God’s Control Over His Creation
April 18, 2019
Commentary
God questions Job about the animal kingdom to show how limited human understanding can be. God was not seeking information from Job; He was guiding Job to recognize His power and sovereignty. Only when Job humbly accepted God’s authority could he listen truly and learn from what the Lord was teaching him through creation.
God asks whether Job knows when the mountain goats and deer give birth (vv. 1–3). Could he count the months of their pregnancy or care for their young as they grow strong (v. 4)? Job is also asked who set the wild donkey free in the wilderness (vv. 5–8). This animal lives far from the noise of the city and the control of a master. Then God turns to the wild ox. Unlike tame animals, it cannot be harnessed for work or trusted to plow a field or gather a harvest (vv. 9–12).
God next points to the ostrich. Its wings flap proudly, yet it cannot soar like the stork (v. 13). The ostrich leaves its eggs on the ground for the warmth of the earth (v. 14). At times it seems careless, allowing danger to threaten its nest (vv. 15–16). Lacking wisdom, it behaves strangely, yet when it runs, it moves with surprising speed, almost mocking horse and rider (vv. 17–18). God then describes the strength and courage of the horse in powerful detail (vv. 19–21).
The horse does not retreat from the sword (v. 22). Instead, it rushes eagerly into battle (v. 23). Its powerful stride makes it appear to swallow the ground as it runs (v. 24). At the trumpet’s sound it senses the coming conflict and responds to its rider’s command (v. 25). Finally, God asks who guides the hawk in its flight and teaches it to migrate south (v. 26), and who in-structs the eagle to build its nest on high cliffs where it can watch for prey below (vv. 27–30).
Application
Do I remember how limited my understanding is? When I see God’s creation, do I pause and recognize His wisdom and care? If God guides animals and seasons so perfectly, can I trust Him with my life? Instead of questioning His control, will I humbly listen and submit? I should trust the Creator, who wisely rules over all things.
Job 39:1–30 (NET)
1 “Are you acquainted with the way the mountain goats give birth? Do you watch as the wild deer give birth to their young?
2 Do you count the months they must fulfill, and do you know the time they give birth?
3 They crouch, they bear their young, they bring forth the offspring they have carried.
4 Their young grow strong, and grow up in the open; they go off, and do not return to them.
5 Who let the wild donkey go free? Who released the bonds of the donkey,
6 to whom I appointed the arid rift valley for its home, the salt wastes as its dwelling place?
7 It scorns the tumult in the town; it does not hear the shouts of a driver.
8 It ranges the hills as its pasture, and searches after every green plant.
9 Is the wild ox willing to be your servant? Will it spend the night at your feeding trough?
10 Can you bind the wild ox to a furrow with its rope, will it till the valleys, following after you?
11 Will you rely on it because its strength is great? Will you commit your labor to it?
12 Can you count on it to bring in your grain, and gather the grain to your threshing floor?
13 “The wings of the ostrich flap with joy, but are they the pinions and plumage of a stork?
14 For she leaves her eggs on the ground, and lets them be warmed on the soil.
15 She forgets that a foot might crush them, or that a wild animal might trample them.
16 She is harsh with her young, as if they were not hers; she is unconcerned about the uselessness of her labor.
17 For God deprived her of wisdom, and did not impart understanding to her.
18 But as soon as she springs up, she laughs at the horse and its rider.
19 “Do you give the horse its strength? Do you clothe its neck with a mane?
20 Do you make it leap like a locust? Its proud neighing is terrifying!
21 It paws the ground in the valley, exulting mightily, it goes out to meet the weapons.
22 It laughs at fear and is not dismayed; it does not shy away from the sword.
23 On it the quiver rattles; the lance and javelin flash.
24 In excitement and impatience it consumes the ground; it cannot stand still when the trumpet is blown.
25 At the sound of the trumpet, it says, ‘Aha!’ And from a distance it catches the scent of battle, the thunderous shouting of commanders, and the battle cries.
26 “Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars, and spreads its wings toward the south?
27 Is it at your command that the eagle soars, and builds its nest on high?
28 It lives on a rock and spends the night there, on a rocky crag and a fortress.
29 From there it spots its prey, its eyes gaze intently from a distance.
30 And its young ones devour the blood, and where the dead carcasses are, there it is.”
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