Job 40: 1 – 24
Behemoth - The Beast Within
1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said 2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.” 3 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 4 “Behold, I am vile; What shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.” 6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7 “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: 8 “Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? 9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? 10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and array yourself with glory and beauty. 11 Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. 12 Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. 13 Hide them in the dust together; bind their faces in hidden darkness. 14 Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you. 15 “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. 16 See now, his strength is in his hips, and his power is in his stomach muscles. 17 He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18 His bones are like beams of bronze, his ribs like bars of iron. 19 He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword. 20 Surely the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there. 21 He lies under the lotus trees, in a covert of reeds and marsh. 22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him. 23 Indeed the river may rage, yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, 24 though he takes it in his eyes, or one pierces his nose with a snare.
We are going to take a look at some significant things which have us believers looking stupid to those in the world around us. We have a lot of theologians contend back and forth about two creations revealed by our Holy and Majestic God specifically in chapters 40 and 41. These two are Behemoth and Leviathan.
I for one strongly believe that this should not be happening. Our Great God Is not the author of confusion. Our Precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ said this to us who believe in Him, “No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.[John 15:15]. So ask yourself should our Master Who has just said how He has made known to us through the Word of God The Father’s truth give us some mysteries that we cannot figure out?
So far I have found three possible explanations as to the exact identity of the biblical creatures known as behemoth and leviathan:
(1) They are unreal, mythological monsters
(2) They are real animals that exist somewhere in the world today
(3) They are some kind of real, yet extinct creature.
Well let me say right from the start of this study that I believe that these two beasts are not any of the three listed possibilities. I will not give you my answer right now for I want you to digest my reasoning from the Word of God
So, let’s get right to His Holy Word.
All through our study of this book we have learned how the righteous man Job has been crying out of his pain, his bewilderment, and his tortured heart for a chance to talk in person with God. He wanted some answers. I have dealt with a lot of people that have some significant medical issues. In many cases the doctors cannot come up with any findings. I think you would agree with me that even though we get a scary report we still can handle this better than not knowing at all the reason for all the pain.
Being in intense physical and emotional pain Job viewed the situation that in the long run God in His action or non-deliverance was unfair with him. He was a man who always tried to be obedient to God, yet God had abandoned him to all this disaster.
This is surely the most common complaint or experience in the world that occurs today with our incorrect attitude. We feel we are being unjustly treated in what our lot in life is, that what is being handed to us is not right. God Is in charge of all things and therefore He has let us down. In truth we do not trust our Holy God. Oh, we can proclaim until we are blue in the face about how much we love and trust Him, but when the enemy requests a trial to prove our faithful allegiance, we fail.
I think this is the key for us to understand the two mysterious beasts described by our Wonderful Holy Master. It is relevant to us because it deals with the common problems that all of us face at one time or another. Now Job is going to be taught by God Himself what the true situation of what and who the two beasts really are, and there is surely no tougher lesson to learn in life. There is nothing more difficult for us than to see where we have been wrong when we were sure we were dead right.
I do not know if you ever cried out to speak with God directly but Job got his wish. Suddenly, our Holy Majestic God speaks to Job out of the whirlwind and grants him the interview.
To teach His faithful servant, our Holy Ruler puts forth to Job many humbling confounding questions. After he had heaped up many hard questions upon him, to show him, by his ignorance in the works of nature, what an incompetent judge Job was of the methods and designs of God’s actions, Our Holy Majestic Ruler clenches the nail with one more demand, which stands by itself here as the application of the whole. It should seem, God paused awhile, as Elihu had done, to give Job time to say what he had to say or to think of what God had said; but Job was in such confusion that he remained silent, and therefore God here put him to give Him a reply.
1 Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said 2 “Shall the one who contends with the Almighty correct Him? He who rebukes God, let him answer it.”
God took Job on a great, extended tour of the universe and showed him a little bit about the Awesome and Majestic God he was speaking too boldly about and against. Job was not able to answer a single question -- not one! In our so-called days of advanced science, we found that we can now only answer parts of two or three questions in that whole series. God also showed Job His loving care over the animal world, and asked him if he could handle that.
