Today’s Scripture Reading (May 25,
2015): Job 40
The last male
Northern White Rhino makes its home in Sudan. It walks around and does its
business with an armed guard, like some prominent western politician. The Northern
White Rhino has been hunted (poached) off of the face of the earth. And the
hunters are out there that want to take this one down too. It is needed for its
horn, which in Asia is thought to have miraculous healing power – even the
power to cure cancer. But now the Northern White Rhino is almost gone. Its
cousin, the Southern White Rhino is doing much better due to effective
conservation efforts. But it appears that even extreme conservation efforts
will fail with the Northern White – and so it walks with an armed guard ready
to shoot down anyone who dares to try to take it down.
We don’t
know the identity of the Behemoth. The subject is hotly argued by those that
think they know or have a theory. Possible answers to the identity of the
Behemoth range from a mythical creature that only existed in our imaginations
(or were built on sightings of animals that could only be seen in the distance
and never up close) to some kind of now extinct animal, to one of the three
largest land beasts that we know roam the earth – the elephant, the rhinoceros,
and the hippopotamus. The problem with the latter suggestion is that none of
these three animals fulfill the description perfectly. One of the discrepancies
is found in the description of the tail. None of these mighty creatures have a
significant tail. The description of the tail that God gives to the Behemoth is
closer to the trunk on an elephant, or maybe even the coveted mighty horn of
the rhinoceros, but not the tail.
In spite of
all of these considerations, the consensus opinion seems to be that God is
speaking of the hippopotamus – the river horse. The hippo is the third largest
land beast and it is known to be one of the most dangerous animals on the
planet. Don’t let its pig like appearance fool you; it is able to run for short
distances, it is known for its unpredictable temperament, and it is big enough to
cause serious damage to whatever it catches. In fact, God probably uses the
image of the hippopotamus (or the elephant or the rhino) because in ancient
times these animals ruled. They were believed to be untouchable by the human
population of the earth (which might have given rise to the myth that that horn
of the rhino was a cure-all, a rhino horn was simply impossible to get even
though rhinos were plentiful.) These three animals were the pinnacle of God’s
creation outside of the creation of man. And there was nothing that was going
to stop them. So Go tells Job to look at the Behemoth “which I made along with
you” (Job 40:15). Consider the untouchable parts of my creation, the parts that
are so large that you fear them – and know that I created them too. And not
only that, God clearly tells Job that he can do something that Job can’t – he can
approach and touch the living Behemoth.
But the
three living solutions for the Behemoth share something else today. With modern
weapons they are no longer untouchable. All three are endangered species, from
being hunted and poached to shrinking habitats. This crowning achievement of
God is steadily falling to the one God created to be creation’s protector. We
have failed, and the present status of the Behemoth, whether we define that as
the Hippopotamus, the Rhinoceros, or the Elephant, stands as a testimony
against us. We have been either unable, or unwilling, to protect creation - and
that is a sin for which I am afraid that someday we will have to answer.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Job 41
No comments:
Post a Comment