ChristadelphianBooksOnline
David Baird
The Education of Job

Chapters 38-40:2 - Yahweh Educates Job - Yahweh's First Speech

38:1-3

Yahweh's dramatic intervention

The Wonders of the Inanimate Creation (God's Universal Power)

	38:4-7	What does Job know of God's power in the Creation?
	38:8-11	Who controls the sea?
	38:12-15	Who commands the dawn?
	38:16-21	Has Job plumbed the mysteries of the earth and light?
	38:22-30	Can Job account for the weather in all its variations?
	38:31-38	Can Job control the stars, clouds and lightning?

The Wonders of the Animate Creation (God's Universal Care)

	38:39-41	Who feeds the lioness, young lions and the raven?
	39:1-4	Does Job understand the breeding of wild animals?
	39:5-8	Who gives the wild ass its freedom?
	39:9-12	Can Job tame the wild ox?
	39:13-18	Why is the ostrich foolish?
	39:19-25	Did Job give the war-horse its courage?
	39:26-30	Is Job responsible for the eagle's attributes?
	40:1-2	Will Job contend with God any longer?

There is a wonderful advantage for a commentator when expounding the speeches of the LORD and that is he can be sure that whatever is said it has to be correct. After all, they are the words of God, "who cannot lie" (Titus 1:2). After over thirty chapters of struggling to interpret the validity of each individual's expressions this comes as a welcome relief. The exercise of the commentator in these speeches is to come to grips with the detail and why Yahweh uses certain examples and terms to overlay His message.

Brother Styles provides and excellent synopsis of the two parts of this first speech. He writes as follows: "Throughout his speeches, Job has expressed a number of criticisms regarding the attitude, the motives and the standards of God. You will remember that many of these were referred to by Elihu (33:10,13; 34:5,9 etc) as he set out to defend God and answer Job. And as was indicated by Elihu, some of these criticisms amounted to very serious charges against the rightness of God's conduct.

"While the accusations were serious, they were the kind that might occupy the mind of any God-fearing person suffering severe trial. Accordingly, the Almighty Himself chooses to deal with the issue personally and answer for Job and for ourselves the accusations that have been raised.

"Job's charges fall into two main categories:

"1.	*General* - that God is doing a poor job in ruling the world. This is answered in 38:4-38
2.	*Personal* - that God's treatment of him indicates He hates Job. This is answered in 38:39 - 39:30".

38:1-3 Yahweh's dramatic intervention

There appears to be little doubt that the LORD, or more than likely His Name-bearing representative, is addressing Job out of the whirlwind that has become prominent in all the storm activity that is now taking place. Those antagonistic to Elihu strive to implicate him in the immediate expressions that follow. For example, Brother Lovelock writes, "It is surely significant that God speaks forth to Job at what must have been the instant Elihu ceased, and the first question of the many is one not in any way connected to those that follow: 'Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge' (38:2). While it is obvious that there was a general reference to the whole course of the discussion, covering all five of the participants, the immediate effect would be of a sudden and devastating comment on the words of Elihu" (p87). Brother Mansfield dismisses Elihu with "[God] completely ignores Elihu who claimed to be in God's stead."

Rather than become tangled up in a renewed consideration of Elihu, the following comments indicate that those two cited opinions are not correct:

1.	Yahweh answers Job out of the whirlwind (38:1). There is no reference to Elihu or the three friends. The comments continue to be made directly to Job and conclude, in this speech, with a direct challenge to Job (40:1). There is no clear support for a switch in the recipient of God's words at any time.

2.	The question of 38:2, a repetition of Elihu's (34:35, 35:16), is unmistakably applied to Job by Job himself (42:3). He knew to whom Yahweh was addressing the question.

3.	The LORD never directly contradicts what Elihu has to say about Him, nor does it appear that He ignores Elihu's contribution. In fact, a number of Elihu's expressions and examples are used and developed by the Almighty to complete the education of Job (e.g. 33:13/40:2, 34:35/38:2, 35:5/38:37, 36:29/38:34-35, 36:31/38:22-23,26-27, 37:2/39:24, 37:4-5/40:9, 37:6/38:22, 37:13/38:26-27).

But has Job spoken "without knowledge" and darkened counsel, especially when Yahweh declared that Job had spoken that which was right (42:7)? The answer has to be in the affirmative. What is taking place is a reprimand to Job for speaking things in ignorance ("without knowledge"). It is not a derisive remark intended by the Almighty to mock Job. It is an insightful question that informs Job that he has, by lacking knowledge, uttered some things that were unwise. Job set out to teach others of God's providence (27:11) but, because he was not fully conversant with them, he obscured them. Job was to learn that it is better to keep silent than to speak without knowledge (40:4; Prov 17:28, 18:13).

It should also be noted that 42:7 is not stating that everything Job said was right. This cannot be the case. The verse is affirming that Job's general appreciation of God's ways, especially his rejection of the theory of exact retribution as espoused by Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar (1:21, 2:10, 9:22, 21:22-26), was correct. What Job lacked in his understanding of God, God now supplies.

