We all struggle with pride, but reading Job 38 - 41 can help us to humble ourselves before God in worship and honour. As I read this through today I realised that I often don't think of God as being in control of the earth and natural things like the weather and animals giving birth. These chapters helped me to put His supremity over His creation in perspective, and realise that i am nothing, that I am worth nothing, in the sight of our Lord God Almighty! Read it for yourselves if you find it hard to come before God in reverance and awe...
Job 38
The LORD Challenges Job
1 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? 3 Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. 5 Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? 6 What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone 7 as the morning stars sang together and all the angels [1] shouted for joy?
8 "Who defined the boundaries of the sea as it burst from the womb, 9 and as I clothed it with clouds and thick darkness? 10 For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. 11 I said, `Thus far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!'
12 "Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? 13 Have you ever told the daylight to spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night's wickedness? 14 For the features of the earth take shape as the light approaches, and the dawn is robed in red. 15 The light disturbs the haunts of the wicked, and it stops the arm that is raised in violence.
16 "Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you walked about and explored their depths? 17 Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? 18 Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!
19 "Where does the light come from, and where does the darkness go? 20 Can you take it to its home? Do you know how to get there? 21 But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!
22 "Have you visited the treasuries of the snow? Have you seen where the hail is made and stored? 23 I have reserved it for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war. 24 Where is the path to the origin of light? Where is the home of the east wind?
25 "Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? 26 Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? 27 Who sends the rain that satisfies the parched ground and makes the tender grass spring up?
28 "Does the rain have a father? Where does dew come from? 29 Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? 30 For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes.
31 "Can you hold back the movements of the stars? Are you able to restrain the Pleiades or Orion? 32 Can you ensure the proper sequence of the seasons or guide the constellation of the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? 33 Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth?
34 "Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? 35 Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct it? 36 Who gives intuition and instinct? 37 Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven, 38 turning the dry dust to clumps of mud?
39 "Can you stalk prey for a lioness and satisfy the young lions' appetites 40 as they lie in their dens or crouch in the thicket? 41 Who provides food for the ravens when their young cry out to God as they wander about in hunger?
Footnotes
38:7 Hebrew sons of God.
Job 39
The LORDs Challenge Continues
1 "Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Have you watched as the wild deer are born? 2 Do you know how many months they carry their young? Are you aware of the time of their delivery? 3 They crouch down to give birth to their young and deliver their offspring. 4 Their young grow up in the open fields, then leave their parents and never return.
5 "Who makes the wild donkey wild? 6 I have placed it in the wilderness; its home is the wasteland. 7 It hates the noise of the city, and it has no driver to shout at it. 8 The mountains are its pastureland, where it searches for every blade of grass.
9 "Will the wild ox consent to being tamed? Will it stay in your stall? 10 Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow? Will it plow a field for you? 11 Since it is so strong, can you trust it? Can you go away and trust the ox to do your work? 12 Can you rely on it to return, bringing your grain to the threshing floor?
13 "The ostrich flaps her wings grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork. 14 She lays her eggs on top of the earth, letting them be warmed in the dust. 15 She doesn't worry that a foot might crush them or that wild animals might destroy them. 16 She is harsh toward her young, as if they were not her own. She is unconcerned though they die, 17 for God has deprived her of wisdom. He has given her no understanding. 18 But whenever she jumps up to run, she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.
19 "Have you given the horse its strength or clothed its neck with a flowing mane? 20 Did you give it the ability to leap forward like a locust? Its majestic snorting is something to hear! 21 It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength. When it charges to war, 22 it is unafraid. It does not run from the sword. 23 The arrows rattle against it, and the spear and javelin flash. 24 Fiercely it paws the ground and rushes forward into battle when the trumpet blows. 25 It snorts at the sound of the bugle. It senses the battle even at a distance. It quivers at the noise of battle and the shout of the captain's commands.
26 "Are you the one who makes the hawk soar and spread its wings to the south? 27 Is it at your command that the eagle rises to the heights to make its nest? 28 It lives on the cliffs, making its home on a distant, rocky crag. 29 From there it hunts its prey, keeping watch with piercing eyes. 30 Its nestlings gulp down blood, for it feeds on the carcass of the slaughtered."
