|
|
Job 41 Commentary
by Brad Boyles
It is the mystery of the Leviathan…
No beast, terrestrial or aquatic, deserves the high character here given, though that character only considers him as unconquerably strong, ferociously cruel, and wonderfully made. Perhaps leviathan was some extinct mammoth of the waters, as behemoth was of the land.
Adam Clarke
It’s true most commentaries regard the Leviathan to be a crocodile, but I wholeheartedly agree with Clarke’s analysis that by the description we get from God, the assumption of a crocodile is highly overrated.
The point was to contrast the most fearsome beast with the power of God. Man would look at the Leviathan as an unstoppable force to be feared. To God, it was another one of his created creatures that would submit to Him. The illustration puts into perspective the power and sovereignty of God.
Christ is the visible likeness of the invisible God. He is the first-born Son, superior to all created things. 16 For through him God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through him and for him. 17 Christ existed before all things, and in union with him all things have their proper place.
Colossians 1:15-17 GNB
What do we really know about the spiritual realm? What do we really know about the human body? What do we really know about dinosaurs? Compared to other human beings, we might know a lot. Compared to God, we know nothing.
Most honest experts will tell you they are just beginning to learn about their field of study. This is because the detail of God’s creation goes far beyond the capacity of our brains. What do you know about the Leviathan, Job? The question itself is consistent with how our God taught when He took on the flesh of a human body. The questioning is non-threatening but it leads us to a place of absolute humility.
The answer is nothing. And because the answer is nothing, we come to the realization that we have misspoke about things we know nothing about. We question what God permits with a tiny sliver of information. But when He speaks (and questions us), we, like Job, discover that we were never really qualified to weigh in on how God decides to rule this world.
The description is extremely dignified; and were we sure of the animal, I have no doubt we should find it in every instance correct. But after all that has been said, we have yet to learn what leviathan is!
Adam Clarke