Accordingly, Job is exhorted to prepare himself for action ("Gird up now thy loins" 38:3; Exod 12:11; 1King 18:46; Jer 1:17; 1Pet 1:13). However, the action Job was to experience was not what he requested or expected. He requested a hearing (13:22) only to receive an interrogation ("I will question you, and you shall answer me" NKJV, NIV).

The Wonders of the Inanimate Creation (God's Universal Power)

As stated in the introductory notes on this first speech of the LORD, Job has been guilty of expressing criticism, in the extremity of his affliction, about the way God is ruling the world. He has stated that God, while powerful, has used His power in an essentially destructive way (9:5-7, 12:14-25), and, while just, appears to have allowed an injustice in that the wicked prosper (9:24, 12:6).

Yahweh's response is to direct Job's attention to aspects of the wonders of His inanimate creation. From the very beginning of creation God's power was used in a constructive, beneficial way. The most glorious examples of order, planning and control are evident in God's handiwork. The earth was designed and created so that God's righteousness would be omnipresent. Job's human perspective, inflamed by his personal tragedy, had allowed his spiritual understanding to be obscured. In fact, many of Job's correct spiritual viewpoints are reinforced in this speech of the Almighty. He knew what was right but his wisdom needed development, and the correctness of his understanding demanded bolstering. God supplies both in what is to follow.

38:4-7 What does Job know of God's power in the Creation?

Yahweh begins His interrogation of Job from a global perspective. The broad sweep of the brush laid down the base coat before the fine detail is added. This sharp yet overwhelming foray into the mysteries of the Creation would have crushed any speck of self-importance that may have remained in Job. The knowledge of the origins of the world is only accessible to man through faith. Man was the last on the scene. He never observed the beginnings of the present constitution of planet Earth. He could only describe the result but not the act of Creation or even the Creator. Both remain unseen.

How could Job presume to criticise God's plan? Where was he when the Grand Architect, who is also the Master Builder, set about constructing the world; an act that was accomplished with impeccable wisdom (Prov 8:22-31)? The challenge is thrown out to Job, "Tell Me, if you have understanding (bina) ..." (38:4 NKJV). What understanding did he have? Job had already declared that:

his righteousness stood and his discernment was sound (6:29-30);
despite the power exhibited in God's Creation, he considered that God could not be seen or perceived (9:11);
he knew and understood the power of God (13:1);
should God answer him, Job knew what the answer would be (23:5); and
understanding (bina) is to depart from evil (28:28).

In those expressions there is an inglorious mix of the correct, the insufficient, the self-serving and the presumptuous. God's assault on Job's understanding revealed its inadequacies. Where was Job when God created the earth in its perfection; when God decided its dimensions and "stretched the measuring line across it" (38:5 JB)? The message is very clear - God made the earth to a plan that it beyond criticism, and the implication is readily discerned - God's plan for man, whether it be for man as an individual or a collective, is also above being questioned.

Job had already highlighted the magnificence and precision of God's handiwork (9:9, 26:7, 28:25) but he detected flaws in how God treated him. Yahweh, in continuing His imagery of the building called Earth, is telling Job that if he really did understand God as the Perfect Builder he would not have the temerity to call anything of God's into question.

After all, the creation that Job did not witness nor fully comprehend was so glorious that the "morning stars" burst into spontaneous song and "all the sons of God shouted for joy" (38:7).

There is little dispute that the "sons of God" in 38:7 are the heavenly angels (i.e. elohim) who were present at and participated in the Genesis creation. The angels are linked with "stars" in identical circumstances in Psalm 148:2-5 and it is possible that the "morning stars" of 38:7 are the foremost of the angels (It is highly likely that there is an angelic hierarchy. For example, Michael is classed as an archangel in Jude 6 and also as one of the chief princes in Daniel 10:13). To consider the "morning stars" as pre-eminent angels may have some credibility in that Revelation picks up the term "morning star" and applies it to Jesus Christ (Rev 22:16) and to the reward for those who overcome (Rev 2:28). In other words, the redeemed will be as the Morning Star, who is Jesus Christ.

This has support in the other term used in 38:7. Jesus is the Son of God and we in association, through faith and baptism, with Jesus are also sons of God (Gal 3:26-27 NKJV). John captures the full spiritual meaning with, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God ... when he shall appear, we shall be like him" (1John 3:2). As Brother Thomas wrote, "This is equivalent to saying we shall be Morning Stars - stars that come forth as the dew from the womb of the morning shining in all the glory of the resurrection state" (Eureka, The Christadelphian, 1959, Volume I, p300). We will advance to the highest status. We will progress from "sons of God" to become "morning stars".

The rejoicing at that new creation when Christ returns "with the voice of the archangel" (1Thess 4:16) can only be genuinely paralleled with the rejoicing that accompanied the Genesis creation. It will undoubtedly exceed by an incalculable margin the shouting that occurred when the foundation of the Temple was laid in Ezra 3:11. There will be no detractors as there were in Ezra's generation (Ezra 3:12).

