Job 39:5–8

Clearly the question here is not one of zoological knowledge, but of that kind care which goes with perfect knowledge of every creature. God watched over them all with such care — young and old, beast and bird, even the least familiar or the most out of reach. He did so according to the goodness and wisdom that made them. Was it not for Job, then, to listen and learn, instead of darkening counsel with words without knowledge? And certainly His ways with His people are far deeper than His dealings with the animal realm. Yet even there we see His sovereign disposal everywhere. He, not man, has made them what they are, and ordered their habits and their homes. He has given some animals to carry man's loads. Others He has freed from any such service, like the wild donkey. Its house is the desert and its home the steppe, where a city's noise and a driver's shouts are unknown.

The wild donkey is a completely different kind of creature, found mainly in the plains or wilderness. Man just does not control the habits of this animal that is "free as the breeze." Though it lives in "the barren land," God somehow sustains it in finding food. It keeps away from the noise of the city and is not like the tame donkey that must obey the direction of a driver.

He is entirely different from the wild goats in ways and habits. But one thing he has in common with them: he is completely dependent on his Creator. What control has Job over a creature like this, who knows no bonds and serves no master? As he thinks of their freedom, Job might sigh under his own burdens. God is able to loosen his bonds. Let him not doubt, but wait on God.

The wild donkey is very wild and very swift. It is seldom tamed. It is therefore a fitting emblem of man's natural birth (Job 11:12).

In the Word of God the donkey is not only presented as unclean; it is also the very synonym for self-will. Read the Lord's account of him in His reasoning with His servant in Job 39:5-8. And what is sin? ... sin is lawlessness. In other words, sin is doing our own will and neglecting the will of God. Who can claim to be exempt here? Who among us does not love to have his own way, whatever it costs?

Scripture shows us how God governs the world in providence, apart from His covenant. It does this in the very books that reveal the dealings of His electing grace... No more vivid a sketch was ever drawn than the one given of Ishmael's descendants in the words quoted [Job 39:5-8]. Such exactly are the Bedouins.

He, not man, has made them what they are, and ordered their habits and their habitations. If He has given some to carry man's loads, He has freed others from any such service. Take the wild donkey, with its house in the desert and its dwelling place on the open plain. There no city noise and no driver's shouts ever reach him. He can range the mountains at will as he searches out every green thing.

The wild donkey is a totally different type of creature, found mainly in the plains or wilderness. Man just does not control the habits of this animal, which is "free as the breeze." He lives in "the barren land," yet God somehow sustains him in finding food. He avoids the noise of the city and is not like the tame donkey that must obey the direction of a driver.

What control has Job over a creature like this, who knows no bonds, serves no master? As he thinks of their freedom, Job might sigh beneath his burdens. God is able to loosen his bonds. Let him not doubt, but wait on God.

In the Word of God the donkey is not only represented as unclean; it is also the very synonym for self-will. Read the Lord's account of him when He reasons with His servant in Job 39:5-8. And what is sin? … In other words, sin is doing our own will and neglecting the will of God. Who can claim to be exempt here? Who among us does not love to have his own way at whatever cost? … Job 11:12 is very pointed when it says: "Vain man would be wise, though man be born a wild donkey's colt." Genesis 16:12, correctly rendered, says of Ishmael, "He will be a wild donkey of a man."

But in some respects Job was like the wild donkey — independent, rebellious, wanting his own way. So he had another object lesson to consider.

No more graphic a sketch was ever drawn than is given of Ishmael's descendants in the words quoted here (Job 39:5-8). Such exactly are the Bedouins.

Clearly the question here is not about knowledge of animals. It is about the kind care that goes with perfect knowledge of every creature. God watched over young and old, beast and bird, even the least familiar and the most out of reach, according to the goodness and wisdom that made them. Was it not for Job, then, to listen and learn, instead of darkening counsel by words without knowledge? And certainly His ways with His people are far deeper than His dealings with the animal world.

