Job 40
God’s credentials as Creator
God: Are you kidding me?
1The LORD said to Job:2Seriously?
Are you going to argue with the Almighty?
Well then, start talking.
Job speaks up
3Job told the LORD:4How am I supposed to answer that?
I’m not important.
5I said what I wanted to say.
I spoke my piece.
I’m done talking.
God goads Job
6The LORD answered JobWith a voice that pierced the windstorm:
7Not so fast. Put on your big-boy pants.
You’re going to talk to me
And I’m going to talk to you.
8Are you saying I’m wrong
Just so you can say you’re right?
9Do you have my kind of muscle?
Can your voice cut through thunder?
10Go ahead, then,
Show us how great and majestic you are.
11You’re angry. Well, let it fly.
Humble the proud.
12Knock them off their feet.
Drop the wicked where they stand
And stomp them in the ground.
13Cover them in the dirt
And hide them in the grave.
14Do that and I’ll back you.
I’ll agree you have the power to save yourself.
Creator of the great Behemoth
15Look at the huge Behemoth. [1]It eats grass like the ox.
I made this animal like I made you.
16It’s a powerful creature,
With muscles in its belly,
The core of its massive body.
17It can stiffen its tail hard as a tree.
It’s legs are made of tightly woven fiber,
18Built around bones hard as bronze
And legs strong as iron.
19The Behemoth was one of the first
Of the greatest things I’ve ever done.
I’m the only one who can approach it with a sword.
20It feeds in the hills
Where wild critters play.
21It rests in the shade of the lotus tree [2]
And among reeds in the marsh.
22The lotus shades it,
And willows along the trail [3] cover it.
23Nothing scares this animal,
Not even the Jordan River
Smashing hard into its face.
24No one is going to catch it on a hook,
Or tag it with a nose ring
And take it for a walk.
Footnotes
Ancient sources don’t agree on what the word behemoth (buh HEE muth) means. Some writers in ancient times say it refers to an elephant. Others say the description of the water-loving animal best fits the hippopotamus or crocodile. In many ancient mythological stories, there were two dominant monsters. Leviathan lived in the sea and Behemoth lived on the land. Leviathan was a female sea creature that Jewish legend says God made on day five of Creation. Behemoth was its counterpart on land. Monsters like these could represent invaders, like the Roman Empire, which occupied most of the land surrounding the Mediterranean Sea.
Lotus trees grow well near streams, rivers, ponds, and lakes.
The word for “trail” is wadi. A wadi is usually a dry riverbed in the often-dry Middle East. When rain comes, a wadi can fill very quickly and wash away anyone using the wadi as a natural trail. Added to the danger is that the rainstorm can be far away at a higher altitude. And a person walking on the pathway far from the storm will suddenly feel its effects when the water hits them like the deluge from a busted dam.
Discussion Questions
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