Job was not present when God laid the foundations of the planet but he will be, as we can be, singing the song of the redeemed when a new Divine order is established on the earth (Rev 5:9-10).

38:8-11 Who controls the sea?

The imagery of the origins of the sea as the birth of a monstrous infant that must be quickly and strictly controlled is both graphic and breathtaking. The opening phrase, "who shut up (cakak) the sea with doors (delet)", refers to it being enclosed in the mother's womb prior to its birth. Cakak is used in that way in Psalm 139:13 ("covered me") and delet is used metaphorically of the female labia in 3:10. In the next expression the sea bursts forth tumultuously from the womb to be encased in a robe of mist along with thick clouds as swaddling clothes (38:9). This child is not some sort of feral recalcitrant who is unruly and unable to be controlled. Besides the provision of beneficial but restrictive clothing, God marked its bounds with His decree and locked the gate to prevent it from damaging all around it (38:10). Finally, the newborn giant is instructed by the Almighty, "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further: and here shall thy proud waves be stayed" (38:11). It is tamed by a superior power, and a clamp is placed on its proud fury.

Why is Yahweh instructing Job in this way? Obviously, God's power is again being emphasised. No man can even remotely claim to possess such awesome might. What is also evident is that God controls the sea; the monster-child of His making. The sea, under His mastery, is a beneficial, essential entity. Job saw God as destructive, especially in the way He utilised the waters (12:14-15, 26:12). Job's viewpoint, while not wrong, was unbalanced and incomplete. In fact, God had promised long before in Genesis 9:15 that "the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh" (see also Psa 89:9, 104:9; Jer 5:22).

It is interesting to note that the same concepts can be applied to the nations that are frequently symbolised as seas or waters (e.g. Isa 8:7-8, 17:12; Rev 17:15). Like the literal seas, the nations are unaware that God is controlling their destinies (Dan 4:17).

38:12-15 Who commands the dawn?

While the previous section looked at the birth of the sea, God now directs Job's attention to the miracle of the daily appearance of the morning. It is not a one-off spectacular. It occurs every day without fail. It is a sublime example of divine control over yet another event in which Job has absolutely no influence. Furthermore, it has been taking place long before Job was born (38:21) and unerringly during his brief lifetime (38:12).

Again using poetic language as well as putting a spin on Job's observations in 24:13-17, the image is that of a darkened earth into which the dawn darts and shakes out the darkness along with the evildoers it hides (38:13). The message may even go deeper than that as Job had accused God with allowing the night to provide safety for criminals. These sinners not only survive, they find pleasure and comfort in darkness (24:13-17). While it is true that criminals prefer the night, God disrupts their activities every day with the onset of dawn. Every new day brings hope to His servants and thwarts the wicked. In a prophetical sense it prefigures the great dawn of the Kingdom when the "Sun of righteousness will arise with healing in his wings" (Mal 4:1) and eternally bless those who have walked in light (Isa 60:1; Luke 1:79; 2Pet 1:19).

As 38:14 informs us, the coming of the dawn brings renewed vision. As the sun spreads its light, the contours of the earth take shape as soft clay does under the impress of a seal, and the details of the earth are perceived like the complexities of a variegated garment. Not only does it reveal the colours and complexities of the earth, the dawn stays the arm of the wicked raised to strike. Daylight removes the ideal working conditions for the criminal. Darkness is his light and light is his darkness. When the sun rises it is "stealing light from wicked men" (38:15 JB).

There is also a prophetical core in 38:15. The perfection of 38:15 will not occur until the dawn of a new era when God's kingdom is established in the earth (Psa 37:9,12-13,17, 35-39, 55:22-23; Matt 13:49-50; 2Thess 1:7-9).

38:16-21 Has Job plumbed the mysteries of the earth and light?

God next alerts Job to the subterranean, which is another place that is beyond the comprehension of man (38:16). Had Job journeyed to the sources of the sea (yam) or walked in the lower reaches of the deep (tehom)? It was impossible for Job to explore such regions yet he had proclaimed that wisdom and understanding could not be found there (see notes on 28:14). Yahweh is correcting Job's limited awareness. If Job fully appreciated the enormity of God's omniscience he could only be humbled, as well as develop in wisdom and understanding.

Job may well declare that God's knowledge of death and the grave was beyond question (26:6) but how much did Job understand? 38:17 could be interpreted in a number of ways but what seems certain is that the "gates of death" (Psa 107:18) and the "gates (AV "doors") of the shadow of death" (10:21-22) are virtually synonymous terms. They both refer to the grave and the prospect that it can be opened. How well did Job understand the resurrection process and God's control over it? He certainly knew of it as the detail in 19:25-27 is quite profound, but it was knowledge only. Death and resurrection were both outside of Job's personal experience.

Job really had no inkling of the dimensions of the earth even though he recognised that God knew what they were (28:23-24). If Job thought he possesed such knowledge then God would challenge him to declare it (38:18).

