LIVE: "Have You An Arm Like God?" (Job 40/41), Part 3/5

God doesn’t answer Job with a neat explanation. He answers with reality. When the Lord points to Behemoth, we hear a thunderous reminder that there are parts of creation we cannot tame, cannot bargain with, and cannot control and that fact is meant to do something to our pride. If a human being can’t raise a sword to one creature God made, what business do we have putting God on trial for how he governs the world? 

We walk through Job 40–41 with a focus on God’s sovereignty, providence, and purpose, and we talk honestly about the hardest animal to master: ourselves. The conversation keeps coming back to words, because Job’s turning point is not a stronger argument but a quieter mouth. We connect Behemoth and Leviathan to the biblical theme that “out of the mouth the heart speaks,” and why being careful, precise, and humble with our speech is part of Christian discipleship. 

We also reflect on God’s patience throughout Job, including how the early challenge from Satan ends with God restoring Job and proving that Job’s future was never out of the Lord’s hands. Land and sea, strength and suffering, fear and provision all point to one conclusion: God rules over what he makes, and humility is the only sane response. 

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Transcript

Behemoth And The Limits Of Man

SPEAKER_04 0:01

A big one. We don't know exactly which animal he's talking about, but we know that it is a big one, a massive one, one that is untamed. And he says to Job, Behold now Behemoth. Look at Bohemoth. See Behemoth, which I made with you. He eats grass as an ox. Behemoth, that is. He eats grass as an ox. See now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly. He moves his tail like a cedar tree. The sinews of his stones are wrapped together. His bones are as strong pieces of brass. His bones are like bars of iron. He is the chief of the ways of God. Listen to this. Behemoth is the chief of the ways of God. He that made him can make his sword to approach unto him. God is saying that behemoth is so unstoppable. It's so unstoppable that only the one who made him can bring a sword toward him. What God is saying to Job, can you raise a sword to Behemoth? Can you, Job, do this? Behemoth is introduced by the Lord as this powerful creature that God made. And he represents great strength and stability in God's creation. And yet, even this very powerful creature is under God's control. Not Job's, not any other man. God's control. And man cannot master such a creature. But guess what? God can. And so what does this show? That if man cannot control one of God's creatures, he is not able to govern the world. There's a reason why God is making this case with Job. And remember, Job, you know, you know, Job is found saying things that question God's judgment, but yet God is bringing, he's saying, listen, if there's even a single animal you can't control, how are you going to control the universe? How are you going to question my control over the universe? You can't handle taming a creature. On top of that, the creature, Job, that you have the most problem taming is yourself. That's the creature you have the most problem taming. You can't govern. But I do. But if you think you can, declare it. Show me. But Job recognizes being the righteous man that he is, that it is best for him to keep his mouth shut. That's what Job understands. Brother Pab, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 4:03

You know it. I can't help but think of the fact of when Jesus said, Many will come to me on the last day, saying, Lord, Lord, haven't I done all these things? Right? And we know what happens. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity, right?

SPEAKER_04 4:20

Right.

SPEAKER_02 4:20

You wicked ones. But notice Job, he stays silent. Right. Is he boasting on his works to God? Is he is he is he trying to tell God all that he did for God? Right. Not a word. No. Isn't that interesting?

SPEAKER_03 4:36

Yep, it is.

SPEAKER_02 4:37

Two completely different responses.

