Job 40:20

Again, in the last two chapters of Jehovah's answer (Job 40, Job 41), on which I must be very brief, we have God surveying, not the whole realm of nature, but quite enough, and more than enough, to convict Job of ignorance and incapacity to speak before God. This he needed to learn in order that he might distrust himself as well as confide in God. In these He takes up, as we may see, only two of His creatures — one, a powerful beast of the earth, in Job 40; the other, an equally mighty monster of the deep, in Job 41. There is behemoth on the one hand, and leviathan on the other.

"The mountains yield food for him" — he can go to the mountain nearby if he likes — "where all the wild beasts play. He lies under the shady trees" — that is where he loves to be — "hidden among the reeds and in the marsh."

His Creator gave him sharp teeth like swords, and with them he mows down the grass like an ox. He is harmless too when he is not stirred up, for the other beasts play in the same pasture. He lies down in the shade and takes his ease. He fears nothing, even if a raging flood should try to swallow him.

God has supplied food for him too (v.20). He could lie down without fear of anything, though other beasts were all around him. He is the very picture of self-confident power. Even the river may rage while he is at peace (v.23).

In other words, he is a beast no one can tame or control. He is of no use for man's service. The whole description gives the impression of absolute power used for completely selfish ends. It lives for itself, and refuses to give its strength to the service of others.

And yet he is only a creature. God gave him this superhuman strength for His own all-wise purposes. Let Job look at this creature, and let everyone else who is tempted to trust his own strength look too — strength of body, as here, or of heart and mind. Nothing can resist him, and he needs no one. Next to that, how weak their own arm will look.

"Behemoth" means the animal we call the hippopotamus. We should not call it a river-horse at all, which is what "hippopotamus" means. It is a river-ox. It is like an ox rather than a horse... Many insist that "behemoth" means an elephant. But when you read the account you will see it is very unlike an elephant. It is a big creature with enormous strength, and beyond that, nothing.

Some have thought this refers to a hippopotamus. But that animal has a small tail, while behemoth "moves his tail like a cedar" (v.17). Perhaps this animal has now become extinct, for its tail seems to resemble that of a dinosaur.

Men talk as if God's aim was only to occupy us with His works. God does the opposite. He brings forward His works to turn us away from our own thoughts and bow us to Himself. For if the works of God are so wonderful, who is He that made them? And what is man, if he dares to judge such a God?... Do you think Job stayed busy with behemoth or with leviathan after this? Not at all. He was busy with God, and this was the design of it all.