I stand guilty before our Holy God in times of desperation and confusion of saying things improperly. I love His teaching and the more this old guy stays in His Word the more I learn to try to walk, think, and talk in obedience of what He requires. In truth if you like me have ever quarreled with God, we do in effect, go about to teach Him how to run His Creation. For if we contend with men like ourselves, as not having done well, we ought to instruct them how to do better; but is it more than a thing to ever attempt that any man should teach his Maker? He that contends with God is justly looked upon as His enemy. We are ignorant and short-sighted, but before our Holy God all things are naked and open; we are depending creatures, but He Is The Sovereign Creator; and shall we pretend to instruct him?
3 Then Job answered the LORD and said: 4 “Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer You? I lay my hand over my mouth. 5 Once I have spoken, but I will not answer; Yes, twice, but I will proceed no further.”
Our Holy King has a great way of putting things in the proper perspective. He knows that we are but puffed up dust. Yet He has given us life here and by His great life giving Sacrifice He has provided for us a way to have eternal life with Him. If He just gets our attention alone it wakes us up to the fact on how awesome and great He Is. It quickly helps us realize that we are nothing without Him. He Is Everything Holy and Good.
Job now vilifies himself as much as ever he had justified and magnified himself. Repentance changes men's opinion of themselves. Job had been too bold in demanding a conference with God, and thought he could make his part good with Him: but now he is convinced of his error, and owns himself utterly unable to stand before God or to produce anything worth His Holy time.
While his friends talked with him, he answered them, for he thought himself as good as they; but, when God talked with him, he had nothing to say, for, in comparison with Him, he sees himself nothing, less than nothing, worse than nothing, vanity and vileness itself; and therefore he says,’ What shall I answer thee?’ Those that are truly sensible of their own sinfulness and vileness dare not justify themselves before God, but are ashamed that they ever entertained such a thought, and, in token of their shame, lay their hand upon their mouth.
Our Lord Jesus talked about this humbleness before a Holy God when He spoke about the Pharisee and the sinner praying. We learn this in the Gospel of Luke chapter 18, “9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men—extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ 13 And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Job was greatly humbled for what God had already said, but not sufficiently; he was brought low, but not low enough; and therefore God here proceeds to reason with him in the same manner and to the same purport as before. Our Holy Father never tries to humiliate or drive the spirit out of us but He wants us to be fruitful and develop for the work that He has designed for us. He knows whether we got His lesson thoroughly or not.
6 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said: 7 “Now prepare yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer Me: 8 “Would you indeed annul My judgment? Would you condemn Me that you may be justified? 9 Have you an arm like God? Or can you thunder with a voice like His? 10 Then adorn yourself with majesty and splendor, and array yourself with glory and beauty. 11 Disperse the rage of your wrath; Look on everyone who is proud, and humble him. 12 Look on everyone who is proud, and bring him low; Tread down the wicked in their place. 13 Hide them in the dust together; bind their faces in hidden darkness. 14 Then I will also confess to you that your own right hand can save you.
God is still speaking out of the whirling wind before Job. I think we overlook at how frightening this experience must have been for Job. I think we are not aware that a whirl wind is a tornado. The wind is whipping and things are flying around and in it all Is our Holy God who speaks directly with Job. Many of us are familiar with the experience the Israelites had on Mount Sinai but I want you to see the experience that one of the Lord’s servants had individually like the servant Job. Yes, it was the prophet Elijah. 11 Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; 12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 13 So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave. Suddenly a voice came to him, and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 14 And he said, “I have been very zealous for the LORD God of hosts; because the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.”
Our Holy Righteous God loves those who serve Him in any capacity and He Is faithful to guide and direct us all.
Job has already admitted that he is not in God's league when it comes to understanding the world of nature or caring for the animal creation. This time He brings before Job another issue: "Can you handle the issues of fallen men? That is the realm you have been charging Me with fault in. Can you handle that? Are you able to put me in the wrong in this area of morality, justice, and fairness?"