SPEAKER_04 4:40

Yep. Great point. Excellent point. No problem. And so verse 20. God continues. He says to Job, surely the mountains bring him forth food, meaning behemoth. The mountains bring behemoth food, where all the beasts of the field are play. He lies under the shady trees, in the covert of the reed and fins. The shady trees cover him with their shadow. The willows of the brook compass him about. Behold, he drinks up a river and hasten not. He trusts that he can draw up Jordan in his mouth. He takes it with his eyes. His nose pierces through snares. What is he saying to Job? This animal, Bohemoth, has no fear. No fear at all. And yet he is sustained by what God Himself provides. He receives all of his prison provision. The behemoth receives all of his provisions from the Lord. It is strong, it is fearless, and is beyond any man's ability to capture. And God is pointing out to Job, can you tame behemoth? We can assume that Job knew exactly what God was talking about, the animal that he's talking about. But it's a big one. It was a powerful one. But it's one that is fed by God, and it's the only one, I mean, and it can only be threatened with the sword of the Lord, and not by any sword that can be fashioned by man and wielded by man. And this description continues to show that the greatness of this creature, that it is big and massive, and powerful and untamable by man. And again, God is pointing out to Job, you are in no position to sit in judgment as to how I govern my creation. And he's pointing this out to Job so that Job can reflect on not just the animal, but reflect on himself in God's eyes, like that animal. We give ourselves far too much credit because of reason and rationale that God gave us. But in God's eyes, we are just like animals outside of the mind that He gives us, the reason and the rationale. And this is what makes man's sin so great. We have the ability to recognize the Creator and what he can do and what he has done, and what he will do. But his creation doesn't get that benefit, and yet they obey him and they receive from his hand. They receive his provision. Remember about the lion? He told Job, Do you take the prey to the lion? We see lions devour animals when we watch these nature movies, nature shows. But God says he's the one that provides the prey that the lion gets. But he asked Job, Do you provide the prey? God is showing I am sovereign over all creation, Job, and you are part of my creation. And I did not give it to you. I gave to you or no man any authority to govern this creation. I do it. I do it. And I do it all. So the main point here remains God rules over that which he makes.

God’s Case For Sovereign Rule

SPEAKER_04 9:16

And we are about to get into Job chapter 41. Job chapter 41. Any comments before we get into that chapter? From anybody. Sister Lisa, anything.

SPEAKER_05 9:34

Well, I just think this is a great lesson for us all. You know, be quiet when you don't understand. Like you said it, I think the last live. It's best to just say, I don't know, than to speculate on what's going on with God. I think we're I think it's just a beautiful thing, just keep quiet.

SPEAKER_04 9:54

Yep, absolutely.

SPEAKER_05 9:56

Keep your head low. You know.

SPEAKER_04 9:59

Sister Vanessa, what do you think, sister?

SPEAKER_01 10:03

Well, what can you say? God is God. And whether anybody likes it or not, he's sovereign. And I just, you know, I sit here and I I just keep thinking about how good he is, you know, when you're when you're speaking and how great he is, and that nobody has one inkling of him. You know, that there just no way that you can surpass him at all. I mean, there's nothing there to, you know, we're just worms. Right. We're just worms. That's right.

SPEAKER_04 10:41

That's that's right. That's exactly what we are. That's what exactly what we are. Feeble creatures at best. Brother Jeffrey, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 10:53

Jonathan, it would be interesting if the book of Job gave us some more information about Job's life after his recovery. Specifically, what he says about God, how he relates to his family, his friends, after he has been through all of this, and God has restored him to double what he had before. It would really be interesting to hear some of the tales that he tells his children, his grandchildren. I think it says he lived another hundred and forty years after all of this was done and completed. It'd be interesting, really interesting to hear what he told his family, his his kids and grandkids, maybe great-grandkids, about what God had to do to get his attention and what transpired in his life and how it changed him as he walked closer to God after it was over. Amen, brother.

SPEAKER_04 11:54

Absolutely. Yeah, that would be interesting to know, but we can assume the best, I suppose, especially when we consider what the word of God says about him in the book of Hebrews. But yeah, you're right. There's a lot that would be interesting to know. But the Lord gives us what we need, right? He gives us what we need to know to understand this thing. And this book, right now, this chapter, is dealing with a lot about humility. And

Learning To Be Quiet Before God

SPEAKER_04 12:19

Job is getting a massive dose of that which warrants his humility. And seeing himself as the vile creature that he's about. Brother Brian Murphy makes a great statement. He says the story is not about Job, it's about God. And I 100% agree with that. 100% agree with that. You know, especially when we consider the standpoint that, from the standpoint that most people take Job as a book about Job's patience. And as I said before, it's really about God's patience when you think about it. It's really about God's patience. Man. You know, and and and thank the Lord that He has been patient and that He's patient with us. I know how much patience it must take to deal with me. You know, and so when you multiply that into the millions and billions of people, God is a very patient, long-suffering God. And that's what He is. That's what He is. So in verse In chapter 41, go ahead, Mae, before I start in 41. Go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 13:32

