Job 39:9 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters | Metropolitan Tabernacle

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Job 39:9

Comments

The various possible identities of the creature referred to next are considered by Gill. The KJV has the mythical ‘unicorn’, and yet this was certainly not a mythical creature but one known to Job at least by report. Modern versions call it a wild ox, an animal of great strength, but one which, from the way it is spoken of, is difficult to tame so that it is hard for man to make use of it as a working animal, and this is the point of the Lord’s question. This is probably what is known as the aurochs (Latin aurox), the ancestor of domestic cattle which became extinct in recent times. The contrast is between this wild creature and the passive cattle domesticated by man. Could Job take one of these wild beasts and make it placidly serve him like a domesticated beast? Could he get it to lie down quietly at night in a stable, content to be confined in a stall built by man? Could he put a harness on it and attach it by ropes to a plough to make use of its great strength to plough his fields and walk patiently up and down his fields? Let him try, and he will soon discover his mistake, for this beast cannot be treated like the tame cattle that Job was familiar with. If man thinks he can treat the wild ox like the domesticated ox, then this wild creature has another view on the matter. Put ropes on him and attach him to a plough and his fury will arise; he will use his great strength to break free, destroying man’s equipment in the process. Yet every wild creature is tame to the Lord and does exactly what he bids them to do. They go where he leads them and they lie down in the place he has prepared for them. He is master of their wildness, and they answer to him when he calls. So the lions, in the den into which Daniel was thrown, calmly remained with him but did not harm him because they were obedient to the voice of their Creator. The Lord can cause the most ferocious of beasts to behave gently, and it is in obedience to him and according to the instincts that he has put within them that they nurture their young and, in recognition of their frailty, treat them with the utmost tenderness.

Application

The lesson from the wild ox is that there are forces at work which are impossible for Job to tame and make use of. The wild ox is a creature of great strength, but man cannot harness its strength. Consider the wild ox – what good are it doing? What is the use of it being so strong if it only wanders about and eats? The frustration of this is that you cannot harness its power. Will it stand by your bed, plough for you, or remain where you put it? It is more likely to eat what it wants, and kick over any fences erected to contain it. Job, you have overestimated your powers. There are many things you cannot do; you need a greater sense of perspective. God enables his children to do much, and there are certain powers resident in us from the moment of conversion, but still we need the help and power of God for so much more. We are dependent on him to contain the great forces which are against us, for we cannot defeat them in our own strength. Satan is an adversary who will certainly will overcome – in spite of our weakness – but we will only do it by the help of the Lord, not because we have prevailed against him ourselves. I cannot defeat the devil without prayer and in God’s good time.

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Job 39:9 Commentary and Bible Study