What's Your Monster Name? (Part II -- The Crocodile Chronicles -- Job 41)

My son-in-law and I were enjoying an August morning trolling up the Flambeau River near Philipps WI.  As I gazed upriver looking no where in particular, I suddenly saw a spectacular sight. My mouth just dropped open and I said to Jay, “Did you see that?!?!” 

I realize that there will be an immediate “Yeah….right!” from some people, but I saw what looked to be about a six foot long fish about 200 yards ahead of the boat come completely out of the water and flip over. 

My son-in-law figured it must have been either a sturgeon or a really large Muskie. 

But my “I-can’t-believe-the-size-of-that-fish!” mouth dropping moment was nothing compared to what Job experienced in chapter 41.  And whereas my experience may have been a little awe-inspiring, his was downright terrifying.

Chapter 41 is a very detailed look at a sea creature called “Leviathan;” and most scholars feel that this chapter 41 monster was some sort of colossal crocodile.  

Picture credit Patrina Malone found on "blog.everythingdinosaur.co"

Picture found on "goodheartextremescience.wordpress.com

The cute little Croc that adorns the label on a pair of “Croc” sandals looks almost huggable.  But huggable they aren’t!   Adam Clarke writes, “It is a creature of enormous voracity and strength, as well as fleetness in swimming. He will attack the largest animals, and even men, with the most daring impetuosity. In proportion to his size he has the largest mouth of all monsters. The upper jaw is armed with forty sharp strong teeth, and the under jaw with thirty-eight. He is clothed with such a coat of mail as cannot be pierced, and can in every direction resist a musket-ball.”

One writer says this, “In some places in Egypt the croc was so venerated that it was adorned with earrings and bracelets and, when it died, was mummified with great care…”

41:1 "Can you draw out Leviathan with a fishhook? Or press down his tongue with a cord?  2 Can you put a rope in his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook?  3 Will he make many supplications to you, or will he speak to you soft words?

Can you expect soft, tender words from such a beast?  Will there be pillow talk from this monster?

41:4 Will he make a covenant with you? Will you take him for a servant forever?  5 Will you play with him as with a bird, or will you bind him for your maidens?

 

You perhaps remember an old Pepsi commercial (or was it Coke?) where a litter of little lab puppies frolicked with a young boy as they rolled around playfully on the ground.  Now imagine the same scene, but replace the little puppies with little alligators.

Yikes!

41:6 Will the traders bargain over him? Will they divide him among the merchants? 

As a kid I remember driving through Walker, Minnesota on family vacations.   If we happened to be there during “Musky Days” we would see quite a few enormous muskies ranging between 40-50 lbs hanging near the center of town.  Each fisherman hoped that his would be the largest and win the prize.

In Job’s world they never had “Leviathan Days.”  Why?  Because nobody was brave enough to try to catch one!

41:7 Can you fill his skin with harpoons, or his head with fishing spears?  8 Lay your hand on him; remember the battle; you will not do it again! 

Adam Clarke writes, “He is a dangerous animal; when thou attackest him, be sure of thy advantage; if thou miss, thou art ruined. Depend not on other advantages, if thou miss the first. Kill him at once, or he will kill thee.”

41:9 Behold, your expectation is false; will you be laid low even at the sight of him?  10 No one is so fierce that he dares to arouse him; who then is he that can stand before me?  11 Who has given to me that I should repay {him?} {Whatever} is under the whole heaven is Mine.

Concerning verse 9, Keil and Delitzsch write, “If even the strength of one of God’s creatures admits no thought of being able to attack it, how much more should the greatness of the Creator deter man from all resistance!”

41:12 I will not keep silence concerning his limbs, or his mighty strength, or his orderly frame.

Having gone over the generalities of this formidable Monster, we now are given explicit descriptions of the “parts” of this animal, specifically his mouth, his teeth, his scales, his eyelids, his nostrils, his neck, and his heart.

41:13 Who can strip off his outer armor? Who can come within his double mail?

On the series “River Monsters,” biologist and extreme angler Jeremy Wade mentioned that certain skins of some of the fish he had caught were so tough that they couldn’t be cut with a knife. Instead, a sawzall was used to cut the hide.  Such is the armor-type hide of the Crocodile.

