Keavy Church of Christ

(More Bible Studies Available @ www.marktabata.com)

It is written:

Job 38:1-Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said

Again:

Job 40:6-Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said:

Without a doubt, one of the greatest people who ever lived was a righteous man named Job. He was one who understood the terrors and pains of life better than any ever could. He was well known in the ancient world, even to the great Prophet Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 14:14-Even if these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness,” says the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 14:20-even though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live,” says the Lord GOD, “they would deliver neither son nor daughter; they would deliver only themselves by their righteousness.”

Here is an outline of this great Book of the Bible.

Job’s History And Suffering (Job 1-3)

Job’s Three Friends (Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz) Debate With Job (Job 4-31)

Elihu Defends The Goodness And Righteousness Of God, While Condemning Eliphaz, Zophar, Bildad, And Job (Job 32-37)

The Lord Appears To Job In A Whirlwind And Defends His Goodness Against Job’s Attacks (Job 38-40:5)

God Declares That One Day He Will Defeat Behemoth And Leviathan Job 40:6-41)

Job Repents For What He Has Spoken Against God, And His Three Friends Repent When The Lord Rebukes Them (Job 42:9)

Job Is Greatly Blessed By God (Job 42:10-17)

I want to notice with you some powerful lessons from the two times in Job that we are told that God speaks to him from the whirlwind.

Lesson One: The Whirlwind Speaks About Who God Is

When we first see the imagery of God appearing in the whirlwind, it seems to be a frightening picture. However, when we interpret the whirlwind imagery in light of how the Old Testament Prophets wrote, we see that it is actually a powerful description of God being the Divine Warrior and Friend of His people. Indeed, throughout the Old Testament, the idea of God appearing in a whirlwind shows us God coming to battle against His enemies in order to save His people.

For example:

2 Kings 2:1, 11-And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.…Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

Psalm 83:15-So pursue them with Your tempest, And frighten them with Your storm.

Isaiah 29:6-You will be punished by the LORD of hosts With thunder and earthquake and great noise, With storm and tempest And the flame of devouring fire.

Isaiah 41:16-You shall winnow them, the wind shall carry them away, And the whirlwind shall scatter them; You shall rejoice in the LORD, And glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Jeremiah 23:19-Behold, a whirlwind of the LORD has gone forth in fury—A violent whirlwind! It will fall violently on the head of the wicked.

In all of these passages, the whirlwind shows God coming to rescue His people and fight against His enemies. We may wonder, “Who is the enemy that God is fighting against in Job?” The text itself shows us that God’s enemy is behemoth and leviathan.

Job 40:19-He is the first of the ways of God; Only He who made him can bring near His sword.

Now, here is what I want you to consider. Throughout the Book of Job, we see that Job had begun to view God as some kind of malevolent being who had turned against the patriarch for no reason whatsoever.

Job 6:4-For the arrows of the Almighty are within me; My spirit drinks in their poison; The terrors of God are arrayed against me.

Job 7:13-21-When I say, ‘My bed will comfort me, My couch will ease my complaint,’ 14  Then You scare me with dreams And terrify me with visions, 15  So that my soul chooses strangling And death rather than my body. 16  I loathe my life; I would not live forever. Let me alone, For my days are but a breath. 17  “What is man, that You should exalt him, That You should set Your heart on him, 18  That You should visit him every morning, And test him every moment? 19  How long? Will You not look away from me, And let me alone till I swallow my saliva? 20  Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, So that I am a burden to myself? 21  Why then do You not pardon my transgression, And take away my iniquity? For now I will lie down in the dust, And You will seek me diligently, But I will no longer be.”

Job 9:21-24-I am blameless, yet I do not know myself; I despise my life. 22  It is all one thing; Therefore I say, ‘He destroys the blameless and the wicked.’ 23  If the scourge slays suddenly, He laughs at the plight of the innocent. 24  The earth is given into the hand of the wicked. He covers the faces of its judges. If it is not He, who else could it be?

Job 10:3-Does it seem good to You that You should oppress, That You should despise the work of Your hands, And smile on the counsel of the wicked?

Job 10:16-17-If my head is exalted, You hunt me like a fierce lion, And again You show Yourself awesome against me. 17  You renew Your witnesses against me, And increase Your indignation toward me; Changes and war are ever with me.

Despite Job’s erroneous view of God, and despite the blasphemies which he uttered against the Lord, God shows up for Job. Even though Job was wrong and had greatly spoken evil of the Lord, the Lord was still on Job’s side!