From the depths of the seas and the shadows of the grave, Yahweh flips Job into a consideration of the first day of creation when light was formed to dispel the darkness. In this passage, God personifies light and darkness and has assigned each to their realm (38:19-20). These realms are out of man's reach and observation unless, of course, man was present on that first day of creation. God, not unlike the outburst of Eliphaz in 15:7, states, "If you know all this, you must have been born with them, you must be very old by now!" (38:21 JB). While Eliphaz was exhibiting the irritation of an old man on the losing side of a debate, Yahweh's statement of fact was designed to continue the education of Job.

God was inviting Job to accept his limitations and to refrain from questioning the methods of the Almighty.

38:22-30 Can Job account for the weather in all its variations?

Yahweh takes hold of the examples of Elihu and adds a few more to continue his questioning of Job. One only has to look at the forces of nature exhibited in the weather to see how powerful God is. Job's consideration of such phenomena resulted in an unflattering portrait of the Almighty. He saw God as destructive and hurtful, almost uncontrolled (12:14-15, 23:13-16). God points out to Job that even His use of the weather is designed to fulfil His purpose. Observe, for example, the snow (referred to by Elihu in 37:6) and the hail. God held them in their treasuries (38:22; Psa 135:7) until it was appropriate to release them.

They are there reserved for "the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war" (38:23 RSV). This builds on Elihu's comments of 36:31 and has been confirmed at various times in Israel's history (Exod 9:24; Josh 10:11; 1Sam 7:10; Ezek 38:22). The overriding message is that God is always in control. His use of the elements in warfare, while destructive, inevitably brought relief, even victory, to His servants. How small is Job! He had not even visited, nor was it possible for him to visit, the places where God restrains the snow and the hail.

The examples keep rolling on, one after the other, and they leave Job in no doubt that God is in control and operating according to His plan.

Does Job know where the lightning comes from? "Light" in 38:24 is open to interpretation and "lightning" is feasible as Elihu uses it that way in 37:3,12,15. Also in 38:24 the sentence containing "east wind" (qadim) is difficult to understand. The Revised Standard Version opts for the simple but effective rendition of, "or where the east wind is scattered upon the earth?" While qadim essentially means "east", in this context it denotes the desert wind which brings destruction, as Job had noted in 27:21. Despite this, it is absolutely controlled by God, even for good (Exod 14:21).

God also makes preparations for the rain (38:25) so that it falls on lands where man offers no assistance. God gives drink to the lonely wastes and brings green growth in once dry lands (38:26-27). Who else could do this but God? Elihu had declared this (36:27-28, 37:13) and Job had acknowledged such (28:26). God's beneficent activity goes beyond the habitation of man.

Who is responsible for the rain? Does it have a human father? Who begets the dew? What woman gave birth to the winter ice or the frost (38:28-29)? These questions are bordering on the ridiculous but the point is clear. No human agency, male or female, is responsible for the weather. No human agency was present at the Genesis creation nor in the ongoing creation of the rain and dew or the winter ice (37:10 - AV "frost") and frost. The silent power of winter that turns water into stone and can freeze the surface of the deep (38:30) was the object of man's wonder and a further testimony to a power that is beyond his expertise. It was probably beyond the experience of Yahweh's hearers, as they enjoyed a Mediterranean climate, unless they were exceptionally well travelled.

38:31-38 Can Job control the stars, clouds and lightning?

In 9:9 Job utters a doxology wherein he refers to four celestial entities; Arcturus (the Bear), Orion, Pleiades and the chambers of the south. His purpose was to show that, as the LORD was their maker, the LORD is omnipotent.

In 38:31-32 God takes Job's words a step further. Not only did God make the stars, He controls them. They are all bound and fettered by God, who leads them around the sky as He intends. Man is totally incapable of doing this. The only deviation from the constellations of 9:9 is the substitution of Mazzaroth (mazzarot) for the "chambers of the south." Mazzarot is only found in 38:32 and its meaning is disputed. It could be a variation of mazzalot ("constellations" 2King 23:5) which is the Hebrew term for the twelve signs of the Zodiac (Ges, Delitzsch, Roth, AVmg, NEB). Others link it with the "morning star" (JB, NIVmg). The Zodiac appears more likely as it is probably being used by Yahweh to indicate that His control of the stars occurs throughout the year. It is a never-ending process. God can always be seen to be at work in the observable universe because the constellations of the Zodiac appear on time, in their correct position, always. It should also be noted that the Authorised Version's picturesque "sweet influences of Pleiades" is more correctly rendered as "bands of Pleiades" (Green, "cluster" NKJV, "fetters" Roth, "harness" JB).

Yahweh moves from the specific constellations to a more general application of His order in the universe. Did Job understand "the ordinances of heaven"; the laws that govern the movement of the sun, moon and stars? Did Job understand how they exercise their dominion on the earth (38:33)? This dominion was established back in Genesis 1:14-16 and it highlights the constancy of Yahweh (Jer 31:35, 33:25) as it has never changed.

