Read
The Lord Continues
When Do Mountain Goats
1When do mountain goats
and deer give birth?
Have you been there
when their young are born?
* 2How long are they pregnant
3before they deliver?
4Soon their young grow strong
and then leave
to be on their own.
5Who set wild donkeys free?
6I alone help them survive
in salty desert sand.
7They stay far from crowded cities
and refuse to be tamed.
8Instead, they roam the hills,
searching for pastureland.
9Would a wild ox agree
to live in your barn
and labor for you?
10Could you force him to plow
or to drag a heavy log
to smooth out the soil?
11Can you depend on him
to use his great strength
and do your heavy work?
12Can you trust him
to harvest your grain
or take it to your barn
from the threshing place?
An Ostrich Proudly Flaps
13An ostrich proudly
flaps her wings,
but not because
she loves her young.
14She abandons her eggs
and lets the dusty ground
keep them warm.
15And she doesn't seem to worry
that the feet of an animal
could crush them all.
16She treats her eggs as though
they were not her own,
unconcerned that her work
might be for nothing.
17I myself made her foolish
and without common sense.
18But once she starts running,
she laughs at a rider
on the fastest horse.
Did You Give Horses
19Did you give horses their strength
and the flowing hair
along their necks?
20Did you make them able
to jump like grasshoppers
or to frighten people
with their snorting?
21Before horses are ridden
into battle,
they paw at the ground,
proud of their strength.
22Laughing at fear, they rush
toward the fighting,
23while the weapons of their riders
rattle and flash in the sun.
24Unable to stand still,
they gallop eagerly into battle
when trumpets blast.
25Stirred by the distant smells
and sounds of war, they snort
in reply to the trumpet.
26Did you teach hawks to fly south
for the winter?
* 27Did you train eagles to build
28their nests on rocky cliffs,
29where they can look down
to spot their next meal?
30 Then their young gather to feast
wherever the victim lies.
Reflect
Job 39 continues God’s discourse. The Lord continues to ask Job question after question, revealing how little Job understands about the world around him. Although the compassionate point of these questions is only seen in the next chapter, what God says here is still very meaningful.
One of the key messages in this speech is that God is the great Creator. He watches over his creatures when they’re in their hiding places (vs 1-4).But more than that, God is the one who endowed them with their unique strengths and abilities in the first place.
God declares that he is the one who determined that wild donkeys would be free (vs 5-8).He is the one who gave great strength to the wild ox, and even though this power could be profitable to humans, they cannot harness it (vs 9-12).Not every animal in nature can be easily domesticated and used by human beings.
The Lord continues to point out examples from his creation. He did not make the ostrich wise, but he did make it fast and impressive. God also made the horse, an animal with tremendous strength and endurance. Yet this animal, unlike the wild donkey and wild ox, is harnessed by humans and used for their purposes (vs 19-25).
Turning to a universal symbol of power and freedom, God points to the mighty birds like hawks and eagles that soar and glide effortlessly through the air (vs 26-30).As impressive as these birds are, they only fly by the wisdom of God. He is the one who made them what they are.
When you look at the wonders of the natural world you are confronted with the glory and power of God. Our wisdom is inadequate to comprehend creation: God’s wisdom was enough to design and create it!
Respond
Creator God, we praise you for your wisdom in creating this world. Everywhere we look we see a wonderful diversity of life. Give us eyes to see the traces of your glory in the world around us. Help us love and care for your creation, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
Steve West
Steve West is the Lead Pastor at Crestwicke Baptist Church in Guelph, Ontario, as well as an adjunct professor at Heritage College and Seminary (Cambridge) and Toronto Baptist Seminary.