41:14    Who can open the doors of his face? Around his teeth there is terror.

You need only look at the first picture above to see that “around his teeth there is terror!”

41:15    {His} strong scales are {his} pride, shut up {as with} a tight seal.  16   One is so near to another that no air can come between them.  17         They are joined one to another; they clasp each other and cannot be separated.

A hide so tough that a knife can’t cut it and a musket ball can’t penetrate it!  The New Living Translation puts verse 17 this way, “Each scale sticks tight to the next. They interlock and cannot be penetrated.”

41:18    His sneezes flash forth light, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.  19 Out of his mouth go burning torches; Sparks of fire leap forth.  20 Out of his nostrils smoke goes forth as {from} a boiling pot and {burning} rushes.  21 His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes forth from his mouth.

Notice the facial features that are mentioned:  his eyelids, his mouth, and his nostrils. And notice these phrases connected to those facial features:  flashing light, sneezes of lightning, burning torches, sparks of fire, nasal smoke, breath hot enough to kindle coal, and a veritable fire breathing monster!

This is not quite the animal that you would want to parade around the Westminster Kennel Club!

41:22 In his neck lodges strength, and dismay leaps before him.  23 The folds of his flesh are joined together, firm on him and immovable.  24 His heart is as hard as a stone, even as hard as a lower millstone.

I like how the “Message” translates this verse, “All muscle he is—sheer and seamless muscle. To meet him is to dance with death.”

41:25 When he raises himself up, the mighty fear; because of the crashing they are bewildered.

One commentary implies that this could loosely be translated, “Because of the crashing they (the onlookers) are so scared they pee their pants!”  They are beside themselves with terror.

41:26 The sword that reaches him cannot avail, nor the spear, the dart or the javelin.  27 He regards iron as straw, bronze as rotten wood.  28 The arrow cannot make him flee; Slingstones are turned into stubble for him.

29 Clubs are regarded as stubble; He laughs at the rattling of the javelin.

Note the vast array of weapons mentioned in vss. 26-29: the sword, the spear, the dart, the javelin, the arrow, clubs, and the sling.  To Leviathan, iron is considered to be nothing but straw and bronze as rotten wood!

41:30 His underparts are {like} sharp potsherds; He spreads out {like} a threshing sledge on the mire.  31 He makes the depths boil like a pot; He makes the sea like a jar of ointment.  32 Behind him he makes a wake to shine; one would think the deep to be gray-haired.

The Message puts verse 32 in an interesting way, “With a luminous trail stretching out behind him, you might think Ocean had grown a gray beard!”  We do not have time to delve into it here, but if you Google “phosphorescence” there is a striking resemblance to what is described here and the phenomenon of phosphorescence found in the wake of large ships as they travel the oceans.

41:33 Nothing on earth is like him, one made without fear.  34 He looks on everything that is high; He is king over all the sons of pride.

The word “earth” in verse 33 is literally “dust.”  Remarkably, it’s the same word that is found in Genesis 2:7, “…the Lord God formed man from dust of the ground…” and in Job 42:6, “…and I repent in dust and ashes…”  As terrifying as Leviathan is – he is afraid of none, he is subdued by none, and he is prey of none – his realm of terror only reaches to “dust” (this little blue ball called Earth). 

Conclusion:  Job had wanted (even demanded) an audience with God.  Yet Jehovah, in a not so subtle rebuttal, asks, “Are you sure you want to go there?  You are frozen with fear at the sight of Leviathan – are you going to be able to unfreeze yourself long enough to argue with Me?  And do you even want to unfreeze yourself?”

If we were the supreme Comforter-In-Chief, we would probably fluff up Job’s blankets to make him as comfortable as possible, bring him some hot soup and watch a Hallmark Christmas movie with him. 

God’s approach?  “Hey Job, do you want to go see "LEVIATHAN EATS LOUISIANA!" in 3D?   It will scare your socks off!” 

Surprisingly, it is this realization of the awesome majesty/terror of God that brings Job healing and restoration in the very next chapter.  And an encounter with the terror/majesty of God can bring a new perspective and healing to your hopeless circumstances.