Job 40

1 And the Lord yet again answered and spoke to Job out of the cloud, ,

2 Nay, gird up now thy loins like a man; and I will ask thee, and do thou answer me.

3 Do not set aside my judgment: and dost thou think that I have dealt with thee in any other way, than that thou mightest appear to be righteous?

4 Hast thou an arm like the Lord's? or dost thou thunder with a voice like his?

5 Assume now a lofty bearing and power; and clothe thyself with glory and honour.

6 And send forth messengers with wrath; and lay low every haughty one.

7 Bring down also the proud man; and consume at once the ungodly.

8 And hide them together in the earth; and fill their faces with shame.

9 will I confess that thy right hand can save .

10 But now look at the wild beasts with thee; they eat grass like oxen.

11 Behold now, his strength is in his loins, and his force is in the navel of his belly.

12 He sets up his tail like a cypress; and his nerves are wrapped together.

13 His sides are sides of brass; and his backbone is cast iron.

14 This is the chief of the creation of the Lord; made to be played with by his angels.

15 And when he has gone up to a steep mountain, he causes joy to the quadrupeds in the deep.

16 He lies under trees of every kind, by the papyrus, and reed, and bulrush.

17 And the great trees make a shadow over him with their branches, and the bushes of the field.

18 If there should be a flood, he will not perceive it; he trust that Jordan will rush up into his mouth.

19 shall take him in his sight; shall catch with a cord, and pierce his nose.

20 But wilt thou catch the serpent with a hook, and put a halter about his nose?

21 Or wilt thou fasten a ring in his nostril, and bore his lip with a clasp?

22 Will he address thee with a petition? softly, with the voice of a suppliant?

23 And will he make a covenant with thee? and wilt thou take him for a perpetual servant?

24 And wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or bind him as a sparrow for a child?

25 And do the nations feed upon him, and the nations of the Phoenicians share him?

26 And all the ships come together would not be able to bear the mere skin of his tail; neither his head in fishing-vessels.

27 But thou shalt lay thy hand upon him , remembering the war that is waged by his mouth; and let it not be done any more.

Job 40 Commentary

Chapter 40

Job humbles himself to God. (1-5) The Lord reasons with Job to show his righteousness, power, and wisdom. (6-14) God's power shown in Behemoth. (15-24)

Verses 1-5 Communion with the Lord effectually convinces and humbles a saint, and makes him glad to part with his most beloved sins. There is need to be thoroughly convinced and humbled, to prepare us for remarkable deliverances. After God had shown Job, by his manifest ignorance of the works of nature, how unable he was to judge of the methods and designs of Providence, he puts a convincing question to him; Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? Now Job began to melt into godly sorrow: when his friends reasoned with him, he did not yield; but the voice of the Lord is powerful. When the Spirit of truth is come, he shall convince. Job yields himself to the grace of God. He owns himself an offender, and has nothing to say to justify himself. He is now sensible that he has sinned; and therefore he calls himself vile. Repentance changes men's opinion of themselves. Job is now convinced of his error. Those who are truly sensible of their own sinfulness and vileness, dare not justify themselves before God. He perceived that he was a poor, mean, foolish, and sinful creature, who ought not to have uttered one word against the Divine conduct. One glimpse of God's holy nature would appal the stoutest rebel. How, then will the wicked bear the sight of his glory at the day of judgment? But when we see this glory revealed in Jesus Christ, we shall be humbled without being terrified; self-abasement agrees with filial love.

Verses 6-14 Those who profit by what they have heard from God, shall hear more from him. And those who are truly convinced of sin, yet need to be more thoroughly convinced and more humbled. No doubt God, and he only, has power to humble and bring down proud men; he has wisdom to know when and how to do it, and it is not for us to teach him how to govern the world. Our own hands cannot save us by recommending us to God's grace, much less rescuing us from his justice; and therefore into his hand we must commit ourselves. The renewal of a believer proceeds in the same way of conviction, humbling, and watchfulness against remaining sin, as his first conversion. When convinced of many evils in our conduct, we still need convincing of many more.

Verses 15-24 God, for the further proving of his own power, describes two vast animals, far exceeding man in bulk and strength. Behemoth signifies beasts. Most understand it of an animal well known in Egypt, called the river-horse, or hippopotamus. This vast animal is noticed as an argument to humble ourselves before the great God; for he created this vast animal, which is so fearfully and wonderfully made. Whatever strength this or any other creature has, it is derived from God. He that made the soul of man, knows all the ways to it, and can make the sword of justice, his wrath, to approach and touch it. Every godly man has spiritual weapons, the whole armour of God, to resist, yea, to overcome the tempter, that his never-dying soul may be safe, whatever becomes of his frail flesh and mortal body.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO JOB 40

In this chapter Job is called upon to give in his answer, Job 40:1,2, which he does in the most humble manner, acknowledging his vileness and folly, Job 40:3-5; and then the Lord proceeds to give him further conviction of his superior justice and power, Job 40:6-9; and one thing he proposes to him, to humble the proud, if he could, and then he would own his own right hand could save him, Job 40:10-15; and observes to him another instance of his power in a creature called behemoth, which he had made, and gives a description of, Job 40:15-24.