God is the Friend of His people, even when we fall short and fail. The whirlwind reminds us that God is there to defend His people, to be the best Friend that we could ever have. Indeed, in the first questions asked in Job 38:2-40:5, God demonstrates to Job (and to us) that He is morally good. We can look in creation and see the goodness of God every day that we live.

“This is an extraordinarily mild way to respond to the man who has portrayed God ‘as a merciless hunter, an insidious spy, a capricious destroyer, and a sinister ruler’! 9…Rather, it is implied that the essential orderliness and goodness of God’s manner of ruling over creation are evident and available for anyone to see–Job included.…Whenever the stability of creation is in focus in the Old Testament, the consistent goal is to highlight God’s goodness and care for everything he has made; this ‘building’ shows not just divine power, but God’s attentive goodness to his world….But second and more importantly, the earth is not the sinister, chaotic mess Job has portrayed, where innocent lives are trampled and God does nothing (9: 22–24; 24: 1–17)…The difference between God’s joyful view of creation in these verses and Job’s curse on it in chapter 3 could hardly be starker or more striking. Surely Job has been ‘darkening’ God’s counsel! And surely God’s all-encompassing perspective on the place he founded at the beginning of time means his happier view of creation has more validity than Job’s. Whereas Job sees only a tiny part, God sees the whole–and it is a much more joyful whole than Job ever suspected…In the light of this, it becomes clear that his intention with Job is not to win an argument or score points against him by demonstrating Job’s ignorance, but to refocus Job on God himself, giving him a different vision of creation and the deity ruling it. 25” (Eric Ortlund, Piercing Leviathan: God’s Defeat of Evil in the Book of Job (New Studies in Biblical Theology 56), 64-71 (Kindle Edition, emphasis added); Downers Grove, IL; InterVarsity Press)

Lesson Two: The Whirlwind Speaks That God’s Silence Does Not Mean His Absence

Throughout Job, the patriarch railed against God in his pain. God had been Job’s best friend (John 29:1-4), but now He is seemingly absent. Why doens’t God answer? Where is He? How could He allow this suffering to continue? Why would He do this to me and not talk to me?

There are times when God is silent, and yet this silence is for our own good. An example of this is seen in the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac his son. When Abraham is ready to sacrifice his son at God’s command, God declares:

Genesis 22:12-And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

Someone may ask, “Didn’t God know already that Abraham wouldn’t sacrifice Isaac?” Yes He did! However, there was more going on here.

Genesis 22:12 (ISV)- “Don’t lay your hand on the youth!” he said. “Don’t do anything to him, because I’ve just demonstrated that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only unique one, from me.”

Grammatically, this is an excellent interpretation of the passage.

“Or, “now it is known.” Your willingness to bind and sacrifice Isaac will become one of the world’s foundational stories, inspiring countless generations to a willingness to sacrifice for their highest ideals.” (Artson, DHL, Rabbi Bradley Shavit, Passing Life’s Tests: Spiritual Reflections on the Trial of Abraham, the Binding of Isaac, 27 (Kindle Edition); Woodstock, Vermont; Jewish Lights Publishing)

God had allowed this in order to make it known to Abraham and to others that Abraham was a faithful friend of the Almighty. Again, think about this passage regarding Hezekiah:

2 Chronicles 32:31-However, regarding the ambassadors of the princes of Babylon, whom they sent to him to inquire about the wonder that was done in the land, God withdrew from him, in order to test him, that He might know all that was in his heart.

Notice here we have the same thing: God “withdrew” from Hezekiah so that “he” (Hezekiah, not God) might know what was in his heart.

“not that God might know, who knows all things, unless spoken of him after the manner of men; but rather that Hezekiah might know the pride lurking in his heart, and other sins which escaped his notice, Jer 17:9 or that it might be known by others; that the children of men might know it, as Kimchi; and take warning by it, and observe the frailty and infirmity of the best of men.” (John Gill, Gill’s Bible Commentary, 92266-92299 (Kindle Edition): Washington, DC: OSNOVA)

God withdrew and was silent in order that Hezekiah might learn what was in his heart, just like He allowed the testing for Abraham, to reveal to Abraham (and others) what was in his heart.