Job 40
1 Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?"
Job Responds to the LORD
3 Then Job replied to the LORD, 4 "I am nothing--how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence. 5 I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say."
The LORD Challenges Job Again
6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 "Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so you can say you are right? 9 Are you as strong as God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 All right then, put on your robes of state, your majesty and splendor. 11 Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. 12 Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. 13 Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14 Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you.
15 "Take a look at the mighty hippopotamus.[1] I made it, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. 16 See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. 17 Its tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together. 18 Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. 19 It is a prime example of God's amazing handiwork. Only its Creator can threaten it. 20 The mountains offer it their best food, where all the wild animals play. 21 It lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds. 22 The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream. 23 It is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when the swelling Jordan rushes down upon it. 24 No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.
Footnotes
40:15 Hebrew at behemoth.
Job 41
The LORDs Challenge Continues
1 "Can you catch a crocodile [1] with a hook or put a noose around its jaw? 2 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose or pierce its jaw with a spike? 3 Will it beg you for mercy or implore you for pity? 4 Will it agree to work for you? Can you make it be your slave for life? 5 Can you make it a pet like a bird, or give it to your little girls to play with? 6 Will merchants try to buy it? Will they sell it in their shops? 7 Will its hide be hurt by darts, or its head by a harpoon? 8 If you lay a hand on it, you will never forget the battle that follows, and you will never try it again!
9 "No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be thrown down. 10 And since no one dares to disturb the crocodile, who would dare to stand up to me? 11 Who will confront me and remain safe[2] ? Everything under heaven is mine.
12 "I want to emphasize the tremendous strength in the crocodile's limbs and throughout its enormous frame. 13 Who can strip off its hide, and who can penetrate its double layer of armor [3] ? 14 Who could pry open its jaws? For its teeth are terrible! 15 The overlapping scales on its back make a shield. 16 They are close together so no air can get between them. 17 They lock together so nothing can penetrate them.
18 "When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn. 19 Fire and sparks leap from its mouth. 20 Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a boiling pot on a fire of dry rushes. 21 Yes, its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.
22 "The tremendous strength in its neck strikes terror wherever it goes. 23 Its flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat. 24 Its heart is as hard as rock, as hard as a millstone. 25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror. 26 No sword can stop it, nor spear nor dart nor pointed shaft. 27 To the crocodile, iron is nothing but straw, and bronze is rotten wood. 28 Arrows cannot make it flee. Stones shot from a sling are as ineffective as straw. 29 Clubs do no good, and it laughs at the swish of the javelins. 30 Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass. They tear up the ground as it drags through the mud.
31 "The crocodile makes the water boil with its commotion. It churns the depths. 32 The water glistens in its wake. One would think the sea had turned white. 33 There is nothing else so fearless anywhere on earth. 34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts."
Footnotes
41:1 Hebrew Leviathan; also throughout the following passage.
41:11 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads confront me that I must pay.
41:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads its bridle.
Bible Quotations in New Living Translation
Job 38
The LORD Challenges Job
1 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
2 "Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorant words? 3 Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them.
4 "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Tell me, if you know so much. 5 Do you know how its dimensions were determined and who did the surveying? 6 What supports its foundations, and who laid its cornerstone 7 as the morning stars sang together and all the angels [1] shouted for joy?
8 "Who defined the boundaries of the sea as it burst from the womb, 9 and as I clothed it with clouds and thick darkness? 10 For I locked it behind barred gates, limiting its shores. 11 I said, `Thus far and no farther will you come. Here your proud waves must stop!'
12 "Have you ever commanded the morning to appear and caused the dawn to rise in the east? 13 Have you ever told the daylight to spread to the ends of the earth, to bring an end to the night's wickedness? 14 For the features of the earth take shape as the light approaches, and the dawn is robed in red. 15 The light disturbs the haunts of the wicked, and it stops the arm that is raised in violence.
16 "Have you explored the springs from which the seas come? Have you walked about and explored their depths? 17 Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom? 18 Do you realize the extent of the earth? Tell me about it if you know!