The number one problem that started out in Heaven was the sin of pride. As you well know Satan developed pride and fell. The Scripture reveals these two important truths. We read;
Proverbs 16: 18, “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
1 John 2: 16, “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.
We cannot spar with God for justice, that the Lord Is Righteous, Just, and Holy in His dealings with us, but that we are sinful, unrighteous, and unholy in our being and conduct towards Him; we have a great deal to blame ourselves for, but nothing to blame Him for
A movie I enjoy is ‘Bruce Almighty’. Like we see here the movie invites a person played by Jim Carey as Bruce to take God’s job since he has been saying over and over that he could do a better job than God. In a way we see the same thing proposed to Job. ‘Hey Job how about you come and do my job for me since you can do it better’
This is God's challenge now to Job: "Can you look and sound like God? Can you clothe yourself with majesty and dignity so that the entire created universe is immediately aware that you are a being capable of handling them and all their problems? Can you appear like God, look like God, and especially, can you handle the problem of proud humans?" Now God puts his finger on what has been the problem running all through the book of Job; the problem that is in Job's heart, though he does not know it. "Can you handle the proud? Can you find a way to abase these proud, strutting creatures who think they have all that they need to handle life, and help them by bringing them low?"
Now please notice that our Holy God Is not going on to another category of animals or former prehistoric dinosaurs, but we will see that He Is emphasizing His point of the problems we face which is from within our sinful minds and from the evil that affects out from without. Moving right in on the problem that has affected Job our Holy Lord brings before us two amazing beasts, one called "Behemoth and one called "Leviathan.”
15 “Look now at the behemoth, which I made along with you; He eats grass like an ox. 16 See now, his strength is in his hips, and his power is in his stomach muscles. 17 He moves his tail like a cedar; The sinews of his thighs are tightly knit. 18 His bones are like beams of bronze, his ribs like bars of iron. 19 He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword. 20 Surely the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there. 21 He lies under the lotus trees, in a covert of reeds and marsh. 22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; The willows by the brook surround him. 23 Indeed the river may rage, yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, 24 though he takes it in his eyes, or one pierces his nose with a snare.
We learn from Scripture that in the books such as Daniel, Isaiah, Zechariah, and Revelation that forces on earth are symbolized by beasts -- beasts that rise up out of the sea and beasts that come up on the land. They symbolize movements and individuals and leaders, and even invisible and supernatural powers. Isaiah 27 tells us plainly what Leviathan represents. In the opening verse of Chapter 27 verse 1, Isaiah says,
In that day [referring to the final day, the great day of the LORD] 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."
It is very interesting that the names of these beasts in Hebrew mean something very significant. Behemoth is the Hebrew word for "beasts" (in the plural, not just a beast but all beasts seemingly lumped together are symbolized by Behemoth), while Leviathan means "the folded one."
In the book of Revelation Chapter 13 you have two beasts emerging that dominate the scene in the last days. One is a beast that comes up out of the sea, and that beast reigns over the waters which, we are told in Revelation, represent the multitudes of peoples of the earth. The other beast is a beast that comes up out of the earth. Behind both of these beasts is still a third incredible animal called the great dragon (of Chapter 12). There we are told plainly that that dragon is Satan, and he gives his power and authority to the beasts. Now tracing this symbolism through, and applying it here in the book of Job, I believe that it is warranted that we should say that these beasts represent the ‘sinful flesh’, the sinful worldly influences, and Satan,
The first of these beasts, Behemoth, represents the satanic twist that we all labor with and struggle against in our own lives which the Bible calls the flesh, the fallen nature within us, and our humanity, with its continual desire to assert itself and live for it. The second beast which we will look at more thoroughly in our next study represents the world in all its vast influence upon every one of us, pressuring us to conform, to reflect the values and attitudes of those around us, dominating all our thinking and all our life in every possible way. Behind them both is the devil, with his malevolent, cunning wisdom and power, incredible in his might and his control of human events.
