures or real ones?
In some respects these do sound like quite fantastic creatures and may be the legends of such creatures are in mind here but in the light of verse 19 which speaks of the behemoth as ranking first among the works of God it is most likely that we are talking about real if rather exotic creatures in fact.
3 Are we talking here about creatures still around today or extinct ones?
3 Are we talking here about creatures still around today or extinct ones?
It has been suggested that the behemoth is in fact the hippopotamus but the reference to His tail swaying like a cedar (17) does not fit and so others have wondered if this is may be an elephant, the trunk being the part that sways like a cedar. The elephant, however, does not eat grass. The leviathan, it is suggested, is a crocodile yet certain parts of the description again seem to take us beyond that.
4 Are we talking here about what we normally refer to today as dinosaurs?
4 Are we talking here about what we normally refer to today as dinosaurs?
I think that we are probably talking here about creatures now extinct, creatures like those that we most often refer to today as dinosaurs. The behemoth sounds something like a brontosaurus and the leviathan sounds something like a plesiosaur or even a stegosaurus. Our knowledge of dinosaurs is confined chiefly to what we can learn from fossils, of course. Sometimes the imagination of those who describe these creatures runs away with them but it is clear that many of them were quite magnificent creatures. There is no reason to believe that they were all wiped out at once. It is far more likely that each one became extinct at a different time, like the many other extinct animals that have died out in more recent years. As for dinosaurs on the ark, it is a well known fact that they start out as quite small creatures and there would have been no difficulty for Noah bringing them on board.
1 Behold the Behemoth and understand God’s sovereign power
The word Behemoth itself is a plural, probably to denote its large size. So we must imagine first a large animal quietly grazing (15) Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. It is then described, verses 16-18, What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail {or trunk} sways like a cedar; (referring to its size or perhaps its rigidity) the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. Each element points to the noble strength of this animal, the sort of thing you see in the hippo or the elephant. It goes on (19) to make the point that He ranks first among the works of God,(this is the largest of God’s land creatures) yet his Maker can approach him with his sword. The animal is no match for God himself, of course. The point is then that if Job wants to contend with God he can get some idea of what that will involve by thinking about this creature God has made. Would you want a wrestling match with a hippo or a rhino or an elephant? How do you fancy being confronted by one of the dinosaurs of long ago? No? Then why would you want to argue with God or rebel against his will for your life?
Verses 20-24 leave us with a beautiful description of this strong, noble creature surrounded by other animals that have no fear of attack from him. It is intended to set our minds on God and his sovereign power over all things. Verses 20-24 The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby. Under the lotus plant he lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh. The lotuses conceal him in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround him. When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth. Can anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose? That last verse is very pointed. Are you trying to capture God and pin him down? Give up now!
2 Look at the Leviathan and understand God’s sovereign power
The word leviathan appears some six times in Scripture. The word seems to have at its root in the idea of coiling or twisting. Here in Chapter 41 we return to the straight question method. In verses 1-7 we have a series of nine questions. They are full of playful irony. They are meant to make you smile. They each serve to describe this powerful creature of God and teach us that his power is very great indeed.
Leviathan can’t be pulled in with a fishhook. You can’t even tie his huge tongue down with a rope. He won’t be tamed. Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words? Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? No, (8-10) If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. No-one is fierce enough to rouse him.
And the application of this (10b, 11) Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me. We must recognise that we cannot stand against God. We couldn’t even wrestle against a large crocodile and win. Just as we cannot put such a creature on a leash and take it for walks in the park so we cannot tame God and make him our pet poodle. Everything is his and he does as he pleases.
The description then goes on at length in verses 12-34. It doesn’t really help us to get any clearer idea of what this animal looks like but all the images are of strength and power and underline the fact of God’s sovereign power. He is not only strong but is graceful in form. No tanner could skin it and Who would approach him with a bridle? It has fearsome teeth and (15-17) His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; each is so close to the next that no air can pass between. They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted. The description in verses 18-23 make him sound like one of those dragons of legend. This is poetry, however, and these verses should probably be understood metaphorically.
His neck and upper body are described in verses 22-24 Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him. The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable. His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. In verses 25-29 we return to the idea of trying to capture this beast. The very thought is madness. When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing. The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood. Arrows do not make him flee; slingstones are like chaff to him. A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance.
Finally, we see him like the beast emerging from the sea that John speaks of in Revelation. His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing-sledge. He makes the depths churn like a boiling cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair. Nothing on earth is his equal - a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud. Those final words speak of leviathan but the point is that it is God who made him. He is the one of whom it can be said absolutely that Nothing on earth (or in heaven or under the earth either) is his equal. He needs fear no-one but looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud. Humble yourself before him now, confess your sin, seek his forgiveness.