19 "Where does the light come from, and where does the darkness go? 20 Can you take it to its home? Do you know how to get there? 21 But of course you know all this! For you were born before it was all created, and you are so very experienced!
22 "Have you visited the treasuries of the snow? Have you seen where the hail is made and stored? 23 I have reserved it for the time of trouble, for the day of battle and war. 24 Where is the path to the origin of light? Where is the home of the east wind?
25 "Who created a channel for the torrents of rain? Who laid out the path for the lightning? 26 Who makes the rain fall on barren land, in a desert where no one lives? 27 Who sends the rain that satisfies the parched ground and makes the tender grass spring up?
28 "Does the rain have a father? Where does dew come from? 29 Who is the mother of the ice? Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens? 30 For the water turns to ice as hard as rock, and the surface of the water freezes.
31 "Can you hold back the movements of the stars? Are you able to restrain the Pleiades or Orion? 32 Can you ensure the proper sequence of the seasons or guide the constellation of the Bear with her cubs across the heavens? 33 Do you know the laws of the universe and how God rules the earth?
34 "Can you shout to the clouds and make it rain? 35 Can you make lightning appear and cause it to strike as you direct it? 36 Who gives intuition and instinct? 37 Who is wise enough to count all the clouds? Who can tilt the water jars of heaven, 38 turning the dry dust to clumps of mud?
39 "Can you stalk prey for a lioness and satisfy the young lions' appetites 40 as they lie in their dens or crouch in the thicket? 41 Who provides food for the ravens when their young cry out to God as they wander about in hunger?
Footnotes
38:7 Hebrew sons of God.
Job 39
The LORDs Challenge Continues
1 "Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Have you watched as the wild deer are born? 2 Do you know how many months they carry their young? Are you aware of the time of their delivery? 3 They crouch down to give birth to their young and deliver their offspring. 4 Their young grow up in the open fields, then leave their parents and never return.
5 "Who makes the wild donkey wild? 6 I have placed it in the wilderness; its home is the wasteland. 7 It hates the noise of the city, and it has no driver to shout at it. 8 The mountains are its pastureland, where it searches for every blade of grass.
9 "Will the wild ox consent to being tamed? Will it stay in your stall? 10 Can you hitch a wild ox to a plow? Will it plow a field for you? 11 Since it is so strong, can you trust it? Can you go away and trust the ox to do your work? 12 Can you rely on it to return, bringing your grain to the threshing floor?
13 "The ostrich flaps her wings grandly, but they are no match for the feathers of the stork. 14 She lays her eggs on top of the earth, letting them be warmed in the dust. 15 She doesn't worry that a foot might crush them or that wild animals might destroy them. 16 She is harsh toward her young, as if they were not her own. She is unconcerned though they die, 17 for God has deprived her of wisdom. He has given her no understanding. 18 But whenever she jumps up to run, she passes the swiftest horse with its rider.
19 "Have you given the horse its strength or clothed its neck with a flowing mane? 20 Did you give it the ability to leap forward like a locust? Its majestic snorting is something to hear! 21 It paws the earth and rejoices in its strength. When it charges to war, 22 it is unafraid. It does not run from the sword. 23 The arrows rattle against it, and the spear and javelin flash. 24 Fiercely it paws the ground and rushes forward into battle when the trumpet blows. 25 It snorts at the sound of the bugle. It senses the battle even at a distance. It quivers at the noise of battle and the shout of the captain's commands.
26 "Are you the one who makes the hawk soar and spread its wings to the south? 27 Is it at your command that the eagle rises to the heights to make its nest? 28 It lives on the cliffs, making its home on a distant, rocky crag. 29 From there it hunts its prey, keeping watch with piercing eyes. 30 Its nestlings gulp down blood, for it feeds on the carcass of the slaughtered."
Job 40
1 Then the LORD said to Job, 2 "Do you still want to argue with the Almighty? You are God's critic, but do you have the answers?"
Job Responds to the LORD
3 Then Job replied to the LORD, 4 "I am nothing--how could I ever find the answers? I will put my hand over my mouth in silence. 5 I have said too much already. I have nothing more to say."