What God, then, is setting before Job is a very pertinent question for all of us: "Are you able to handle the enemy within, and the enemy without, especially that malicious beast who is behind them all -- the world, the flesh, and the devil?" Behemoth is the enemy within us; Leviathan is the enemy that operates outside us
So, let’s take a look at the Behemoth.
The King James Bible says this in verse 15 – “Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.
In looking at the book of Genesis we read that our Lord Jesus created ‘beasts’ on the 6th day which was also the day He created man. As you know we are different than all the other living animals as chapter 1 reveals, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.”
So, what makes us different than the animals? We are created in the image of our Holy Father. He has given us the ability to think and reason.
Now, please take note of the description of behemoth - - he eateth grass ‘as an ox.’
Whenever we see the word ‘as’ or ‘like’ used in a sentence, we are talking about similes. For example; ‘He is strong as an ox’
A simile is a figure of speech that compares two things that are alike in some way. To help you identify a simile versus a metaphor, know that the words “like” or “as” are typically used in a simile.
Well-known similes are:
• “cute as a kitten,” comparing the way someone looks to the way a kitten looks
• “as busy as a bee” comparing someone’s level of energy to a fast-flying bee
• "as snug as a bug in a rug" comparing someone who is very cozy to how comfortable a bug can be in a rug
• "as happy as a clam" comparing someone's happiness to the contentment of a clam
• "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." comparing the uncertainty of life to the uncertainty of choosing a chocolate from a box
• "as agile as a monkey" implying someone can move as well as a monkey does
• "as blind as a bat" indicating that the person cannot see any better than a bat
In our study of chapter 39 I find it very interesting that our Holy God talks about His created animals which I take special note that He comments about the ‘Ox’ Look at what He says starting in verse 9;
9 “Will the wild ox be willing to serve you? Will he bed by your manger? 10 Can you bind the wild ox in the furrow with ropes? Or will he plow the valleys behind you? 11 Will you trust him because his strength is great? Or will you leave your labor to him? 12 Will you trust him to bring home your grain, and gather it to your threshing floor?
I invite you to go and review the rest of chapter 39 but here I want you to look at what our Holy God said about the ox. Did He talk about its size or weight? Can you notice that our Lord is talking about how this beast has an internal driving force which is not good? The wild ox has a self centered independent way about it that will not submit to man? Our Holy God is going to present to Job how in a sinful state man will not submit to his All Loving Creator either.
The Lord could have said that this behemoth eats grass. Now, what I see our Lord then using here in this simile of this beast are the words ‘as’ an ox.
I find it also interesting in God’s word to find the same type of simile which uses the same words [as an ox eats up the grass] in the book of Numbers chapter 22, “And Moab said unto the elders of Midian, Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field. And Balak the son of Zippor was king of the Moabites at that time.
Balak was fearful of the Israelites who destroyed all the nations [totally wiping them out] that lay before them and were heading his way. He compared them to an ox in a field who would totally consume all the grass of that field.
Our Holy God is challenging Job to deal with the same problems He faces with sinful people. They are like the wild ox stubborn, self-centered, untamable, and independent that without His intervention these people allow this inward condition to totally dominate their ways of thinking and doing. If left to themselves without the Holy Spirit’s intervention they will allow their fallen thoughts to completely consume themselves.
16 See now, his strength is in his hips, and his power is in his stomach muscles.
So, what are talking about here? Are we talking about a weight lifter with a six pack of abs?
The hip in the fleshly man, is their core, the source of their strength is found in their cores, their loins. What God did by removing Jacobs’s hip out of his socket and calling Him Israel right after He did so, was telling Jacob that NO LONGER will he be found walking in his own strength, but in the strength of the Lord will he be found walking in.
