The LORD Speaks (Part 2)
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The LORD Speaks (Part 2)
The LORD Speaks (Part 2)
Job and his friends have been SPEECHIFYING for 36’ish chapters and the LORD is responding to Job.
Last week we saw God dealing with the elements of creation such as the unseen world, including good and evil, but essentially saying that everything you see happening around you is because of me.
And if I were to pull back my mighty arm then the world would descend into complete chaos.
If last week was the unseen and seemingly inanimate characters, the THIS week is the WORLD OF THE ANIMALS.
The world of the animals:
Lion, raven, mountain goats, wild donkey, wild ox, ostrich, horse, hawk, and the eagle.
Except the horse, they are all wild and live independent of humans.
And as a reminder,
The “very pointed omission of any reference to human beings, with their obsession with their own problems and their demands that God should conform to their own notices of justice, cannot but be intentional” (Whybray).
In short, it could be said that God is directing Job to consider everything outside of himself.
In doing so, God is saying there is wisdom to be found in the observation of creation and creatures.
Those in heaven and those on earth, which is where we focus today...
“Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? Who provides for the raven its prey, when its young ones cry to God for help, and wander about for lack of food?
Job had observed earlier that...
Job 4:11 “The strong lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered.”
NOW, I don’t wan’t to over spiritualize these sections.
“Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the does? Can you number the months that they fulfill, and do you know the time when they give birth, when they crouch, bring forth their offspring, and are delivered of their young? Their young ones become strong; they grow up in the open; they go out and do not return to them.
Okay, so there is a theme in the first four verses.
The birthing and care for the young.
You could make an argument that God too, will keep track of his children.
But, as I said before, humans are not addressed in these sections.
“Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, to whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place? He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver. He ranges the mountains as his pasture, and he searches after every green thing.
Even a donkey can live in the desert (a place of judgement when humans are sent there)
In spite of their location, the donkey finds a way to survive.
“Is the wild ox willing to serve you? Will he spend the night at your manger? Can you bind him in the furrow with ropes, or will he harrow the valleys after you? Will you depend on him because his strength is great, and will you leave to him your labor? Do you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it to your threshing floor?
I think this could be an allusion to other Canaanite gods, the bull god.
Essentially, do you think you could rely on the wild ox to ensure your crops are good?
“The wings of the ostrich wave proudly, but are they the pinions and plumage of love? For she leaves her eggs to the earth and lets them be warmed on the ground, forgetting that a foot may crush them and that the wild beast may trample them. She deals cruelly with her young, as if they were not hers; though her labor be in vain, yet she has no fear, because God has made her forget wisdom and given her no share in understanding. When she rouses herself to flee, she laughs at the horse and his rider.
Back to caring for the young.
And unlike the Ibis or Rooster, the Ostrich does not seem to provide any insight or wisdom, even though she is swifter than the horse and rider.
“Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrifying. He paws in the valley and exults in his strength; he goes out to meet the weapons. He laughs at fear and is not dismayed; he does not turn back from the sword. Upon him rattle the quiver, the flashing spear, and the javelin. With fierceness and rage he swallows the ground; he cannot stand still at the sound of the trumpet. When the trumpet sounds, he says ‘Aha!’ He smells the battle from afar, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
It is as if the horse has been prepared for War.
The horse has no fear of the fight, he is willing to engage and when it comes he is ready!
“Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high? On the rock he dwells and makes his home, on the rocky crag and stronghold. From there he spies out the prey; his eyes behold it from far away. His young ones suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he.”
Back to the young...
All very interesting.
And all very confusing, as to why it would be included here.
But there are some themes:
The lion and raven, even they need someone to help them. But their survival is at the expense of other lives.
Mountain goats, they give birth, raise their young, and they leave the flock and never return. As if they simply took from their parents and never gave back.
The wild donkey, stubborn, still needs someone to help them. But in their stubbornness, they will go to the mountains and areas where there is no food. Their stubbornness makes life hard on themselves.
The wild ox, strong and unrelenting, tramples without care. As if to say the wild ox has strength to spare, but is unwilling to share its strength with others.
The unwise ostrich, still needs someone to give her wisdom (unlike the ibis or rooster). She has features that are impressive, but fails to mind her young, she is only concerned with herself.
The war horse, has no fear when the battle comes. He responds simply to the sound of war, runs toward it, and does not care about itself. It gives no thought to the danger.
The eagle and hawk, scavenge the dead from a high perch. They are opportunistic, watching the suffering below and then satisfying themselves from it.
With all of these, people often get tied up into the species and how would the author know, and is it accurate. But I like to look at what they do.
God is telling us that creation will often go its own way, with only itself in mind, and no regard for the cost.
And the Lord said to Job: “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty? He who argues with God, let him answer it.”
Then Job answered the Lord and said: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Okay, this is Job’s first response.
Two ways to read this:
Job is utterly humbled, hears the correction, and determines to speak no more
Job is STILL waiting for God to respond to his charge, and decides to speak no more because he has nothing to ADD. He is standing by his charge and still waiting for God to address it.
Now that is probably not how you had considered it.
But, we must be honest. God has not directly addressed Job’s complaint.
And his response, I believe, is setup to be read either way.
I am in awe of your response
I am still waiting for your answer
And we won’t know entirely how this ends for a few more weeks.
But here is what we do know.
Job has no fear of speaking when God comes in the wind to Job’s pile of ash.