What is your experience of God? Have you known him as the Behemoth? Are you aware of God but not as a God who invades your life? He is a God who is to be worshipped. Serve him by trusting in Jesus Christ and living for his glory. Perhaps you have known him as Leviathan. What a struggle is going on. You are trying to oppose the Almighty. Give in now and humble yourself before him before it is too late.
2. An example to emulate, a rebuke to receive and an encouragement to enjoy
1. An example to emulate - Join with Job in humbling yourself before God
1 Behold the Behemoth and understand God’s sovereign power
The word Behemoth itself is a plural, probably to denote its large size. So we must imagine first a large animal quietly grazing (15) Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. It is then described, verses 16-18, What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! His tail {or trunk} sways like a cedar; (referring to its size or perhaps its rigidity) the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. Each element points to the noble strength of this animal, the sort of thing you see in the hippo or the elephant. It goes on (19) to make the point that He ranks first among the works of God,(this is the largest of God’s land creatures) yet his Maker can approach him with his sword. The animal is no match for God himself, of course. The point is then that if Job wants to contend with God he can get some idea of what that will involve by thinking about this creature God has made. Would you want a wrestling match with a hippo or a rhino or an elephant? How do you fancy being confronted by one of the dinosaurs of long ago? No? Then why would you want to argue with God or rebel against his will for your life?
Verses 20-24 leave us with a beautiful description of this strong, noble creature surrounded by other animals that have no fear of attack from him. It is intended to set our minds on God and his sovereign power over all things. Verses 20-24 The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby. Under the lotus plant he lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh. The lotuses conceal him in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround him. When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth. Can anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose? That last verse is very pointed. Are you trying to capture God and pin him down? Give up now!
2 Look at the Leviathan and understand God’s sovereign power
The word leviathan appears some six times in Scripture. The word seems to have at its root in the idea of coiling or twisting. Here in Chapter 41 we return to the straight question method. In verses 1-7 we have a series of nine questions. They are full of playful irony. They are meant to make you smile. They each serve to describe this powerful creature of God and teach us that his power is very great indeed.
Leviathan can’t be pulled in with a fishhook. You can’t even tie his huge tongue down with a rope. He won’t be tamed. Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words? Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life? Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? No, (8-10) If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. No-one is fierce enough to rouse him.
And the application of this (10b, 11) Who then is able to stand against me? Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me. We must recognise that we cannot stand against God. We couldn’t even wrestle against a large crocodile and win. Just as we cannot put such a creature on a leash and take it for walks in the park so we cannot tame God and make him our pet poodle. Everything is his and he does as he pleases.
The description then goes on at length in verses 12-34. It doesn’t really help us to get any clearer idea of what this animal looks like but all the images are of strength and power and underline the fact of God’s sovereign power. He is not only strong but is graceful in form. No tanner could skin it and Who would approach him with a bridle? It has fearsome teeth and (15-17) His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; each is so close to the next that no air can pass between. They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted. The description in verses 18-23 make him sound like one of those dragons of legend. This is poetry, however, and these verses should probably be understood metaphorically.
His neck and upper body are described in verses 22-24 Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him. The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable. His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. In verses 25-29 we return to the idea of trying to capture this beast. The very thought is madness. When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing. The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood. Arrows do not make him flee; slingstones are like chaff to him. A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance.
Finally, we see him like the beast emerging from the sea that John speaks of in Revelation. His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing-sledge. He makes the depths churn like a boiling cauldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair. Nothing on earth is his equal - a creature without fear. He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud. Those final words speak of leviathan but the point is that it is God who made him. He is the one of whom it can be said absolutely that Nothing on earth (or in heaven or under the earth either) is his equal. He needs fear no-one but looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud. Humble yourself before him now, confess your sin, seek his forgiveness.
What is your experience of God? Have you known him as the Behemoth? Are you aware of God but not as a God who invades your life? He is a God who is to be worshipped. Serve him by trusting in Jesus Christ and living for his glory. Perhaps you have known him as Leviathan. What a struggle is going on. You are trying to oppose the Almighty. Give in now and humble yourself before him before it is too late.
2. An example to emulate, a rebuke to receive and an encouragement to enjoy
1. An example to emulate - Join with Job in humbling yourself before God
At this point the book is practically over and only a few things remain to be covered. First (1-5), Job replied to the LORD: I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. You asked, Who is this that obscures my counsel without knowledge? Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know. You said, Listen now, and I will speak; I will question you, and you shall answer me. My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes. Here is a wonderful example of humility for us. Job knew he had done wrong. He knew he had failed. He acknowledges God’s absolute sovereignty to do just as he pleases, therefore. He confesses his sin in speaking as he did and how ignorant he had been of God’s greatness too. He repents with great sorrow before the LORD. Now this is how we ought to proceed, especially if we have been guilty in any way of murmuring against God and complaining about our lot. Many others, like Job, can speak of the things that they have learned through suffering. It is not right simply to say that God lets us suffer in order to teach us lessons. However, one of the things that often happens when Christians suffer is that they learn things about God that they could never have learned any other way. That was Job’s experience. At this point all his sufferings and loss are forgotten as he realises how much more he has already gained.