What’s the point brought out here? He Is speaking about us humans. In our sinful dead spirit state we are not used to relying on others strength, we are used to relying on our own strength. We fight and fight and fight because we want to do things our way, rather than letting go and relying in His way. Jacob was the biggest con artist there was. But as soon as his hip was removed by God and called Israel, Jacob no longer relied in his strength to be blessed; He completely and solely relied in the strength of the Lord. Jacob went thru hell after being called Israel, but in the end when he saw what God did, he knew there was no way in the world he would have been able to accomplish what the Lord did for him in his own strength.
We need to let go - we need to stop trying to walk in our own strength and walk in the strength of the Lord. Every single time we get anxious and act out of fear, or impatience, we show zero trust in the strength of the Lord. Blessed are those found trusting in the Lord for they shall not become disappointed?.
Now let us look at our Holy God’s further remark, and his power is in his stomach muscles
If you’re a lover of intelligence, then it’s reasonable to assume that you’ve got some high regard for the brain. How many people would argue against the supremacy of one of our favorite and most useful organs? Modern medicine understands the head-brain to be “command central” – the place from which our entire life receives its marching orders. But there’s another kind of intelligence that’s an equally potent metabolic force, and it’s found in the belly. Some call it the “gut-brain,” others proclaim it to be the “brain in the belly.” However you choose to name it, its way smarter than you might have ever imagined. And putting this extra brainpower to work can forever change your metabolism, and your life. Let me explain: Have you ever had “butterflies” in your stomach? How about a time when you had a ‘lump’ in your throat? Have you ever been moved by a strong and undeniable ‘gut feeling’ about something or someone? Few people would say they had an elbow feeling or a kidney feeling, but gut feelings are highly regarded as a source of intuitive knowing and insight. As it turns out, gut thoughts and feelings are not a fanciful notion but a physiological fact. Rather than the one brain found in our head, scientists have revealed that we have two brains – the other one is located in the digestive tract. It is known as the enteric nervous system (ENS), the gut’s brain or the brain in the belly, the stomach. The implication here is that we’re talking about a huge source of power or authority. Your gut clearly has a lot to say, and the head-brain happily listens.
So, for a non-believer they depend on their gut feelings and not on the Lord’s direction. My favorite verse in the bible in from the prophet Isaiah chapter 30 verse 21, ‘When you walk this path and go astray, you will hear a voice behind you say, ‘that’s not the way – walk here!’ Before I knew the Lord I made my own choices. I can say that most were the wrong choices.
Statistics reveal that each person has an average of 60,000 thoughts a day! That’s one thought per second in every waking hour! Amazingly, 95 percent are the same thoughts repeated every day. On average, 80 percent of those habitual thoughts are negative. Unfortunately, our brains are hardwired to pay more attention to negative experiences than to positive ones. That’s right, our brains are designed to take in and register negative experiences more deeply than positive experiences.
Psalm 147:9-11 says this, ‘He provides the animals with their food, and the young ravens, what they cry for. He is not impressed by the strength of a horse. He does not value the power of a man. The Lord values those who fear Him, those who put their hope in His faithful love.
Knowing all this now, the question to ask yourself is ‘would I rather trust my own thoughts and gut feelings or totally depend on the Lord’s leading?
17 He moves his tail like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are tightly knit.
There are two words which stand out here – tail and cedar. So let’s take a further look at what is being said here.
We first come across the word ‘tail’ in the book of Exodus as The Lord was speaking to Moses out of the bush as we read in the book of Exodus chapter 4, “Then the LORD said to Moses, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail” (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand),
A serpent denotes the sensuous. Thus its tail is the ultimate or lowest of the sensuous. Uplifting is signified by putting forth and taking hold of, for he who puts forth the hand and takes hold of any creeping thing of the earth, lifts it up. As by the serpent is signified the sensuous separated, and hence reasoning from the fallacies of the senses about the truths of faith, by the tail of the serpent is signified falsity itself, for this is the ultimate or lowest, and he who is in falsity, thus in the ultimate and lowest, looks wholly downward, or outward, that is, into the world and to the earth; but not upward or inward, that is, into heaven and to the Lord.
