Job 39:1 ¶ Knowest thou the time when the wild goats of the rock bring forth? or canst thou mark when the hinds do calve?
Job 39:2 Canst thou number the months that they fulfil? or knowest thou the time when they bring forth?
Job 39:3 They bow themselves, they bring forth their young ones, they cast out their sorrows.
Job 39:4 Their young ones are in good liking, they grow up with corn; they go forth, and return not unto them.
The questions in this chapter focus on God’s creative work in making and caring for the creatures in the animal kingdom. God is pointing out to Job that he has no control over when and how they reproduce. Can he explain how they know innately what to do to give birth and how to take care of their young? Can he explain how the young ones know when it is time to go off on their own? Can he explain why there is no lasting bond between parent and offspring? God knows the answer to each one of these questions; He is in control. Man can only observe the process.
Job 39:5 Who hath sent out the wild ass free? or who hath loosed the bands of the wild ass?
Job 39:6 Whose house I have made the wilderness, and the barren land his dwellings.
Job 39:7 He scorneth the multitude of the city, neither regardeth he the crying of the driver.
Job 39:8 The range of the mountains is his pasture, and he searcheth after every green thing.
This section starts with the thought of who determines which animals roam free and which are made to serve man. It also addresses who determines where the animals are to live. Some were created and equipped to live in the desert, others in the mountains, and others in pastures that are tended by men. Some are naturally vegetarians and others, like those in the previous chapter, are natural meat eaters. Again, it is all a part of God’s overall plan to maintain the balance of nature and provide for each creature that is part of His creation. The obvious point being made yet again—Man has no control over any animal regarding its natural instincts and placing them where they naturally thrive.
Job 39:9 Will the unicorn be willing to serve thee, or abide by thy crib?
Job 39:10 Canst thou bind the unicorn with his band in the furrow? or will he harrow the valleys after thee?
Job 39:11 Wilt thou trust him, because his strength is great? or wilt thou leave thy labour to him?
Job 39:12 Wilt thou believe him, that he will bring home thy seed, and gather it into thy barn?
Point is made in this section that there are some animals that man cannot tame. The Hebrew for unicorn makes reference to a wild bull. Some commentators think that the rhinoceros is meant as a type of the unicorn that is known for its prominent horn. The obvious reference is to a grown animal that is too dumb and powerful to be tamed and put to work for man.
The implication of the question—God made this animal and programmed it according to His own purposes.
Job 39:13 ¶ Gavest thou the goodly wings unto the peacocks? or wings and feathers unto the ostrich?
Job 39:14 Which leaveth her eggs in the earth, and warmeth them in dust,
Job 39:15 And forgetteth that the foot may crush them, or that the wild beast may break them.
Job 39:16 She is hardened against her young ones, as though they were not hers: her labour is in vain without fear;
Job 39:17 Because God hath deprived her of wisdom, neither hath he imparted to her understanding.
Job 39:18 What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and his rider.
This section mentions two birds that can’t soar through the skies like other birds due to the choice of their Creator.
Following is some information on the peacock from www.birdsflight.com: “Peacocks can fly. They can easily flutter into the air but only up to a limited gap. Unlike other birds, they cannot prolong their flight but these small drifts are extremely essential in getting rid of deadly killers. As soon as any predator approaches them, they ascend by means of feathers to get to the nearby tree for safety. Besides in the late hours of darkness, if they fancy living on the limb of a tree, they can do so by flying directly on to it. Likewise, peacocks make use of their plumage while landing to the ground.”
The ostrich is certainly an interesting creature. The ostrich has wings that are useless; it cannot fly at all. Unlike most birds, she is not careful with her eggs; in fact, they travel in herds and put all their eggs in one nest. The eggs are then basically left primarily to the care of the dominant male and female of the herd. Brian Bertram, author of The Ostrich Communal Nesting System (1992), reported that only 5 of 57 nests that he studied produced surviving hatchlings and that most eggs fell prey to predators.
Adam Clarke’s Commentary includes a couple of interesting quotes: 1) “Mr. Jackson, in his Account of Morocco, observes: ‘The ostrich, having laid her eggs, goes away, forgetting or forsaking them: and if some other ostrich discover them, she hatches them as if they were her own, forgetting probably whether they are or are not; so deficient is the recollection of this bird.’” 2) “Xenophon says, Cyrus had horses that could overtake the goat and the wild ass; but none that could reach this creature. A thousand golden ducats, or a hundred camels, was the stated price of a horse that could equal their speed."