Even closer to home, did Job have any understanding of the clouds? Can he call out to them and they will drop the abundance of their waters (38:34)? In saying this, Yahweh repeats Eliphaz' expression of 22:11 but the difference is unmistakable. Eliphaz uses "abundance of waters cover thee" in a negative, destructive way. He was saying that Job was overwhelmed by calamity because of Job's wickedness. In 38:34, the term is used in the context of nourishment. The sense is that man does not have the power to bring relieving rain when he needs it. Only God can do this.

What control does man have over lightning? The picture being presented in 38:35 is almost comical. It is that of a man organising the lightning to strike at a particular spot. When he calls out to the lightning it enthusiastically responds, "I am ready." Of course man can't do that.

38:36 is difficult to interpret. Andersen writes, "The words translated 'clouds' (tuhot - AV 'inward parts') and 'mists' (sekwi - AV 'heart') are unique, and have stimulated scholarly debate for nearly two thousand years without resolution." Tuhot, only found in 38:36 and Psalm 51:6, means "inner regions, hidden recesses, inward parts" (BDB) and has been linked with man's inward being, clouds and Thot, the Egyptian ibis god. Sekwi, a word exclusive to 38:36, has an uncertain meaning but "a celestial appearance, phenomenon" (TWOT, BDB) is favoured. Rotherham's tentative attempt at 38:36 is as good as any as it fits the context and may reflect the meaning of these unique words - "Who hath put-into cloud forms-wisdom? Or who hath given-to the meteor- understanding?" The only other speaker to combine "wisdom" (hokma) and "understanding" (bina) before this verse was Job in 28:12,20,28. Job's attempt to arrive at the answers to the big questions pales into insignificance when it is clear that he cannot explain the more mundane elements of nature.

Job was not even capable of numbering the clouds, or, to use the colourful language of 38:37, tipping the bottles in the sky that makes the rain pour down to relieve a drought-stricken earth and that changes the dust into soil (38:37-38). This image could also symbolise, although it is not the primary meaning of the verses, the nourishment God's word provides to a spiritually parched world (Isa 55:10-11; Hos 6:3; Amos 8:11-13), and to the great blessings that will be given to a morally and spiritually bankrupt earth when the Lord Jesus Christ returns (Psa 72:6).

The Wonders of the Animate Creation (God's Universal Care)

Yahweh's survey of selected natural phenomena has ended. The remainder of the LORD's first speech, and much of His second, is devoted to living things; examples of God's animate creation. These had already featured in the speeches of Job (6:5, 9:26, 12:7-9, 24:5, 28:6,21, 30:1), Eliphaz (4:10-11), Bildad (18:3, 25:6), Zophar (11:12) and Elihu (37:8). However, the overall presentation by Job and his three friends sees animals as destructive or used in a negative sense, usually to belittle their debating opponent. Elihu's brief mention of 37:8 is more positive as it alludes to the commonsense instinct of animals. Yahweh takes an entirely different approach. He selects a strange mix of animals to portray His universal care. He provides for all whether they be fierce, timid, beautiful, repulsive, independent, strong, stupid, majestic or courageous. They all depend on God. Man, by contrast, is essentially a selfish creature who has little regard for the creation that is his intellectual inferior. This is not so with God.

The question needs to be asked as to why God selects the animals He does in this part of His first speech? It almost seems random. Some have already been referred to in earlier speeches, whereas others are only mentioned here in all Scripture. Attempts have been made to anthropomorphise the animals by aligning them with certain types of humans. While this is feasible, as God provides for humanity in all its variations, such an approach detracts from the message that God's care extends even to His lesser creation. Job's complaint was that God was treating him unjustly and it simply wasn't fair (7:13-14, 16:9-14, 19:8-12, 27:2, 30:21-23). This part of God's speech shows Job that he is not the centre of God's focus. God's care goes beyond Job, even though he was the greatest man of the east (1:3), and beyond mankind, even though man was made in the image and likeness of the Elohim (Gen 1:26). It extends even to a stupid bird like the ostrich and the much maligned wild ass.

It is not that God hates Job. On the contrary, God cares for all, including Job.

38:39-41 Who feeds the lioness, young lions and the raven?

God provides for the animals in ways that, unless compelled to think about it, man would not comprehend. For example, would Job hunt the prey for the lion (labhi)? Of course not, because the lioness has an inbuilt instinct which is accompanied by significant physical power. These have been provided by God. Furthermore, could Job supply sufficient food to satisfy the appetite of the young lions (kephiyr)?

Labhi is the lioness (Ges) and is noted in Scripture for being imposing (Gen 49:9), indomitable (Num 23:4) and aggressive (Hos 13:8). Kephiyr is the young lion that is already weaned and beginning to catch its own prey (Ges). It is mentioned throughout the Old Testament as a symbol of the oppressive, certain Gentile nations and the ungodly (Psa 34:10, 35:17, 58:6; Jer 2:15; Ezek 32:2; Nah 2:11-13). Its characteristics are listed as aggressive (Psa 104:21), angry (Prov 19:12, 20:2) and fearless (Prov 28:2; Isa 31:4). It is also used to describe God's fierce anger (Jer 25:38; Hos 5:14). Eliphaz equates these animals with the wicked (4:10-11). But God cares for them! Would Job demonstrate the same interest in their welfare as God does (38:39-40)?