There is a lot of reference to the word ‘tail’ in Revelation but for sake of time I will not dwell on all those scripture listing this word. But let me just share a couple of more Scriptures that our Precious Holy Spirit put forth.
Isaiah 9: 14 – 15, “Jehovah will cut off from Israel head and tail, branch and rush; the old man and the honorable, he is the head; and the prophet, the teacher of a lie, he is the tail.” Here the tail manifestly denotes falsity, which in the Word is called a lie. You can see this same reasoning brought out in verse 21 in the book of Deuteronomy chapter 28 our Holy God instructed the Israelites that if they obey and walk in His ways they would be blessed. It they turned from obedience then curses would befall on them. Deuteronomy 28*: 13 “And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:
In verses 43 and 44 we learn ‘The stranger that is in the midst of thee shall ascend above thee upward more and more; but thou shalt descend downward more and more; he shall be for the head, and thou shalt be for the tail.’(
The tail denotes the lowest, which looks downward or outward, that is, into the world and to the earth, but not to heaven and to the Lord. For the interiors of man together with his sensuous things are lifted upward by the Lord when the man is in the good of faith and of charity; but if he is in evil and falsity, then his interiors together with his sensuous things look downward, thus only to the things that are in the world, whereby he puts off the human nature, and puts on the bestial; for wild beasts look downward, or only to those things which are on the earth. He who looks downward, wills what is evil and thinks what is false, but he who is lifted upward by the Lord, wills what is good and thinks what is true.
I think you pretty much see the truth regarding the word ‘tail’ when used in the Bible. So, let’s also look at the word ‘cedar?”
In the book of Ezekiel, chapter 31, we have what I think is the most complete picture of the cedar tree in the Word of God. You will keep in mind that the cedar tree, in the Word of God, is referred to more than any other tree in the Bible; so if we had the time, we could look at any number of references to the cedar tree, but this one to which I refer is perhaps the most complete.
“1 Now it came to pass in the eleventh year, in the third month, on the first day of the month, that the word of the LORD came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, say to Pharaoh king of Egypt and to his multitude: ‘Whom are you like in your greatness? 3 Indeed Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon, with fine branches that shaded the forest, and of high stature; and its top was among the thick boughs. 4 The waters made it grow; Underground waters gave it height, with their rivers running around the place where it was planted, and sent out rivulets to all the trees of the field. 5 ‘Therefore its height was exalted above all the trees of the field; Its boughs were multiplied, and its branches became long because of the abundance of water, as it sent them out. 6 All the birds of the heavens made their nests in its boughs; Under its branches all the beasts of the field brought forth their young; And in its shadow all great nations made their home. 7 ‘Thus it was beautiful in greatness and in the length of its branches, because its roots reached to abundant waters. 8 The cedars in the garden of God could not hide it; The fir trees were not like its boughs, and the chestnut trees were not like its branches; No tree in the garden of God was like it in beauty. 9 I made it beautiful with a multitude of branches, so that all the trees of Eden envied it, that were in the garden of God.’ 10 “Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: ‘Because you have increased in height, and it set its top among the thick boughs, and its heart was lifted up in its height, 11 therefore I will deliver it into the hand of the mighty one of the nations, and he shall surely deal with it; I have driven it out for its wickedness. 12 And aliens, the most terrible of the nations, have cut it down and left it; its branches have fallen on the mountains and in all the valleys; its boughs lie broken by all the rivers of the land; and all the peoples of the earth have gone from under its shadow and left it. 13 ‘On its ruin will remain all the birds of the heavens, and all the beasts of the field will come to its branches— 14 ‘So that no trees by the waters may ever again exalt themselves for their height, nor set their tops among the thick boughs, that no tree which drinks water may ever be high enough to reach up to them. ‘For they have all been delivered to death, to the depths of the earth, among the children of men who go down to the Pit.’ 15 “Thus says the Lord GOD: ‘In the day when it went down to hell, I caused mourning. I covered the deep because of it. I restrained its rivers, and the great waters were held back. I caused Lebanon to mourn for it, and all the trees of the field wilted because of it. 16 I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I cast it down to hell together with those who descend into the Pit; and all the trees of Eden, the choice and best of Lebanon, all that drink water, were comforted in the depths of the earth. 17 They also went down to hell with it, with those slain by the sword; and those who were its strong arm dwelt in its shadows among the nations. 18 ‘To which of the trees in Eden will you then be likened in glory and greatness? Yet you shall be brought down with the trees of Eden to the depths of the earth; you shall lie in the midst of the uncircumcised, with those slain by the sword. This is Pharaoh and all his multitude,’ says the Lord GOD.”
