Monday, May 8, 2017
Daily reading assignment: Job 39-40
Following the foolish dialog of Elihu, the youngest of Job’s four “friends”, God began proposing to Job a series of questions in Job 38 regarding both Himself as Creator and the majesty of Creation. God’s loving inquisition of Job inviting him to ponder all God has created and sustains continues in Job 39.
The LORD asks Job to consider the wonders of nature and how He, the Creator, has set in order the lives and life cycles of beasts and birds. Six beasts, including the wild unicorn (not the mythical one-horned horse, but a one horned species of antelope) and birds are examples of God’s care and providential oversight of His creation (39:1-30).
The LORD continues His interrogation in chapter 40; however, Job is now given the opportunity to respond to God (40:3-5). Having tarried in God’s presence, Job acknowledged His unworthiness (“Behold I am vile” – 40:4) and the LORD responded by asking why Job would question His dealings with him as anything less than just (40:6-14).
The beast described as the “behemoth” (40:15) is most likely the hippopotamus, elephant or perhaps a water buffalo.
I close by proposing the question, “What did all of this mean to Job and why should it matter to you?”
I suggest the answer be proposed in a question: “Having considered the beauty and majesty of God’s creation and the creatures He has made, what is man?”
Job 7:17 17 What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?
Job 15:14 14 What is man, that he should be clean? and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?
Psalm 8:4 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Psalm 144:3 3 LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
Ecclesiastes 6:11 11 Seeing there be many things that increase vanity, what is man the better?
Hebrews 2:6 6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
Copyright 2017 – Travis D. Smith
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