Imagine fishing for a sea monster with a hook and line. But in this sea story, it’s Job who gets hooked!
The Lord hasn’t finished the interrogation. Job had said, “Oh, that I knew where I might find Him…I would present my case before Him, and fill my mouth with arguments” (Job 23:3- 4). He asked for it, and is getting the full treatment. But there’s no argument now! How do you argue star control with the Star-maker, or snow production with the Snow-producer? Can he discuss the best method for catching an Apatosaurus? (We called it a Brontosaurus.) Perhaps a nose snare? And if that’s agreeable to you, Job, let me introduce you to Leviathan. If you could capture a mild-mannered 35-ton herbivore and lead it about like a puppy, here’s the next challenge. Let’s go Leviathan fishing! “Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? Can you put a reed through his nose, or pierce his jaw with a hook?…Will he speak softly to you? Will he make a covenant with you?…Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you leash him for your maidens?” (41:1-5). With this rapid-fire approach, Job has no opportunity to answer—but has no answers anyway. All his bluff and bravado have melted away. Creation scientists suggest Leviathan could be a mosasaur. Think of a mega-creature about the size of a 200-ton great blue whale. One specimen had a lower jaw measuring 5.5 feet long! That’s a catch worthy of the taxidermist. Once again, the point is obvious. When tragedy strikes, as it did with Job, we feel we’ve lost control. The fact is, our control is a mirage. But Leviathan’s God, who guides the Great Bear (38:32), can easily “leash him.” Faith doesn’t need to see to believe that God is in control. It’s “confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see” (Heb 11:1, NIV). Just trust.