We read here that our Awesome Holy Creator uses a simile about a country and its earthly leaders, along with all those citizens who are committed to them in body, soul, and spirit as a cedar. The cedar has a threefold growth as listed here in God’s word. The word grow comes from the Hebrew word ‘sagah’. Its growth is upward, sideways and downwards.
It takes time to grow downward, and it is an absolute necessity for cedars of Lebanon, because remember, with few exceptions, I reminded you that the cedars of Lebanon grew up on the top of the rocky mountains where there was not a great deal of soil. They had to put their roots down deep because on the top of the mountain the wind blew and the wind could bend those cedars over and crack them—uproot them—if they were not deeply rooted. So deeply rooted were those cedar trees that David spoke of them in Psalm 29 as being so securely implanted that only the voice of God could break a cedar tree, only the voice of God could uproot it.
You can follow this reasoning in verse 19 of chapter 40 which reads,
18 His bones are like beams of bronze, his ribs like bars of iron.
Bronze is where God’s judgment deals with sin. Bronze symbolizes God’s righteous judgment. King Zedekiah being led off to his punishment in bronze shackles surrounded by the deconstructed bronze temple shows that his righteous judgment will fall upon us only if we are not willing to repent.
Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12% tin and often with the addition of other metals (such as aluminum, manganese, nickel or zinc) and sometimes non-metals or metalloids such as arsenic, phosphorus or silicon. These additions produce a range of alloys that may be harder than copper alone, and is noted for its stiffness..Does this ring a bell in the human sinful nature of how stiff necked people are in being disobedient?
The ribs serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs. To have iron ribs means nothing is going to break through to get to these vital organs. In the book of Isaiah our Lord calls out in the book of Genesis chapter 5 this right from the start, “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”
‘‘19 He is the first of the ways of God; only He who made him can bring near His sword.
In the New Living Translation it reads, “It is a prime example of God’s handiwork, and only its Creator can threaten it. Here is a beast that stands alone and no one else but God and only Him does it fear. [Only our Holy God can uproot kingdoms, kings and those who are deeply rooted in this world to the false beliefs.’
20 Surely the mountains yield food for him, and all the beasts of the field play there.
Mountains signify the Lord, and all things celestial from Him, or the goods of love and charity such as what we read in Psalm 72 verse 3 ‘The Mountains shall bring peace, and the hills, in righteousness.’
In the Gospel of John chapter 5 we see that our Lord Jesus Is focused on Father God Who Is in Heaven. He says in chapter 5 this, “can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.
Our Holy Father God instructed the Israelites that He would pick one mountain in which people could come and worship Him. That Mountain is Zion which we know today as the highest peak in Jerusalem. In the book of Deuteronomy chapter 12 we see our Holy God’s instructions relative to the mountain that He would pick, “But when ye go over Jordan, and dwell in the land which the LORD your God gives you to inherit, and when he gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that ye dwell in safety; Then there shall be a place which the LORD your God shall choose to cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your tithes, and the heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto the LORD And ye shall rejoice before the LORD your God, ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor inheritance with you. Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt offerings in every place that you see: But in the place which the LORD shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shall offer thy burnt offerings, and there thou shall do all that I command thee.”