2. A rebuke to receive - Receive this rebuke all who fail to speak rightly of God and seek forgiveness
2. A rebuke to receive - Receive this rebuke all who fail to speak rightly of God and seek forgiveness
Next we have another rebuke – this time for Job’s so-called friends.
1 The wrong
1 The wrong
Verse 7 After the LORD had said these things to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite, I am angry with you and your two friends, because you have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. Job was at fault in some of the things he said but he had not sinned in the way that the three friends had. They had persistently tried to explain Job’s sufferings in ways that were plain wrong. They had ended up making all sorts of terrible accusations against Job because they were unwilling to accept such a thing as innocent suffering. It is important that we remember what a serious thing it is to teach error. God is angry with all who teach what is false. To fail to speak what is right about the LORD is a great sin especially when a person claims to be speaking God’s truth. Such people deserve God’s wrath.
2 The remedy
2 The remedy
This is given in verse 8 So now take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and sacrifice a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer and not deal with you according to your folly. You have not spoken of me what is right, as my servant Job has. This was the Old Testament period and so before the sacrifice that Christ made on the cross therefore the way of atonement was through an animal sacrifice pointing forward to the coming of Christ. This was also before the establishment of the House of Levi as the priestly tribe and so Job the Patriarch is the one who was to perform the sacrifice. As a priest he was also to pray for his friends that God would not deal with them as they deserved. This was done, we read, and the LORD accepted Job’s prayer.
Today a sacrifice and a prayer is needed if any of us are to find forgiveness for our folly. The only one who can do that is Jesus Christ. He has already made the sacrifice for all who are his by dying on the cross. He is also now praying in heaven for all those who are his. All we have to do is to confess our sins as Job did and as his friends did and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you doing that? If not you will remain under God’s wrath. Turn now to the Lord and find forgiveness. Job, then, is a type of Christ. When we think of Job and his patience we should think too of Christ and all he has patiently done for sinners.
3. An encouragement to enjoy – Be encouraged by the excellent things ahead all who patiently trust in God
Today a sacrifice and a prayer is needed if any of us are to find forgiveness for our folly. The only one who can do that is Jesus Christ. He has already made the sacrifice for all who are his by dying on the cross. He is also now praying in heaven for all those who are his. All we have to do is to confess our sins as Job did and as his friends did and look to the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you doing that? If not you will remain under God’s wrath. Turn now to the Lord and find forgiveness. Job, then, is a type of Christ. When we think of Job and his patience we should think too of Christ and all he has patiently done for sinners.
3. An encouragement to enjoy – Be encouraged by the excellent things ahead all who patiently trust in God
Finally we read (10) that After Job had prayed for his friends, the LORD made him prosperous again and gave him twice as much as he had before. In another wisdom book the Book of Proverbs we read these words (3:13-17) Blessed is the man who finds wisdom, the man who gains understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honour. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. Here we see a man who has found wisdom. Job has come to see the truth – not the truth about why he was suffering. That, it appears, was never revealed to him. However, he now knows God in a way that he never knew him before. Along with that matchless gift came other things too. Again, I remind you, we are in the Old Testament where things were often made more concrete and tangible. What happened to Job at the end of his sufferings is not guaranteed on earth for every believer. Some do suffer right to the very end. There is no guarantee that even if we do bow down to God and accept our situation that it will then pass straightaway. However, we know that this life is not all. There is a world to come. In that world these blessings will certainly be ours. What blessings?
1 Pleasant ways and peaceful paths
1 Pleasant ways and peaceful paths
Verse 11 All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the LORD had brought upon him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring. We may be tempted to ask where these all were when Job was in trouble but Job himself clearly forgave them their failing. We must do the same sort of thing where necessary.
2 Riches and honour
2 Riches and honour
The LORD blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the first. He had 14,000 sheep, 6000 camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. Exactly twice what he had before. Verse 13 And he also had seven sons and three daughters. This was exactly the same as were lost in the tragic whirlwind. Often in the Bible girls’ names are not given. Here things are reversed. Verses 14 and 15 The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch. Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. The three names actually suggest beauty – as in the gentleness of doves, the sweet smell of perfume and the beautifying work of cosmetics.
3 Long life
3 Long life
Verses 16 and 17 After this, Job lived 140 years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so he died, old and full of years. Of course, for the believer eternal life is his reward. That will more than make up for any loss here on earth.
There were times when Job had thought he would never be happy again. He was wrong. God is gracious and kind and if we look to him there is hope for us all.
There were times when Job had thought he would never be happy again. He was wrong. God is gracious and kind and if we look to him there is hope for us all.
