Does the Eagle Soar at Your Command and Build Its Nest on High?
We get a glimpse of God’s awe-inspiring creation in the concluding chapters of the book of Job. Here’s what happens:
As the storm’s intensity increases, Job’s four friends cast wary glances at each other, interspersed with worried peeks at the raging weather. They give longing gazes at the shelter Job’s nearby house affords. But Job sits unfazed amid the storm’s fury. Unmoved.
None of the friends wants to surrender first, to dash to shelter and leave Job alone. More light flashes. More reverberations. God continues to speak, which we read in Job 39.
“Do you guide the lioness to food as she hunts? Or feed the raven as she strives to care for her hatchlings? Do you know when the mountain goats give birth or watch the doe’s fawn emerge?
Have you set the wild donkeys free or provided them with a place to live? Can you control the wild ox?
“Consider the ways of the ostrich and the stork. Did you make each of them different? Do you give the horse its strength and speed?
Do the hawks and eagles fly, hunt, and nest at your command?” (Job 39:27).
For all that we know about the animals God created, there’s so much that exceeds our comprehension.
Each species has its unique characteristics, some amazing in their complexity (how a snake slithers or a hummingbird flies), others frustrating in their limitations (sheep are dumb), and still others are humorous in their behavior (witness the otter at play or how a hen strides).
Some animals walk, others fly. A few do both, though they usually excel at one over the other. Some animals lay eggs while others birth their young. Among the animal kingdom we see great diversity.
As people, we also carry our own uniqueness, with each person different from every other. There are no two of us alike. Everyone has their own inherent strengths and weaknesses.
Still God cares for us all. He loves us and wants to be in relationship with us, regardless of who we are or what we’ve done.
We are the pinnacle of God’s awe-inspiring creation, and he wants to be with us.
[Read through the Bible with us this year. Today’s reading is Job 37-39, and today’s post is on Job 39:27.]
Discover more about Job in Peter’s book I Hope in Him: 40 Insights about Moving from Despair to Deliverance through the Life of Job. In it, we compare the text of Job to a modern screenplay.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.