BEHEMOTH
Opening Prayer
Relinquish control to God today.
Read Job 40:1–24
40 The Lord said to Job:
2 “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him?
Let him who accuses God answer him!”
3 Then Job answered the Lord:
4 “I am unworthy—how can I reply to you?
I put my hand over my mouth.
5 I spoke once, but I have no answer—
twice, but I will say no more.”
6 Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm:
7 “Brace yourself like a man;
I will question you,
and you shall answer me.
8 “Would you discredit my justice?
Would you condemn me to justify yourself?
9 Do you have an arm like God’s,
and can your voice thunder like his?
10 Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor,
and clothe yourself in honor and majesty.
11 Unleash the fury of your wrath,
look at all who are proud and bring them low,
12 look at all who are proud and humble them,
crush the wicked where they stand.
13 Bury them all in the dust together;
shroud their faces in the grave.
14 Then I myself will admit to you
that your own right hand can save you.
15 “Look at Behemoth,
which I made along with you
and which feeds on grass like an ox.
16 What strength it has in its loins,
what power in the muscles of its belly!
17 Its tail sways like a cedar;
the sinews of its thighs are close-knit.
18 Its bones are tubes of bronze,
its limbs like rods of iron.
19 It ranks first among the works of God,
yet its Maker can approach it with his sword.
20 The hills bring it their produce,
and all the wild animals play nearby.
21 Under the lotus plants it lies,
hidden among the reeds in the marsh.
22 The lotuses conceal it in their shadow;
the poplars by the stream surround it.
23 A raging river does not alarm it;
it is secure, though the Jordan should surge against its mouth.
24 Can anyone capture it by the eyes,
or trap it and pierce its nose?
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Would your world run better if you were in control?In Job 38 and 39, God peels back the curtains to show Job that his God has been too small. Now, he calls Job to account for a second time (2,7; 38:2,3).
Job had wanted to put God on trial and accused him of being unjust (8; Job 9). “So you think you can do a better job than me?” responds God. “Prove it! Then I’ll admit you don’t need me to save you” (14).
God is not saying that running the world is hard and he needs to be excused if he makes mistakes and some people get hurt! But with irony and dark humor he makes us admit we are not God. Only he can control his world perfectly.
And then the argument takes a darker turn. God introduces us to the Behemoth and Leviathan (Job 41). At first glance, they might be a hippopotamus and a crocodile. But that would be a bit of an anti-climax, as both can be captured (24; 41:9,10) and today you can view them safely in zoos.
Both symbolize evil in very graphic ways. Behemoth in Hebrew is “The Super-Beast.” He’s not as terrifying as Leviathan, who looks like the Accuser, or Satan, but the Behemoth is ever-devouring. He is stronger than us. No one can control him.
Apply
You and I cannot run our world. We cannot defeat Satan or ever-devouring death. But Jesus can. And did. And trusting in Jesus, we have nothing to fear. Allow God to freely run your world today.
Closing prayer
I praise You, God, for how incredible You are! May I never forget how far above my understanding are Your ways.
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