This is plainly not a question about animal science. It is a question about the kind care that goes with perfect knowledge of every creature. Suppose God did watch so carefully over young or old, beast or bird, even the least familiar or most out of reach. Suppose His care matched the goodness and wisdom which made them. Was it not then for Job to listen and learn, instead of darkening counsel by words without knowledge? … He, not man, has made them what they are, and ordered their habits and their homes. Some He has given to be the burden-bearers of man. Others He has freed from any such service — like the wild donkey, with its house in the desert.

The wild donkey is a completely different creature. He is found mainly in the plains or wilderness. Man does not control the habits of this animal that is "free as the breeze." He lives in "the barren land," yet God somehow sustains him in finding food. He avoids the tumult of the city and is not like the tame donkey that must obey the direction of a driver.

Would men have even thought of creating an animal like this? But in some respects Job was like the wild donkey — independent, rebellious, wanting his own way. So he had another object lesson to consider.

What control has Job over a creature like this, who knows no bonds, serves no master? As he thinks of their freedom, Job might sigh beneath his burdens. God is able to loosen his bonds. Let him not doubt, but wait on God.

In the Word of God the donkey is not only represented as unclean; it is also the very synonym for self-will. Read the Lord's account of him as He reasons with His servant in Job 39:5-8. And what is sin? … "Sin is lawlessness." In other words, sin is doing our own will and neglecting the will of God. Who can claim to be exempt here? Who among us does not love to have his own way at whatever cost?

No sharper picture of Ishmael's descendants was ever drawn than the words quoted here: "He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver" (Job 39:5-8). The Bedouins are exactly like this.

The wild donkey likes his own wild ways. He likes to run about at will and refuses to be bridled or tamed, or to submit himself to another's will. Is this not a striking picture of the heart that has never been changed by God? But a horse in Pharaoh's chariots has been broken in. It has learned to give up its own wishes. It yields to the pull of the rein in its master's hand, and so spends its energy in its master's service.

He, not man, has made them what they are, and ordered their habits and their homes. He has given some animals the work of carrying man's burdens. Others He has kept free from any such service. Take the wild donkey. Its house is the desert and its dwelling-place the open country. There a city's noise and a driver's shouts are unknown. It can range the mountains at will as it searches out every green thing.

The wild donkey lives in "the barren land," yet God somehow sustains him in finding food. ... His pasture is the lower ranges of the mountains, not the rocks. There he may find green vegetation.

The series opens with God's provision for beasts and birds of prey, as seen in the lion and the raven. Next, the wild animals of the mountain and desert come under His all-wise care... They might seem worthless, even harmful, yet He cares for them with unerring wisdom. Shall He fail to watch over His child who knows and trusts Him?

Would men have even thought of creating an animal like this? But in some respects Job was like the wild donkey — independent, rebellious, wanting his own way. So he had another object lesson to consider.

In the Word of God the donkey is not only unclean; it is also the very picture of self-will. Read the Lord's account of him as He reasons with His servant in Job 39:5-8. And what is sin? Scripture defines it in 1 John 3:4: "sin is lawlessness." In other words, sin is doing our own will and neglecting the will of God. Who can claim to be exempt here? Who among us does not love to have his own way whatever the cost?

Moving from the mountain to the plain, the Lord points out the one creature that lives in those waste places: the wild donkey. He is quite different from the wild goats in ways and habits. But he shares one thing with them: he depends completely on his Creator. What control has Job over a creature like this, who knows no bonds and serves no master? As he thinks of their freedom, Job might sigh under his burdens. God is able to loosen his bonds. Let him not doubt, but wait on God.

No more vivid sketch was ever drawn than the one given of Ishmael's descendants in the words quoted... Such exactly are the Bedouins. No sober Christian supposes an ongoing miracle in Ishmael's case. Yet what God said of that race is as sure as what He said of Israel.