You know, not only is He is He patient with us, but I think what the other things that we've learned is He's patient with the wicked. See, that that is to me something that we that we all need to understand, you know. And because the world is so wicked, he's even long-suffering with them. But what we don't what we don't understand is that he's patient with them for our sake, too. Because what they're doing is they're working for us, right? Both Job chapter 12, verse 16, both the deceived and the deceiver belong to him. And so I I think with Bohemoth to me, when when I've read over the chapter, I see that it what Lisa said something previously, talking about the tongue. The tongue is something that cannot be tamed, that can only be tamed by the power of God. That the flesh is something that cannot be tamed, that can only be tamed by the power of God. And so when when I see us reading this chapter, this is something that that I have when you said when you were talking about Job, it's like, Job, you can't even manage you. Right. And you can't manage you without me. Right. And what makes you think for one second that you have any control over anything? Because guess what? Don't you forget in Job chapter 19, you knew that your Redeemer lives, and I am he. I'm the only one that can redeem you. I'm the one who makes you righteous.

SPEAKER_04 15:04

Yeah, that's a good point. I I love that point, Meg, because when we read about man's tongue, the Bible tells us that it's like the smallest member in man, but it controls the whole body. Like a like a helm of a ship controls the entire ship. Man can't tame his tongue. So you're right. I mean, and it's a it's a perfect way of looking at this. Job, if you you can't, and see, and why is Job in trouble with God right now? Why is he in trouble with God right now?

SPEAKER_06 15:36

Notice in chapter 40, I think it's verse 3. I don't have my Bible, but in verse 3, when he says, I will take my hand and put it over my mouth, and I won't say another word. If you were to think about Bohemut and call it a cedar tree, that tongue of yours in the in a in a poetic way is like a cedar tree. You you that tongue cannot be tamed, and it's by my grace and it's by my mercy and it's by my providence and my governance and my sovereignty that you can even keep your mouth shut now.

SPEAKER_04 16:12

Right. I mean, and see, and that's right. And see, he what was happening with Job, and that's why I like what you're saying, because Job, he's in this fix with the Lord because of his tongue. Because of what he's things he's saying. That's good. You're right. You see what I mean? And and that's why I like what you're saying, because he's in this situation right now because of his words to God. And so, and and so and and and God, he you know, and and and this and it's interesting because God doesn't just

The Untamable Tongue And The Heart

SPEAKER_04 16:51

he doesn't just telling he doesn't just come out to Job and say, you know what? You're an idiot. He doesn't do that. We might tell people that, but God never talks to his people that way. He he carries Job along and he he gives Job this these these these reverberating lessons about his own sovereignty over his creation and his providence over creation with the hope, if you want to call it that, but it's not hope, it's what God is doing, of showing, of, of getting Job to come to the to the right conclusion on his own. And what does Job do? The first thing he does is he goes, I need to shut my mouth. So, like Meg brought up in chapter 40, he says, I need to shut, I need to shut my mouth. And then in chapter 41, or chapter, and earlier in this chapter, he says, he says, I'm vile. And he and so when you when you connect his seeing himself as vile, being attached and keeping his mouth shut, that's usually, these two things usually go together. Usually being vile can usually be recognized by what we say. Because Christ told us, out of the mouth, the heart speaks. Out of the mouth, the heart speaks. Out of the treasure of the heart, the mouth speaks. Brother Jeffrey, go ahead.

SPEAKER_03 18:31

Not that this point is really necessary, but I want to make it anyway as we as we get ready to wrap up the book of Job here. God has made it clear to Job that he is God. He is sovereign. He is in control. Job understands this. All right. He will soon get back double what he had from the beginning.

unknown 18:53

Right.

SPEAKER_03 18:54

Job's three friends. They will bring a sacrifice to God and to Job, and they will burn that sacrifice.

Satan’s Defeat And God’s Patience

SPEAKER_03 19:00

God will accept it. Job forgives them. They wound up being forgiven as well. Thank you. But there's one other character here that we have forgotten about that has also been dealt with. Who do you think that is?

SPEAKER_04 19:23

I'm not sure, brother. Go ahead. The devil.

SPEAKER_03 19:26

Go back to chapter one and chapter two. He said, Do what you want to him. He did. Do everything you want except take his life. He did. The devil is the one who comes up on the short end of all of this. You have to wonder as he's running away now from this with his tail tucked between his legs, what he was thinking about. You know what? Maybe it wasn't such a good idea that I'd go before God and challenge him over Job to begin with. Again, not that it matters, but that thought does cross my mind anyway. What was in his brain after he saw that God restored Job, and everything he had done to injure Job came to nothing.