Again:

“The reference to God’s testing (v. 31) also implies a degree of openness about this judgment. When God wants to know everything that was in his heart, this does not mean that God is ignorant, for he knows every heart (1 Chr. 29: 17; 2 Chr. 6: 30; Ps. 94: 11). Rather, he wishes to ‘make [something] known’ (cf. Gen. 18: 21; Deut. 8: 2), that is, to provide an opportunity for people to show heartfelt repentance. God tests in order to refine, to stimulate repentance and to deepen faith (cf. Gen. 22: 1; Exod. 20: 20; Deut. 8: 16). This positive aim separates God’s testing from Satan’s temptations, for the devil merely incites (1 Chr. 21: 1; Job 2: 3) in order to devour and destroy (Matt. 4: 1–10; 1 Pet. 5: 8).” (Martin J. Selman, 2 Chronicles: An Introduction and Commentary (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries Book 11), 537 (Kindle Edition): Downers Grove, Illinois: IVP Academic)

The point is just because God is silent, it does not necessarily mean that He is absent. He is still with us, as God’s questions to Job in the whirlwind demonstrate. When He is silent, it is because He is working for the greatest good (for ourselves, and for others).

Lesson Three: The Whirlwind Speaks That God Is Taking Care Of Our Loved Ones Who Have Died

The whirlwind reminds us that the universe is more vast than anything we can imagine. God is taking care of all of it, including those who have died and gone on. Indeed, Job himself had demonstrated that he understood this even before the whirlwind.

Job 30:23-For I know that You will bring me to death, And to the house appointed for all living.

Notice how this is variously translated:

Job 30:23 (GW)-I know you will lead me to death, to the dwelling place appointed for all living beings.

Job 30:23 (BBE)-For I am certain that you will send me back to death, and to the meeting-place ordered for all living.

The word translated “house” (NKJV), “dwelling place” (GW), and “meeting-place” (BBE) is a reference to where family meet and fellowship together. This is Job’s declaration that he is going to be with his children again one day, just like David later considered and found comfort in (2 Samuel 12:23).

There is a book known as “The Testament Of Job” which both Jesus and Paul reference.

Luke 16:22-So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

Testament Of Job 5:10-I saw with my own eyes my dead children were carried by angels to the heavens.

Again, the Apostle Paul references this book in 1 Corinthians 13 when he speaks of the “tongues of angels” which is also referenced in the Testament Of Job (Testament Of Job 11). With this in mind, look at what the Testament Of Job tells us about Job’s children.

Testament Of Job 5:1-10-“1 Satan saw that he could not put me to shame. So he went and asked Yahuah permission to inflict plague on my body, for the Evil one could not bear my patience. 2 Then Yahuah delivered me into his hands to use my body as he wanted, but he gave him no power over my soul. 3 And he came to me as I was sitting on my throne still mourning over my children. 4 And he resembled a great hurricane and turned over my throne and threw me on the ground. 5 I continued lying on the floor for three hours. Then he smote me with a hard plague from the top of my head to the toes of my feet. 6 And I left the city in great distress and sadness came and sat down upon a dunghill. My body was being eaten by maggots. 7 And I wet the earth with the water from my sore body, for my flesh flowed off my body, and many worms covered it. 8 When a single worm crept off my body, I put it back. “Remain on the spot where you have been placed until He who hath sent you will order you to go somewhere else.” 9 In this way, I survived for seven years, sitting on a dung-hill outside of the city while being covered with a plague. 10 I saw with my own eyes my dead children were carried by angels to the heavens.”

Again:

Testament Of Job 9:4-15-4 She said to Eliphaz: “I ask as favor of you, my lords, tell your soldiers to dig in the ruins of our house. There they will find my children. Get them so that we can bury them. 5 Because right now, because we are so abused, we have no energy to do it. The least you could do is help me see their bones. 6 I feel like a wild beast! Like the mother of a wild beasts. And that my ten children died and I couldn’t even give them a decent burial.” 7 Then the kings gave order that the ruins of my house should be dug up. But I stopped them and said: 8 ‘‘Don’t go through the trouble! My children will not be found. They are in the presence of their Maker and Ruler.” 9 But then the kings answered themselves: “Now who will deny that he is out of his mind and is babbling? 10 We want to bring the bones of his children back, but he stops us! He says: ‘They have been taken and placed the keeping of their Maker.’ Prove it!” 11 So I said: “Help me up so I can stand!” And they lifted me, holding up my arms from both sides. 12 And I stood up and before doing anything, I praised Elohim. After the prayer I said to them: ‘‘Look with your eyes to the East!” 13 And they looked and saw my children with crowns near the glory of the King, the Ruler of heaven. 14 When my wife Sitis saw it, she fell to the ground and bowed before Elohim, saying: ‘‘Now I know that Yahuah remembers me.” 15 After she spoke, it was evening, she left us and went to the city, back to the master who she served as slave. She lay herself down in front of the cow manger and died of exhaustion.”