God's concern is not only for the king of the beasts but also for one of the most despised of the birds. The raven (oreb), an unclean bird under the Law of Moses (Lev 11:15), is distinguished as a disgusting eater of carrion (Prov 30:17) with a lifestyle unadorned by even an instinctive forethought. As Jesus said, possibly in recollection of this verse,

"Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?" (Luke 12:24).

How all-encompassing is God's benevolence towards His creatures. It extends from the rapacious lioness in all her imposing glory to the helpless chicks of the hated raven (38:41).

39:1-4 Does Job understand the breeding of wild animals?

The next point Yahweh makes is as simple as it is marvellous. What involvement does man have in the birth of wild animals? These animals give birth without the supervision of man, unobserved by man and unprotected by man (39:1-2). What is even more outstanding is that these animals give birth and somehow their young survive, quickly learn self-preservation and take on independence at a remarkably early age (39:3-4). This is all done via the instincts that have been divinely imprinted in these beasts.

Yahweh declares this principle by referring to two animals on opposite ends of the human admiration scale. The wild goat (yael) is the "mountain goat" (BDB, TWOT) that lives among the high hills and rocks (1Sam 24:2; Psa 104:18). It is not held up as an object of beauty. The hind (ayyala) is the "doe" (TWOT) or female deer that is noted for its surefootedness (2Sam 22:34; Psa 18:33; Hab 3:19) and its beautiful offspring (Gen 49:21 RSV, NIV).

Despite how these two animals are perceived, God provides for them in identical fashion. Is man as impartial?

39:5-8 Who gives the wild ass its freedom?

What about the wild ass (pere)? Who gave it its freedom (39:5)? It was surely not man as pere does not relate to a brumby - a horse that had fled the restriction of a human taskmaster. The wild ass that has always been untamed and free. God allowed it to be so. The second word (arod) translated "wild ass" is only found in 39:5 and is most likely a synonym of pere.

The appearance of the wild ass is that of an uncared for creature (24:5) and is as far removed from civilised man as any animal could be (11:12). Only a lunatic man could dwell with a wild ass (Dan 5:21). It is symbolic in Scripture of the free-spirited and uncontrolled descendants of Ishmael (Gen 16:12) and of an unrepentant Israel (Hos 8:9).

But God does care for this renegade beast. God provides it with a dwellingplace (39:6), both now and in the future (Isa 32:14). The wild ass does not require civilisation to be satisfied (39:7). He does not heed the shouts of the demanding taskmaster (nagas - AV "driver"). Instead, he has the God-given freedom to roam the mountains for his nourishment (39:8; Psa 104:11).

It is interesting to note that Yahweh appears to be recalling an early expression of Job's. Job had declared that one of the blessings of the grave was that slaves who had been in forced labour will "hear not the voice of the oppressor (nagas)" (3:18). Yahweh's comment is that the wild ass simply ignores the "shouts of the driver" (39:7 NKJV). It has never been under human bondage and is dependent on God in somewhat inhospitable terrain. How dependent was Job on God in his most difficult of circumstances? Perhaps the suggestion is being made that Job was too preoccupied with reacting to the voices of his oppressors rather than totally freeing himself to God's care.

39:9-12 Can Job tame the wild ox?

Can Job subdue the "unicorn" (re'em)? Re'em is better translated as "wild ox" (TWOT) and is almost certainly the aurochs (BDB, Andersen), the wild ancestor of domestic cattle. The bulls of this beast were enormous, about two metres high at the shoulders and with large forward-curving horns. These horns are noted in Scripture (Deut 33:17; Psa 22:21) along with its prodigious strength (Num 23:22, 24:8). In being the largest hoofed animal of its time (exceeded in size only by the elephant and hippopotamus) it was not an animal to be trifled with. Unlike its servile cousin (Isa 1:3) it was not about to be tamed. It is now extinct with the last wild aurochs killed in Poland in 1627.

It is ludicrous to consider that an aurochs would serve a man, let alone spend a night gently snoozing in Job's cattle stall (39:9). Perhaps Job could throw a harness around its muscular neck and get it to plough a few furrows (39:10). Maybe Job could trust it to use its immense strength to do his heavy work and, as the domestic ox (1:14) would, to return home "carrying your grain to your threshing floor" (39:11-12 JB). The images conveyed by these suggestions are farcical.

Yet it seems, on the outside, to be almost logical. After all the aurochs appears to be but a bigger version of the highly valued ox. It is here that the similarity ends. The aurochs' disposition, especially its fierce temperament, sets it apart from the docile ox. It also demonstrates the power and care of God in that He is the author and sustainer of such diverse, although superficially matching, creatures.