God explains these actions to Job as unique to how He created them; God chose to deprive the ostrich of wisdom and understanding according to His purposes. On the other hand, He chose to enable ostriches to run so fast that they can outrun a horse. They can sprint up to 43 mph and run for distance at 31 mph (per National Geographic). The point seems to be that this creature again emphasizes the sovereignty of God over His creation and man’s limited ability to understand God’s reasoning through His actions.
Having described the horse’s speed as unequal to the ostrich, God turns Job’s focus to the strengths of the horse.
Job 39:19 ¶ Hast thou given the horse strength? hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?
Job 39:20 Canst thou make him afraid as a grasshopper? the glory of his nostrils is terrible.
Job 39:21 He paweth in the valley, and rejoiceth in his strength: he goeth on to meet the armed men.
Job 39:22 He mocketh at fear, and is not affrighted; neither turneth he back from the sword.
Job 39:23 The quiver rattleth against him, the glittering spear and the shield.
Job 39:24 He swalloweth the ground with fierceness and rage: neither believeth he that it is the sound of the trumpet.
Job 39:25 He saith among the trumpets, Ha, ha; and he smelleth the battle afar off, the thunder of the captains, and the shouting.
The Lord resumes a questioning format in reference to an animal with which Job should be very familiar. Could Job take credit for giving the horse its strength and courage? Some translations are worded so as to compare the leaping ability of the horse to that of the grasshopper. The horse is unafraid as he carries his rider into battle though he is confronted with sword, spear and javelin. The horse responds to the commands of his master without being frightened by the sound of trumpets or the shouting of men. That same courage would prove to hold true even when confronted with the invention of guns and cannons. It would seem to any observer that the horse relished the battle.
I am sure Job was feeling smaller and smaller as he considered his thoughts regarding his circumstances in light of the sovereignty and power of Almighty God, His Creator, and His obvious interest in the details of the makeup of each creature in His creation. From the horse God directs Job’s attention to the hawk and eagle, the great birds of prey.
Job 39:26 ¶ Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom, and stretch her wings toward the south?
Job 39:27 Doth the eagle mount up at thy command, and make her nest on high?
Job 39:28 She dwelleth and abideth on the rock, upon the crag of the rock, and the strong place.
Job 39:29 From thence she seeketh the prey, and her eyes behold afar off.
Job 39:30 Her young ones also suck up blood: and where the slain are, there is she.
Could Job take credit for designing the hawk or the eagle to fly at such great height? Did he give them the inner compass to control their migration senses and patterns? Could he direct these birds with the command of his voice? Did he give them the ability to make their nests at such heights in the mountains? Obviously, Job could not—but God can and did.
Wikipedia: “An eagle in flight can reputedly sight a rabbit two miles away. Talon–eye coordination is a hunting imperative. From its perch at the top of trees, the eagle can dive at speeds of 125–200 miles per hour (201–322 km/h) to catch its prey by its talons.”
www.reference.com: “Eagles fly 10,000 to 15,000 feet high at about 65 mph. They can glide for hours without rest on warm updrafts of air.”
“Similar to other birds of prey, hawks have vision that is around eight times sharper than that of humans.”
Verse 30 emphasizes that these birds are carnivores.
Obviously, the Creator of such creatures has power and authority far beyond human understanding.
Job 40:1 ¶ Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said,
Job 40:2 Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth God, let him answer it.
Job 40:3 Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
Job 40:4 Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth.
Job 40:5 Once have I spoken; but I will not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further.
After reeling off so many questions that reflect His power and sovereignty over creation and man’s weakness and dependency, YHWH, the self-existent, eternal God, our Creator, basically asks Job how he would correct or rebuke God for His actions.
Frankly, I am surprised that Job could speak at all. I think I would have been a cowering blob of jello. Job admits that he is vile—of no estimation, completely insignificant, totally contemptible. He admits that he has no answer—in fact, he has already said way too much! Though he still did not understand the why of his circumstances, Job now understood that he had no right to question God concerning those circumstances.
Job 40:6 ¶ Then answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Job 40:7 Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me.
Job 40:8 Wilt thou also disannul my judgment? wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?
Job 40:9 Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?