SPEAKER_04 20:12

Right. Amen. Sister May, go ahead.

SPEAKER_06 20:16

The other verse that came to my mind during this chapter was Hebrews chapter 12. I mean, Hebrews chapter 4, verse 12, when it says, the word of God is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It cuts between soul and spirit, bone and marrow, and it reveals the desires and intents of your heart. And so what's really interesting is that I wonder what Job was thinking, Jonathan, when you know God was silent for 34 chapters. I wonder, did he did he think that he wasn't going to show up? Did he feel that, you know, after Elihu talked that it was over and then he shows up out of the world when could you imagine the fear of the Lord? I know what the fear of the Lord that would come over me after I'm going through all this and then he shows up. Right, right. To me, that would I would just freeze. I I couldn't even say anything. Right. You know?

SPEAKER_04 21:10

Right. Yeah, and you know, and the thing about it is it it goes to show us that we really should be frugal with our words, particularly when it comes to the Lord, and to be economical with our words, which is which is something that we don't see a whole lot of. And and I'll tell you, you know, that is something that that has plagued me. You know, you in my in my in my life as a Christian, especially in the early days, you you know, we need to be more tactful, tactful, right? More tactful. Responsible verbally, and like I said, more economical with our words and make them matter and start being so superfluous, going beyond what we need to say, and get to the point. And this is why, even why, even in these sessions that we we get in, I try my best to be come to be careful to focus only on God's word and your edification and my mutual edification from you. So we need to be more, like I said, economical with our words and more and more precise with them as well. They go together. Brother Pat, go ahead.

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Don't you feel that what God's getting at too is it's not just speak less, but it's know what you're talking about. Because God, God gives them the example of these creatures in nature that are powerful and all that God is doing, it's like, hey, Job, you need to know what you're talking about. I'm the engine that goes, that makes things go here. And you need to know when you speak about me, you need to speak about it rightly. Don't ever get it twisted into thinking that you're obeying me. All right. You're obeying me because of me. Get that right.

SPEAKER_04 23:30

I like that. I like that.

SPEAKER_02 23:31

Well, and here's something else. Here's something else, Jonathan. Because I'm thinking about my youth being raised in a non-denominational church like many of us have. And this book was always preached to me. The beginning of the book, where you have this dialogue between Satan and God, it was always presented to me as like gambling or a wager. Hey Satan, let's see what it'll do. And the outcome, who knows? Let's throw the dice, let's see where they land. And what you see here is that with Job's future was never in jeopardy. Right. It was never because God was the engine that made it go. He was the one upholding him.

SPEAKER_04 24:19

Amen, brother. Amen. So we're actually getting into Job 41.

Leviathan And The Hook You Cannot Set

SPEAKER_04 24:26

Job 41. And God continues to educate Job and driving him to humility. And then he so and what he does is now he he Leviathan, he left Behemoth. Now he's talking about Leviathan, which represents a creature also like Behemoth, which is too powerful for man to control, yet is fully and entirely under God's control. And what God is saying again, like in the case of Behemoth, he's saying the same thing about Leviathan. If man cannot stand before and have control over Leviathan, he certainly cannot stand in judgment over God. And so the only proper response that Job can give, having this knowledge been revealed to him by God, is humility, reverence, and submission to God's wisdom and power. Now notice God brings up two powerful animals, Behemoth and Leviathan. Now, we may not know exactly the exact animal that God is talking about. We have ideas, men have speculated, but with one thing that we do know is that Job did know. He did know. And so Job understood that these were two very powerful animals, Leviathan and Behemoth. Powerful. Beyond any control of man. Man can tame them, control them. But for lack of a better expression, don't take this irreverently. I'm just trying to make a contrast point. God is a much bigger animal. Don't anybody go and say I said God is an animal. He's not. I'm looking by, I'm just using this metaphorically. Because God, Job believed that he had the grounds whereby he could disannul God's judgment, as God told him he was doing. But God tells him, You can't control Behemoth, you can't control Leviathan. What makes you think you have a say in how I govern things? I'm much bigger than both of these combined. And they are no better than you, Job, before me. And yet you can't control them. This is heavy. And so, and so look at the first verse. Look at verse one. God says to this, Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or his tongue with a cord, which you let down? Can you put a hook in his nose or bore his jaw through with a thorn? Notice he calls a hook a thorn. Now, before I go on, let me ask everybody, what do you think is the difference? Anyone can answer this question. What's the difference between Leviathan and Behemoth? Is God just saying the same thing over again, or is there a difference between these two creatures? What's the difference? Anybody?