God comforted Job and his first wife (Sitis) with the knowledge that their children were being cared for and protected by Him.

I love that Sitis says, “Now I know that Yahuah remembers me.” In all my years of ministry, the most heart wrenching mourning I have heard have been from mothers being told their children have passed, and from telling children (especially young children) that their mother has died.

Psalm 35:14-I paced about as though he were my friend or brother; I bowed down heavily, as one who mourns for his mother.

The whirlwind reminds us that God is going to take care of our loved ones who have died. This enables us not only to grieve, but to weep in hope! It helps us to be able to live in this life, like Job went on and did, secure in the knowledge that he would be caught up to his family.

Testament Of Job 12:5-10-5 But after three days Job saw the holy angels come for his soul, and instantly he rose and took the cithara and gave it to his daughter Day (Yemima). 6 And to Kassia he gave a censer (with perfume = Kassia, and to Amalthea’s horn (= music) he gave a timbrel in order that they might bless the holy angels who came for his soul. 7 And they took these, and sang, and played on the psaltery and praised and glorified Elohim in the holy dialect. 8 And after this he came He who sitteth upon the great chariot and kissed Job, while his three daughters looked on, but the others saw it not. 9 And He took the soul of Job and He soared upward, taking her (the soul) by the arm and carrying her upon the chariot, and He went towards the East. 10 His body, however, was brought to the grave while the three daughters marched ahead, having put on their girdles and singing hymns in praise of Elohim. (Paul Hart and M.R. James, The Testament of Job In Modern English And Original Translation, 70 (Kindle Edition): Savanah, GA: University Press)

Thanks be to God for the knowledge that He is taking care of our loved ones who have passed on.

Lesson Four: God Is Going To Defeat Satan One Day

The whirlwind reminds us that God is going to overcome and defeat the devil one day. In Job 40:6-41:34, God talks about how He is going to one Day defeat both behemoth and leviathan. These two creatures are shown to be extremely powerful. As we will see, these are animals in the natural world (most likely what we would call “dinosaurs”) that came to represent Satan and the fallen angels.

One indicator that behemoth and levitation are being used as symbols for Satan and fallen angels is seen in the fact that we are told even the angels of God are afraid of leviathan.

Job 41:25-When he raises himself up, the mighty are afraid; Because of his crashings they are beside themselves.

Look at that word translated as “mighty” in our text It is a Hebrew word that often has reference to angels.

“But it also refers to subordinate divine beings in Pss 29: 1 and 89: 7, making ‘gods’ or ‘divine beings’ an acceptable translation here. Although the point will be developed below, it is worth mentioning that in the Enuma Elish the gods cower before the chaos monster Tiamat before Marduk comes to rescue them (see Pope 1973: 286 for discussion and other references).” (Eric Ortlund, Piercing Leviathan: God’s Defeat of Evil in the Book of Job (New Studies in Biblical Theology 56), 187 Footnote 37 (Kindle Edition, emphasis added); Downers Grove, IL; InterVarsity Press)

Again:

“Verse 17 (Eng. v. 25) in particular calls for comment. I think that here we have a reference to the fear that Satan instils even among other supernatural beings. 12 The early versions support the NIV translation ‘the mighty’, and my own translation of ‘the angels’ is supported by the Vulgate. The ēlîm are probably members of the heavenly court, and the fear aroused among these ‘sons of God’ or angels is evidence of the great conflict raging in the heavenly realms.” (Robert Fyall, Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job (New Studies in Biblical Theology 12), 165-166 (Kindle Edition); Downers Grove, IL; IVP Academic)

Throughout the Old Testament, this phrase often had reference to angels.

Psalm 29:1-Give unto the LORD, O you mighty ones, Give unto the LORD glory and strength.

Psalm 89:6-7-For who in the heavens can be compared to the LORD? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD? 7  God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, And to be held in reverence by all those around Him.

Psalm 103:20-Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.

It makes no sense that angels would be terrified of dinosaurs; but if dinosaurs here represent Satan and other fallen angels, then this characterization makes perfect sense.

Another evidence that leviathan is a reference to Satan is seen through the Prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 26:19-27:1-Your dead shall live; Together with my dead body they shall arise. Awake and sing, you who dwell in dust; For your dew is like the dew of herbs, And the earth shall cast out the dead. 20  Come, my people, enter your chambers, And shut your doors behind you; Hide yourself, as it were, for a little moment, Until the indignation is past. 21  For behold, the LORD comes out of His place To punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity; The earth will also disclose her blood, And will no more cover her slain. 27:1. In that day the LORD with His severe sword, great and strong, Will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan that twisted serpent; And He will slay the reptile that is in the sea.

