Job 40; Job 41; Job 42; Psalm 24; NKJV

Job 40

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? 9Have 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.

Job 41

1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line which you lower? 2 Can you put a reed through his nose, Or pierce his jaw with a hook? 3 Will he make many supplications to you? Will he speak softly to you? 4 Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him as a servant forever? 5 Will you play with him as with a bird, Or will you leash him for your maidens? 6 Will your companions make a banquet of him? Will they apportion him among the merchants? 7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons, Or his head with fishing spears? 8 Lay your hand on him; Remember the battle-- Never do it again! 9 Indeed, any hope of overcoming him is false; Shall one not be overwhelmed at the sight of him? 10 No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me? 11 Who has preceded Me, that I should pay him? Everything under heaven is Mine. 12 "I will not conceal his limbs, His mighty power, or his graceful proportions. 13Who can remove his outer coat? Who can approach him with a double bridle?14 Who can open the doors of his face, With his terrible teeth all around? 15His rows of scales are his pride, Shut up tightly as with a seal; 16 One is so near another That no air can come between them; 17 They are joined one to another, They stick together and cannot be parted. 18 His sneezings flash forth light, And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 19 Out of his mouth go burning lights; Sparks of fire shoot out. 20 Smoke goes out of his nostrils, As from a boiling pot and burning rushes. 21 His breath kindles coals, And a flame goes out of his mouth. 22 Strength dwells in his neck, And sorrow dances before him. 23 The folds of his flesh are joined together; They are firm on him and cannot be moved. 24 His heart is as hard as stone, Even as hard as the lower millstone. 25 When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves. 26 Though the sword reaches him, it cannot avail; Nor does spear, dart, or javelin. 27 He regards iron as straw, And bronze as rotten wood. 28 The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones become like stubble to him. 29 Darts are regarded as straw; He laughs at the threat of javelins. 30 His undersides are like sharp potsherds; He spreads pointed marks in the mire. 31 He makes the deep boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a pot of ointment. 32 He leaves a shining wake behind him; One would think the deep had white hair. 33 On earth there is nothing like him, Which is made without fear. 34 He beholds every high thing; He is king over all the children of pride."

Job 42

1 Then Job answered the Lord and said: 2 "I know that You can do everything, And that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. 3 You asked, 'Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?' Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, Things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. 4 Listen, please, and let me speak; You said, 'I will question you, and you shall answer Me.' 5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You. 6 Therefore I abhor myself, And repent in dust and ashes." 7 And so it was, after the Lord had spoken these words to Job, that the Lord said to Eliphaz the Temanite, "My wrath is aroused against you and your two friends, for you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has. 8 Now therefore, take for yourselves seven bulls and seven rams, go to My servant Job, and offer up for yourselves a burnt offering; and My servant Job shall pray for you. For I will accept him, lest I deal with you according to your folly; because you have not spoken of Me what is right, as My servant Job has." 9 So Eliphaz the Temanite and Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite went and did as the Lord commanded them; for the Lord had accepted Job. 10 And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before. 11 Then all his brothers, all his sisters, and all those who had been his acquaintances before, came to him and ate food with him in his house; and they consoled him and comforted him for all the adversity that the Lord had brought upon him. Each one gave him a piece of silver and each a ring of gold. 12 Now the Lord blessed the latter days of Job more than his beginning; for he had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, one thousand yoke of oxen, and one thousand female donkeys. 13 He also had seven sons and three daughters. 14 And he called the name of the first Jemimah, the name of the second Keziah, and the name of the third Keren-Happuch. 15 In all the land were found no women so beautiful as the daughters of Job; and their father gave them an inheritance among their brothers. 16 After this Job lived one hundred and forty years, and saw his children and grandchildren for four generations. 17 So Job died, old and full of days.

Psalm 24

1 A Psalm of David. The earth is the Lord's, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. 2 For He has founded it upon the seas, And established it upon the waters. 3 Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol, Nor sworn deceitfully. 5 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. 6 This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah 7 Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8 Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah

Congratulations! If you have been consistent since day 6, then in twelve days over two weeks you have completed the largest poetic narrative within scripture! Certainly, there is nothing else quite like Job. Before we depart, here are some minor points worth mentioning:

1) A couple days ago there are details given to the account of creation that inform us that much went on behind the scenes of Genesis 1. "Angels" shouted for joy as the world was being created!

2) Previously, Leviathan had been mentioned in the concluding point of day 14, we won't elaborate on this anymore here, except to say that the final verse of chapter 41 is the biggest key to opening the door to this being more than a simple "flesh and blood" animal that was made on creation. May that have been the case? Sure, but much more is implied!

3) Finally there is more to say, but we'll wrap that into a second major point below. However, it is worth pointing out here that as far as biblical evidence goes, the behemoth of chapter 40 is the strongest evidence to a dinosaur in the Bible. Yes, that would mean that they lived with humans and even were hunted by humans based on the final verse of chapter 40. Now, proving dinosaurs is not a point of the scripture, and Dr. Frank Turek of "Cross Examined" notes that there are many animals not identified in scripture such as elephants. However, it is worth noting for transparency that if one is to peg the behemoth as a simple "flesh and blood" animal, a "sauropod" is the only logical answer consistent to its description. There is once again, more going on here than pure simplicity, and before we get to the main point of all this, let's also not that in Revelation 13 the two end-time beasts may have slight echoes of the beasts from Job. Dr. Timothy Paul Jones, a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, writes in Rose Guide to Endtimes Prophecy.: “By borrowing the imagery from Job, John reminds his readers that God remains in control even when evil rulers rise to persecute God’s people. Neither the dragon nor the two beasts can thwart God’s eternal plan.” This quote is a great transition to our final point.

Psalms 24 welcomes the King, as a coronation and giving the appropriate honor and recognition that all the Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof. Psalms 24:1 There is no other purpose of scripture. Period.

24:5-6 unites a people with their God.

When reading the scripture, it is important to be constantly reminded that the book is about God, about Jesus Christ, and only eventually/peripherally about us. Job in the final chapter actually becomes a strong Christ figure in that as he prays for his friends (after their obedience to sacrifice as God had requested), they are accepted on account of Job's righteousness. Why have we not said more about the character of Job along the way? He is a great example, but not THE perfect example. This is always Christ, even in the Old Testament.

Even the purpose of everything we broke down in the first point is to conclude the greatness and awesome power of God Almighty! If there is humanity to be read from the pages of scripture, let's filter it through a lens of Christ and not our own desires and selfishness! We all are sinful, and this is why we must be so diligent to come again and again to repent. Don't lose the beauty of Job's repentance in the beginning of chapter 42.

He never cursed God, but he did need to humble himself of his own volition and not based on circumstances. This encounter with God brings this on. On whatever level Job saw God, he was changed by the encounter, blameless and upright as he had been. Mankind cannot save ourselves based on goodness, as we will never equal God. This is the WHY for Jesus! There is no other way to be saved.

Psalms 24:5-6 He shall receive blessing from the Lord, And righteousness from the God of his salvation. This is Jacob, the generation of those who seek Him, Who seek Your face. Selah [rest]

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