SPEAKER_06 28:05

I think one is the land and one is the sea.

SPEAKER_04 28:07

Exactly right. Exactly right. Khan said it as well. One is land and one is sea. And that means over the whole earth. God is pointing out what appears to be the most powerful creatures on earth. One in the land, one on land, and one in sea, on the sea. And God's telling him, you have no control over the land, you have no control over the sea animals. But I do. But I do. And it's interesting that Brother Brian in the comments he says, we can't fathom how big God is, right when we're talking about Leviathan, because fathom is a measurement of the ocean. Six feet is one fathom. And so, not that you cared about knowing that, but I just thought it would be a nice little tidbit. And I thought that it was kind of interesting that Brian used that. So thank you, Brian. But anyway, landing.

SPEAKER_02 29:10

Stop showing off, Jonathan. Stop showing off.

SPEAKER_04 29:12

I know I can't help myself. I can't help myself. So, so anyway, yeah, it's right. It's Leviathan. He says, you can't put a hook in his nose. You can't, you can't, or, or his tongue with a cord. You can't draw out his tongue with a cord, which is let down. In other words, you can't just fish for this creature. You can't just throw out a fishing hook and catch this guy, this beast. You know? And then it says, Will will he make any supplications to you? Leviathan, that is. Will he speak soft words unto you, Job? Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant forever? Will you play with him as with a bird? Will you bind him for your maidens? Shall the companions make a banquet of him? Serve him up? Shall they part him among the merchants to sell pieces of him off? Can you fill his skin with barbed irons? Or his head with fish spears? Lay thy hand upon him. Remember the battle, do no more. So God is presenting Leviathan as his creature that is far beyond human power and control. That's what he's pointing at. That's what he's pointing at. And these questions that God is asking Job, they show that a man cannot capture, tame, or make this creature serve him. It's amazing. Sister Mariah, go ahead.

SPEAKER_00 31:10

This last part just reminded me of like what he has said to Satan about Job. Lay thy hand upon him and remember the battle, do no more, you know. And it's like he offered him up, but knowing that he could not overtake him.

SPEAKER_04 31:30

Right.

SPEAKER_00 31:31

And so you get this contrast here with the same approach that he's saying unto Job, like it's just amazing.

SPEAKER_04 31:41

It really is. That's it. That is, Brother Pat said it right. That's a great observation. And again, that's the that's that's listen, this is what I mean by the mutual edification, because some of these things like like this just motivate me because that's a great observation. It's like the one Sean made earlier. This is this is what we what we how we mutually benefit and bless each other with these things, because that's a great, great assessment here. And so you guys are throwing out some good ones. Sean, Meg, Mariah in this case, and Jeffrey, everybody. This is this is this is it's beautiful because I love it when I'm getting so much out of these things too. So I just want to tell you that. It's just unbelievable. And what Job is, and what God is telling Job here is that he said, listen, when a man, Job, he's Job is, he's telling Job, listen, when you encounter a creature like Leviathan or Behemoth, you will not easily forget how dangerous it is to deal with them. You can't control them, you can't tame them, you can't domesticate them, but I can, and I do.

Lost Dominion And The Meaning Of Taming

SPEAKER_04 32:51

And see, God is pointing out to Job that in the animal kingdom, you were given the power. Before you fell, before man fell, man was given dominion over the earth. Dominion over all the animals. And God is telling him, You lost all that. Your sin has taken away that ability. I gave you whatever was needed to tame creation, but you failed. And now you can't control anything. Why? Because you couldn't control yourself. And see, this is what so let me say something about this. When you tame an animal, a dog, a cat, donkey, horse, whatever, we call that domestication. Domesticating an animal. Causing that person or that animal to submit to you. But you know what man's number one problem is, especially the Christian person today? And I'm talking about the unbelieving Christians.