David Bahn – Reflections

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These reflections grow out of the Follow the Word Bible reading program at St. John Lutheran Church in Cypress, Texas. This year we are reading through the Scriptures together, listening for how God speaks through his Word day by day. I hope you will join me on this journey.

Today’s readings are Job 41-42; Psalm 27.

Job 41:1-5

[The LORD continues to speak] “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook
    or press down his tongue with a cord?
² Can you put a rope in his nose
    or pierce his jaw with a hook?
³ Will he make many pleas to you?
    Will he speak to you soft words?
⁴ Will he make a covenant with you
    to take him for your servant forever?
⁵ Will you play with him as with a bird,
    or will you put him on a leash for your girls?

Job 42:1, 5-6

Then Job answered the LORD and said:

⁵ I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear,
    but now my eye sees you;
⁶ therefore I despise myself,
    and repent in dust and ashes.”

There are some powerful passages in the Book of Job: “I know that my redeemer lives,” and “The LORD gives and the LORD takes away. Blessed be the name of the LORD” are two examples. But in these two chapters (41 and 42) are two more – a bit less ennobling, but no less true. God asks Job, “Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook…or put him on a leash for your girls?” Those are powerful questions. They silence Job who says, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes.” (Job 42: 5-6 NIV)

It may not be very gracious on my part to have such a chuckle over these verses, but I can’t help it. Catching Leviathan with a fishhook?!? Who would think of that? Putting him on a leash for your girls? What a funny image that is!

Except they are neither funny nor trite. These are not throwaway questions on God’s part. He is quite serious. The themes of chapter 42 are not just a continuation of the previous list of God’s creative majesty. Job could never match that. Here in chapter 42 we have the exclamation point. The Leviathan are sea monsters associated with the whale and crocodile.

But in Isaiah 27:1 there is another connotation: In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.

This most certainly refers to Satan. And who but God can tame the devil, and make him his daughter’s pet on a leash? That’s what Jesus did when he remained faithful even unto death and rose on the third day. He not only ransomed us and saved us from sin and death. He defeated the devil who will one day be thrown into the burning lake of fire.

God’s question to Job must have shaken Satan to his core – if he had any knowledge of it. It was only a matter of time. Satan’s sway will one day end. We yearn for that day, but it has not come yet. So why does God still delay? He delays so that more people will have the opportunity to repent – just as Job did – and discover the abundant restorative grace of God as Job also did 1000s of years ago. That abundant grace still redeems and restores us who repent – not in dust and ashes – but in anticipation of Jesus’ final coming and our welcome into the eternal joy of his salvation.