The LORD Challenges Job Again
6 Then the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind:
7 "Brace yourself, because I have some questions for you, and you must answer them. 8 Are you going to discredit my justice and condemn me so you can say you are right? 9 Are you as strong as God, and can you thunder with a voice like his? 10 All right then, put on your robes of state, your majesty and splendor. 11 Give vent to your anger. Let it overflow against the proud. 12 Humiliate the proud with a glance; walk on the wicked where they stand. 13 Bury them in the dust. Imprison them in the world of the dead. 14 Then even I would praise you, for your own strength would save you.
15 "Take a look at the mighty hippopotamus.[1] I made it, just as I made you. It eats grass like an ox. 16 See its powerful loins and the muscles of its belly. 17 Its tail is as straight as a cedar. The sinews of its thighs are tightly knit together. 18 Its bones are tubes of bronze. Its limbs are bars of iron. 19 It is a prime example of God's amazing handiwork. Only its Creator can threaten it. 20 The mountains offer it their best food, where all the wild animals play. 21 It lies down under the lotus plants, hidden by the reeds. 22 The lotus plants give it shade among the willows beside the stream. 23 It is not disturbed by raging rivers, not even when the swelling Jordan rushes down upon it. 24 No one can catch it off guard or put a ring in its nose and lead it away.
Footnotes
40:15 Hebrew at behemoth.
Job 41
The LORDs Challenge Continues
1 "Can you catch a crocodile [1] with a hook or put a noose around its jaw? 2 Can you tie it with a rope through the nose or pierce its jaw with a spike? 3 Will it beg you for mercy or implore you for pity? 4 Will it agree to work for you? Can you make it be your slave for life? 5 Can you make it a pet like a bird, or give it to your little girls to play with? 6 Will merchants try to buy it? Will they sell it in their shops? 7 Will its hide be hurt by darts, or its head by a harpoon? 8 If you lay a hand on it, you will never forget the battle that follows, and you will never try it again!
9 "No, it is useless to try to capture it. The hunter who attempts it will be thrown down. 10 And since no one dares to disturb the crocodile, who would dare to stand up to me? 11 Who will confront me and remain safe[2] ? Everything under heaven is mine.
12 "I want to emphasize the tremendous strength in the crocodile's limbs and throughout its enormous frame. 13 Who can strip off its hide, and who can penetrate its double layer of armor [3] ? 14 Who could pry open its jaws? For its teeth are terrible! 15 The overlapping scales on its back make a shield. 16 They are close together so no air can get between them. 17 They lock together so nothing can penetrate them.
18 "When it sneezes, it flashes light! Its eyes are like the red of dawn. 19 Fire and sparks leap from its mouth. 20 Smoke streams from its nostrils like steam from a boiling pot on a fire of dry rushes. 21 Yes, its breath would kindle coals, for flames shoot from its mouth.
22 "The tremendous strength in its neck strikes terror wherever it goes. 23 Its flesh is hard and firm, not soft and fat. 24 Its heart is as hard as rock, as hard as a millstone. 25 When it rises, the mighty are afraid, gripped by terror. 26 No sword can stop it, nor spear nor dart nor pointed shaft. 27 To the crocodile, iron is nothing but straw, and bronze is rotten wood. 28 Arrows cannot make it flee. Stones shot from a sling are as ineffective as straw. 29 Clubs do no good, and it laughs at the swish of the javelins. 30 Its belly is covered with scales as sharp as glass. They tear up the ground as it drags through the mud.
31 "The crocodile makes the water boil with its commotion. It churns the depths. 32 The water glistens in its wake. One would think the sea had turned white. 33 There is nothing else so fearless anywhere on earth. 34 Of all the creatures, it is the proudest. It is the king of beasts."
Footnotes
41:1 Hebrew Leviathan; also throughout the following passage.
41:11 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads confront me that I must pay.
41:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads its bridle.
Bible Quotations in New Living Translation
The main thing I'm saying is, that God is not the one making your decisions for you. -- We create our own "destiny" as does God for us.
