Read Job 41
41 “Can you pull in Leviathan with a fishhook
or tie down its tongue with a rope?
2 Can you put a cord through its nose
or pierce its jaw with a hook?
3 Will it keep begging you for mercy?
Will it speak to you with gentle words?
4 Will it make an agreement with you
for you to take it as your slave for life?
5 Can you make a pet of it like a bird
or put it on a leash for the young women in your house?
6 Will traders barter for it?
Will they divide it up among the merchants?
7 Can you fill its hide with harpoons
or its head with fishing spears?
8 If you lay a hand on it,
you will remember the struggle and never do it again!
9 Any hope of subduing it is false;
the mere sight of it is overpowering.
10 No one is fierce enough to rouse it.
Who then is able to stand against me?
11 Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me.
12 “I will not fail to speak of Leviathan’s limbs,
its strength and its graceful form.
13 Who can strip off its outer coat?
Who can penetrate its double coat of armor?
14 Who dares open the doors of its mouth,
ringed about with fearsome teeth?
15 Its back has rows of shields
tightly sealed together;
16 each is so close to the next
that no air can pass between.
17 They are joined fast to one another;
they cling together and cannot be parted.
18 Its snorting throws out flashes of light;
its eyes are like the rays of dawn.
19 Flames stream from its mouth;
sparks of fire shoot out.
20 Smoke pours from its nostrils
as from a boiling pot over burning reeds.
21 Its breath sets coals ablaze,
and flames dart from its mouth.
22 Strength resides in its neck;
dismay goes before it.
23 The folds of its flesh are tightly joined;
they are firm and immovable.
24 Its chest is hard as rock,
hard as a lower millstone.
25 When it rises up, the mighty are terrified;
they retreat before its thrashing.
26 The sword that reaches it has no effect,
nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin.
27 Iron it treats like straw
and bronze like rotten wood.
28 Arrows do not make it flee;
slingstones are like chaff to it.
29 A club seems to it but a piece of straw;
it laughs at the rattling of the lance.
30 Its undersides are jagged potsherds,
leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge.
31 It makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron
and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment.
32 It leaves a glistening wake behind it;
one would think the deep had white hair.
33 Nothing on earth is its equal—
a creature without fear.
34 It looks down on all that are haughty;
it is king over all that are proud.”
Go Deeper
Describing fierce and mighty beasts continues in Job 41 as God questions Job and further underscores God’s power and might. Job is still listening and silent, as God concludes with this detailed description of the Leviathan, a mysterious, powerful beast. Imaginations may be stirred as we read the description of the Leviathan. Is this creature a dragon or a menacing crocodile?
Not only is Job unable to catch the Leviathan with a hook or subdue the beast with his man-made weapons, but he is also not equal to this beast’s power, the king over all the proud beasts. God clearly reminds Job that this Leviathan and everything under heaven are made by Him. God reveals that the Leviathan cannot be defeated by man, but God as creator is not intimidated. As Creator and sustainer of all things, God reinforces that He alone is able to subdue and deliver. God has vividly made His point: I am God. And Job, you are not.
We have to make sure we grasp what God is saying here! God’s reminder to us is the same: I am God, you are not. With that perspective, we (like Job) are challenged to face enemies that seem as unconquerable as a Leviathan. Whether it is a monster of addiction, financial ruin, marital conflict, terminal illness, abuse, pride, or busyness, our hope and our help come from the Almighty, all-powerful, creator God. He is omnipotent, mighty to save, light over darkness, God Almighty!
Throughout his ordeal, Job continues to look to God sometimes in faith, sometimes in despair, sometimes in doubt and confusion and yet, his angst and questions are directed to God. His humble response will be revealed in the final chapter, but the clear picture of Job’s need (and ours) is to humbly recall and trust who God is. Deuteronomy 32:4 is a great reminder of God’s character, “He is the Rock, His works are perfect, and all His ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is He.”
Questions
- How have you faced and battled your fiercest enemy (in your own strength or empowered by God)?
- Where do you need God’s reminder that He is God, and you are not?
- What character trait of God will you focus on today?
Pray This
Today, pray these words from Romans 11:33-36:
“Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and of the knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments and untraceable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been His counselor? And who has ever given to God that He should be repaid? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.”
Help Us Brainstorm
We are trying to figure out what would make the BRP’s Rest Day (Sunday) entries more helpful and engaging. Maybe it’s a video, a podcast, a personal reflection…the options are endless!
Do you have an idea? If so, e-mail us at [email protected]. Thanks for helping us think!
Leave a Comment Below
Join the Team
Interested in writing for the Bible Reading Plan? Email [email protected].
4 responses to “Job 41”
Why would God tell us about creature?
“If you’ve ever faced something in your life that felt too vast, too wild, or too terrifying to confront—like grief that won’t let go, trauma that won’t stop haunting you, fear that paralyzes, or even spiritual darkness that feels beyond naming—Leviathan is a symbol meant for you. It represents the chaos you cannot tame and the dread you cannot reason with. But God doesn’t show you Leviathan to frighten you; He shows you Leviathan to remind you that you are not in control, and that is grace. Because the One who created Leviathan is not threatened by it. The chaos that overwhelms you is not greater than the God who speaks from the chaotic whirlwind.” Rev. Garrick Sinclair Beckett
“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10).
Jesus Christ declared “It is finished” He took care of THE thing, whatever that is for you, it may roar but if you believe in God then it does not reign. God never tells Job why he suffered but He does tell him who has control of the universe. The things of this world that you cannot control are not outside of God’s control. Job and I have learned that we need to rest in God. Rest in His strength and know that He is the overcomer. We might not can escape the chaos or understand the why of the storm BUT GOD has ALL.
God thank You for having ALL. Thank You for being a reigning, ruling God that knows the end from the beginning and that Loves with such a deep sustaining, abiding Love that is hard to fathom. God continue to show Yourself to my finite mind and to help me comprehend more. My chaotic Leviathan monster is no match for You. God thank You that You want me to continually bring all things to Your throne. God “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8:38-39). I believe that nothing can separate me from You. If it is death, then I am ready. God I just thank You for the minutes of this day that I do have to honor and glorify You in all I do and say. God thank You that You are with me in all my chaos and that it is You that shows me, guides me, and that I have good listening ears to Shema hear with obedience. God bless the people who read this BRP with understanding of Your word, to broaden their understanding of You. God thank You for today in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Spot on Amy!
If only we would grasp this each and every day.
Thank You for consistently sharing words of encouragement!
“Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
Everything under heaven belongs to me” (v11).
This side of heaven we’ll not fully comprehend the greatness of our God, although much has been revealed in Scripture of his character that should stir our affections and an amazement of him. His goodness and mercy are chasing us down, wooing us to love and trust him more. The untouchable became touchable so that we could live in relationship together forever. (It’s incomprehensible that I am his and he is mine!)
33 “Nothing on earth is its equal-a creature without fear.”
While we don’t know exactly what a Leviathan is, some say that it’s most likely something akin to a Nile crocodile. That’s very intimidating! I can’t tame that! You win, God!