It is also God's wisdom that animals do not fit the mould that man intends or prefers. The aurochs had its place as an untamed, powerful beast. This obviously did not comply with man's wisdom who eventually hunted it to extinction only to attempt to recreate them in the 1930s by selective breeding from domestic cattle. This was all too late as the balance of nature had been irreparably damaged by self-focussed men who could not abide sharing their environment with an animal they could not control.

It is also probable that Job was being taught that there are situations in his life that, despite his best efforts, he cannot control. Instead of life faithfully plodding along like a heavily burdened ox he was being confronted by upheavals not unlike a rampaging aurochs. Furthermore, these upheavals may never be controlled by his wisdom and power as they originate in God's wisdom and power.

39:13-18 Why is the ostrich foolish?

Yahweh turns His attention from the powerful aurochs to the comical ostrich in a section that is a break in style. Instead of a series of questions, Yahweh opens with a question and then conducts a largely disparaging review of this large bird. Some authorities are critical of this piece as they consider the ostrich to be misrepresented in a negative way. While this is technically correct, the LORD is using the ostrich to educate Job. Therefore, He described it as Job and his generation would have perceived it.

Verse 13 is virtually unintelligible and the Authorised Version's rendition of it is undoubtedly wrong. The New King James Version translates the verse as follows:

"The wings of the ostrich (renamin - "bird of piercing cries" Reichert, TWOT - only here in Scripture) wave proudly, but are her wings and pinions like the kindly stork's?" (see also Roth, Soncino, Green, RVmg).

The stork (hasida - erroneously translated in the AV as "feathers") takes its Hebrew name from hasid ("holy one, godly, saint" TWOT) because it is considered to be kind to its young. It is also noted in Scripture for being aware (Jer 8:7) and majestic (Zech 5:9).

How does the ostrich compare to the stork?

Verse 13	The wings of the ostrich wave proudly but they are basically redundant. While the stork rides the thermal currents in its migratory flights, the ostrich is firmly planted on the ground, flapping its wings primarily to attract a breeding partner.

Verses 14-16	The female ostrich leaves most of the incubation work of her eggs to the male. Her interest in her young appears to be minimal, even bordering on neglect. Her apparent cruelty to her young was the common perception of the time (Lam 4:3).

Verse 17	"God did not endow her with wisdom (*hokma) or give her a share of good sense (bina)" (NIV). Hokma* and *bina* are words well known to Job and used by Job (e.g. 28:12,20,28), yet here is an animal, created by God, that seems to lack both these qualities.

Verse 18	The ostrich can easily outrun the swiftest horse. God has provided it with an ability to survive by fleeing at great speed.

Why does God draw Job's attention to the ostrich? It is possible that the LORD is responding to Job's embarrassed claim that, in his adversity, his only companions were jackals and ostriches (30:29 NKJV). If this was true then Job should be educated by them. He could learn that God provides for even this apparently moronic bird. Without its gift for speed it would be easy prey in its flightless condition. Furthermore, the ostrich was never really blessed with wisdom and understanding. Quite the contrary. Job was blessed with both, yet he seems not to have used them to God's satisfaction. Man without understanding is no different to the ridiculous ostrich (Psa 49:20). It could also be suggested that God's care for the ostrich was not reflected in Job's sarcastic disregard for his wisdom-deficient tormentors (12:2, 13:5, 26:3).

39:19-25 Did Job give the war-horse its courage?

After mentioning the horse in the previous section, Yahweh provides a most brilliant portrait of this animal. He fires off three questions and follows them with a description that leaves Job in no doubt as to what the answers are. We are no longer talking about a strange looking, oversized, flightless bird whose most positive virtue is its ability to run away in terror. The horse bristles with courage, grandeur and strength. Its association throughout Scripture is almost invariably with warfare and its qualities that are linked to man include recklessness (Jer 8:6), lust (Jer 5:8) and stubbornness (Prov 26:3). It is as if it has an arrogance or machismo.

Has Job given the horse its strength (gibbor)? Has Job clothed the horse with its flowing mane (rama - AV "thunder") (39:19)? Rama is only found here in Scripture and its meaning is uncertain. Gesenius states that it literally means "trembling" and refers to the quivering mane of the horse. Most versions, including literal translations (e.g. Roth, Green) support this application.

What is significant is that rama is the feminine of ra'am, a word that is found alongside gibbor in 26:14. It is there that Job, in reference to God, enunciates, "But the thunder (ra'am) of His power (gibbor) who can understand?" Yahweh picks up this expression of Job's to show him that he can observe God's power in how God created a beast as imposing as the war-horse. Who gave it its athleticism so that it can leap like a locust (39:20)? This is awe-inspiring to consider.

We are not dealing with any ordinary animal. God's description of it is breathtaking especially when we consider this passage as it should be translated.

Andersen's version, to the end of verse 24, attempts to captures the passage's poetic essence. Its structure, with its staccato delivery, reflects the nervous energy of this spirited steed.