I just tried to picture talking to God who is speaking to you from within a storm with a voice like thunder.
Psalms 29:3–5, 7–9 “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon. The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh. The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.”
I think it is easy to read through scripture without taking the time to meditate on what the Spirit is revealing to us. The voice of our God is POWERFUL beyond our full comprehension. It is this voice that is talking to Job and to us through the record of scripture. The message from a Being of such omnipotent power and authority should cause us to take the time to pause and carefully consider what He has to say.
The LORD is basically telling Job to stop and think. In light of our discourse to this point, are you still willing to question my actions towards you because of your perceived injustice? Can you interact with the creation with the same power and authority that I exercise? Wisely—Job remains silent.
Job 40:10 Deck thyself now with majesty and excellency; and array thyself with glory and beauty.
Job 40:11 Cast abroad the rage of thy wrath: and behold every one that is proud, and abase him.
Job 40:12 Look on every one that is proud, and bring him low; and tread down the wicked in their place.
Job 40:13 Hide them in the dust together; and bind their faces in secret.
Job 40:14 Then will I also confess unto thee that thine own right hand can save thee.
The LORD continues driving home His point. He basically tells Job to prove his right to question God. God declares that if Job can present himself as God presents Himself and act with the same authority and power as God acts, he can assume authority over his own life. He should be able to clothe himself with majesty—with the dignity and authority of sovereign power; with splendor—grandeur and excellence; with glory—of great reputation and with distinction deserving of praise and honor; and with beauty—of excellent character marked by grace.
God’s righteousness requires that He respond to pride with anger and that He acts to humble the proud. God ensures that the wicked will be totally separated from fellowship in the presence of His light, but will instead be bound together in darkness outside His presence for eternity. Note that this implies the ability to identify destructive pride and wicked actions with righteous discernment and judgment.
Obviously, Job can meet none of the above requirements. The obvious implication, God can and does act with complete authority in righteousness according to His plan and purposes throughout the whole of His creation. The only proper response from Job is to surrender to God’s will as His Creator and LORD and trust in God’s righteous character and sovereignty regarding his own circumstances.
The LORD begins His closing discourse with Job by drawing his attention to two of the mightiest creatures of His creation—behemoth and leviathan, the latter giving insight regarding the coming antichrist.
Job 40:15 ¶ Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
Job 40:16 Lo now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.
Job 40:17 He moveth his tail like a cedar: the sinews of his stones are wrapped together.
Job 40:18 His bones are as strong pieces of brass; his bones are like bars of iron.
Job 40:19 He is the chief of the ways of God: he that made him can make his sword to approach unto him.
Job 40:20 Surely the mountains bring him forth food, where all the beasts of the field play.
Job 40:21 He lieth under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed, and fens.
Job 40:22 The shady trees cover him with their shadow; the willows of the brook compass him about.
Job 40:23 Behold, he drinketh up a river, and hasteth not: he trusteth that he can draw up Jordan into his mouth.
Job 40:24 He taketh it with his eyes: his nose pierceth through snares.
Behemoth cannot be identified with certainty, though some translations choose to connect it with the hippopotamus. Personally, I think the LORD intends that Job (and we) focus on its characteristics, though it would seem that Job knew about this creature for this description to be significant to him. This great creature was made in the beginning along with the creation of man. It is not a mythological creature as some conclude. Though he eats only grass, he is very powerful. It seems that he has very powerful hips that find the center of their strength in his powerful stomach muscles. His tail is compared to a cedar tree, which is why I think we are referencing some type of dinosaur. The muscle sinew of his thighs is tightly entwined like a very thick rope. His bones are as strong as bronze and iron. When looking at the Hebrew, it is possible to deduce that this was possibly the first and definitely the most powerful creature made by God among the great beasts of the field. He has no reason to fear man or beast for only his Creator can pose any threat to him. He enjoys the bounty of nature’s provision for sustenance and enjoys the coolness of the marshlands. He is so powerful that he has no fear of raging floodwaters.
In fact, this description implies that behemoth is no threat to man as long as man does not foolishly attempt to threaten him. I just don’t think there is a creature in existence today that fittingly corresponds to this description.
As a side note--In my many readings of this section of scripture, this is the first time that I have picked up on the mention of the Jordan River. This would seem to indicate that Job lived somewhere in the area around the Jordan River for this description to be significant to him.