Scripture Text: Job 40:6-42:16
Memory Verse: “And the Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.”—Job 42:10
Introduction:
The Lord asks Job if he has any right to correct or rebuke Him in the realm of providence when he knows so little about the natural creation. With this, Job at last takes his proper place, saying “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer Thee? I lay my hand over my mouth” (Job 40:4) Overwhelmed by the wide-ranging knowledge of the Lord, he determines to say no more.
Job’s response comes somewhat short of repentance, so the Lord continues to remonstrate with him out of the whirlwind. He challenges Job to speak up like a man. After all, Job had accused God of injustice, and condemned Him in order to justify himself.
Next the Lord challenges Job to consider behemoth, which He made along with Job. God presents the behemoth as the first of His ways. Although we cannot identify it with certainty, we know that it was herbivorous, amphibian, and exceedingly powerful. The lesson is that if Job can’t even control this animal, how can he control the world? Some Christian scientists are now convinced that the behemoth must be an animal now extinct, or perhaps found in some remote parts of the African jungle. In fact, a reptile of the dinosaur type does fit the description very closely. God presents another awesome creature, Leviathan. Can Job harness him?
Job is overwhelmed. He acknowledges the sovereignty of God and confesses that he has spoken unadvisedly with his lips. Now that he has not only heard the Lord, but his eye has seen Him, he hates himself and repents in dust and ashes. As soon as Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored in inverse order twice as much as Job had before.
Studying the Word
Lesson Study
- God cannot do much for us as long as we are busy telling Him what to do. What was the results of Job’s silence? (Job 40:1-14; Deuteronomy 3:26; Psalm 39:9; Matthew 22:12; Romans 3:19)
- Describe the physical characteristics of the behemoth. Was it only a mythological creature or a real one? Is there an animal today that meets this description? Based on the description, what prehistoric animal might meet this description? (Job 40:15-24)
- Describe the physical characteristics of Leviathan. Was it only a mythological creature or a real one? Is there an animal today that meets this description? What prehistoric animal might meet this description? (Job 41:1-10)
- What is God’s purpose in mentioning the behemoth and Leviathan? (Job 41:11-25)
- What was Job’s final answer to God? (Job 42:1-6)
Applying the Word
Name at least two reasons why God restored everything Job had lost with a double portion. What lessons can we learn from Job’s reformed attitude? (Job 42:7-16)