"His shrill neigh terrifies;
He paws violently;
And exults mightily;
He charges the foe;
He laughs at fear;
And is never daunted;
And never shies at the sword.
Beside him quivers rattle,
Spear and javelin flash.
He shakes with excitement;
He swallows the ground.
He can't stand still when the trumpet sounds." (39:20f-24)

When the battle cry goes up the war-horse is ready, eager for involvement with a reckless indifference to its personal safety (39:25). Layard has this to say about the Arab mare, "Notwithstanding the smallness of their stature they often possess great strength and courage ... Although docile as a lamb, and requiring no other guide than the halter, when the Arab mare hears the war-cry of the tribe, and sees the quivering spear of her rider, her eyes glitter with fire, her blood-red nostrils open wide, her neck is nobly arched, and her tail and mane are raised and spread out to the wind" (A.H.Layard, Discoveries at Nineveh and Babylon, G.P.Putnam and Co, 1853, p330).

Could Job create such an animal? Does Job now understand the thunder of God's power? Or is Job's recklessness indicative of a spiritual swagger that compels him into battles best avoided?

39:26-30 Is Job responsible for the eagle's attributes?

Yahweh concludes His review of His animate creation with a consideration of two birds of prey. Verse 26 provides a brief glimpse of the hawk (nets) while the rest of the section contains a more detailed look at the eagle (nesher).

Nets is derived from natzah, which means "to shoot away, fly" because of the rapidity of its flight. It is possibly referring to various species of the falcon family, all of which are noted for flashing speed and keen eyesight. They are among the animal kingdom's great marvels.

The message of verse 26 is probably two-fold. Firstly, did Job give the hawk the necessary wisdom (bina) to determine the precise time to take flight and head south for a warmer climate? Secondly, does Job actually understand how the hawk responds to the changing seasons and how it manages to fly so majestically? The first question places God at the forefront as the Creator, whereas the second question declares God's awesome and vastly superior intellect. Yahweh began this speech by challenging Job's understanding (bina - 38:4) and is drawing it to its end by reiterating this opening thrust.

Nesher, in this context, is most probably the griffon-vulture (Reichert, Gibson. See also G.S.Cansdale, "Animals of Bible Lands", Paternoster Press, 1970, p144). Its typical nesting place is described in 39:27-28 and its ability to spot distant food along with its habit of feeding on carcases are noted in 39:29-30. It is unclean under the Law of Moses (as is nets) and is alluded to by Job in 9:26 in his proverb of life being as swift as the eagle swooping on its prey.

God sees more than that in the griffon-vulture. It is another example of His handiwork and control. Can Job speak a word and this bird will soar to greater heights (39:27)? The birds of the eagle family (this includes vultures) can fly at enormous heights (Prov 23:5), with an apparent effortless grace (Isa 40:31), and make their nests in lofty, inaccessible places (39:27-28). Does this occur because Job commanded it? Of course not. God alone is responsible and, by implication, God can bring down the eagle from its dizzy heights (Jer 49:16; Obad :4). Perhaps, this is God's point in introducing this animal. Just as God can bring down the griffon-vulture so too can He bring down the loftiness of proud men (40:11-12; Isa 10:33).

It is at these heights that the eagle is at its most elusive and potentially destructive. It can detect its prey over a prodigious distance with its superlative eyesight (vastly superior to a man's) and swoop down on it (39:29). Job obviously wasn't responsible for this nor could he match it. Furthermore, Job was not responsible for what he would consider to be repugnant; the instincts manifested early in a vulture's life to drink the blood of a slain animal (39:30).

It seems odd that Yahweh finishes His recall of His animal creation on such a gory note. It may be possible that He was alluding to Job's words in 24:12 where Job bemoaned that, because of the wicked, "the soul of the wounded (chalal - same as "slain" in 39:30) crieth out". Job's complaint was that nothing was being done by God to punish the wicked as "God layeth not folly to them". If anything, God could be responding to Job's exaggerated assertion by declaring in the example of the carrion-eating eaglet that even the disgusting and seemingly unfair aspects of life are present because of the LORD. Job's statements in 24:12 were unwise as they called into question the actions of the Almighty.

It is not for Job to instruct the Almighty.

40:1-2 Will Job contend with God any longer?

God concludes His first speech by directly challenging Job with the words, "Shall a reprover (yissor - AV "instruct") contend (rib - AV "contendeth") with the Almighty? He that disputeth (yakach - AV "reproveth") with God let him answer it!" (40:2 Roth).

God describes Job as yissor which means to be a reprover (TWOT) or a faultfinder (BDB, RSV). Job had been such a man to many (4:3 - "thou hast instructed many") but he had clearly overstepped when he found fault with the workings of the Almighty. Indeed, much of what precedes this challenge are Yahweh's responses to His faults as alleged by Job. Does Job wish to strive (rib - see 33:13) against God after all he has heard? Job had desired to argue (yakach) his case with the Almighty (13:3) so God issues the challenge, "I have put forward my case, you can now respond with yours".

God is not bullying Job into submission. He is placing Job in a position, by using Job's criticisms and Job's expressions, whereby Job will be compelled to unequivocally accept the divine perspective and unhesitatingly acknowledge God's righteousness.