On the issue of fallen man however, mountains speak about those who are vain glorious; and therefore a mountain stands for the very love of self. In the book of Ezekiel chapter 18 we see how rebellious sinful men will not go along with the Lord’s ways but attempt to have their worship of false God’s in feasts and ceremonies on various mountains that they pick, “If he begets a son who is a robber or a shedder of blood, who does any of these things 11 and does none of those duties, but has eaten on the mountains or defiled his neighbor’s wife; 12 If he has oppressed the poor and needy, robbed by violence, not restored the pledge, lifted his eyes to the idols, or committed abomination; 13 If he has exacted usury or taken increase—shall he then live? He shall not live! If he has done any of these abominations, he shall surely die; His blood shall be upon him.” For these sinful rebellious people, surely, the mountains provide their food for them.
People define themselves by the food they prepare, serve and consume, while symbols can evoke emotions. Today, we’re talking about the foods that comfort us because of their symbolic association with people or events in our lives. We enjoy a self satisfaction of having friends and family fed and entertained. [all the beasts of the field play there]
Humans commonly symbolically interact through eating. For example, sitting at the head of the table symbolizes head of the house. Being selected to carve the Thanksgiving turkey is a symbol of honor. Likewise, holidays have traditional, symbolically associated, foods. So, during holidays and sit down dinners, we often symbolically eat or interact. We eat symbolically eat comfort foods for nostalgia because they have personal meaning.
All this is self centered social religious and secular ways.
21 He lies under the lotus trees, in a covert of reeds and marsh. 22 The lotus trees cover him with their shade; the willows by the brook surround him.
The word ‘marsh’ sounds pretty. However it means a swamp. And oh by the way, to discount anyone thinking this behemoth is a giant dinosaur please note the Lord says it lies under the lotus trees. Lotus trees grow in swamps which reach a height no higher than 4 feet. It is kind of hard for a giant dinosaur to hide under a tree less than 4 feet high. And don’t forget that ‘Behemoth’ is in the plural form, so a couple of these large dinosaurs are trying to hide behind 4 foot bushes.
23 Indeed the river may rage, yet he is not disturbed; He is confident, though the Jordan gushes into his mouth, 24 though he takes it in his eyes, or one pierces his nose with a snare.
I am sure that you quickly notice two words that stand out- - ‘not disturbed’ and ‘confident’. No matter what actions and difficulties the Lord places on people to turn them back to Him they remain confident and not even the least disturbed.
I believe that the prophet Jeremiah chapter 12 saw the evil and sin around him and cried out to God if he was observing things that way God looks at men who do not want God, “ 1 Righteous are You, O LORD, when I plead with You; Yet let me talk with You about Your judgments. Why does the way of the wicked prosper? Why are those happy who deal so treacherously? 2 You have planted them, yes, they have taken root; They grow, yes, they bear fruit. You are near in their mouth but far from their mind. 3 But You, O LORD, know me; You have seen me, and You have tested my heart toward You. Pull them out like sheep for the slaughter, and prepare them for the day of slaughter. 4 How long will the land mourn, and the herbs of every field wither? The beasts and birds are consumed, for the wickedness of those who dwell there, because they said, “He will not see our final end.” 5 “If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses? And if in the land of peace, in which you trusted, they wearied you, then how will you do in the floodplain of the Jordan?
In review, since our ancestor Adam fell we face a beast within. This ‘Behemoth’ controls the way we think and act. The obvious answer to all those questions is "Here is a being that is so self-sufficient and so completely in control that he is filled with self-confidence no matter what happens to him." So you have the qualities of self-sufficiency, self-centeredness, and self-confidence which in fact are many behemoths. What better description of this enemy within us, our inheritance from Adam, this independent spirit that says "I don't need God or anyone else. I'm sufficient unto myself."
We are all like this. We uphold this independent spirit. Yet God says that is the enemy; that is what we have to overcome.
We need the work of our Holy God to break through this strong evil defense and allow us to know and understand our depravity and cry out to our Holy God for His deliverance which He gave to us in the precious sacrifice of His Holy Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
All people need a spiritual rebirth to happen to them in order to overcome the evil beast within.