Consider what some Old Testament scholars have pointed out about this section of Isaiah:

“As for the context, this is part of what scholars call the Apocalypse of Isaiah, which refers to Isaiah 24–27. And it has that name because it speaks of cosmic events, of end-time upheaval, of the final coming of God’s Kingdom and the destruction of His enemies. Here is just a sampling of some of the verses. The text speaks of the future destruction of the earth: See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants—it will be the same for priest as for people, for the master as for his servant, for the mistress as for her servant, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word. Isaiah 24: 1–3 NIV Then God will come with power! The earth is broken up, the earth is split asunder, the earth is violently shaken. The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind; so heavy upon it is the guilt of its rebellion that it falls—never to rise again. In that day the LORD will punish the powers in the heavens above . . . they will be shut up in prison and be punished after many days. The moon will be dismayed, the sun ashamed; for the LORD Almighty will reign on Mount Zion and in Jerusalem, and before its elders—with great glory. Isaiah 24: 19–23 NIV At that time, God will abolish death from His people: On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken. In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.” Isaiah 25: 6–9 NIV And at that time, He will crush the serpent’s head (cf. Romans 16: 20): “In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword—his fierce, great and powerful sword—Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea” (Isaiah 27: 1 NIV). And when the judgment is over, the Lord will gather His people Israel together: In that day the LORD will thresh from the flowing Euphrates to the Wadi of Egypt, and you, Israel, will be gathered up one by one. And in that day a great trumpet will sound. Those who were perishing in Assyria and those who were exiled in Egypt will come and worship the LORD on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. Isaiah 27: 12–13 NIV Clearly, this is speaking in terms of the end of the age, the final conflict and the last great war. And during this time, when God’s wrath is poured out on a rebellious, sinning world, He gives a directive to His people: “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.” The Lord will provide a place of refuge for us right in the midst of the storm (as He did for Noah). He will give us a way of escape from His judgments (just as He did for Lot). He will make a distinction between His people and the world (just as He did for the Israelites in Egypt and for the righteous in Jerusalem). Yet we will not escape all tribulation and suffering for the Gospel. In other words, we will not be exempt from the hatred of people and the attacks of Satan. To the contrary, we were promised this as part of our faith. But we will be protected from God’s wrath—right here, in this world. The storm will be great, but our God will be greater, and we will take refuge in Him. “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18: 10 NKJV).” (Michael L. Brown, Craig S. Keener, Not Afraid of the Antichrist: Why We Don’t Believe In A Pre-Tribulation Rapture, 64-96 (Kindle Edition): Bloomington, Minnesota: Chosen Books)

The same “serpent” is described as the devil in the Book of Revelation!

Revelation 12:9-So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Notice also that John describes the “serpent” being cast down-not only to the Earth-but to the Sea!

Revelation 12:12-Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”

Again, there are strong indicators linking Satan with leviathan in the ANE literature.

“The evidence is much stronger when it comes to Leviathan, since the monster is mentioned (with a different spelling) in the Baal Epic and serpentine sea monsters are common elsewhere in ANE literature. With regard to the Baal Epic, Mot, the god of death, makes reference to a prior victory of Baal over Lotan (claiming it will not help Baal when he fights with Death). 118 Mot describes Lotan, the ‘fleeing’ and ‘twisting’ serpent (brḥ and ʿqltn); the identical description of yhwh’s eschatological enemy in Isaiah 27: 1 prevents any confusion about the identity of Leviathan in the Old Testament. Further afield, the Mesopotamian gods Ninurta and Tishpak defeat dragons that live in the sea; in the case of Ninurta, his opponent is even said to have seven heads (cf. Ps. 74: 14). 119 A seal from Tell Asmar, from the city of Eshnunna, also portrays a deity piercing a seven-headed monster. 120 And of course mention should be made of Marduk’s defeat of Tiamat in Enuma Elish, the latter sometimes being portrayed as a serpent or dragon. 121 All of this is to say that there is significant evidence from the ANE that ancient Semites, when hearing about a serpentine, sea-dwelling creature of the name ‘Leviathan’, would have understood it as a symbol for cosmic chaos. Modern Westerners do not think about evil and chaos this way, of course, but ancient Semites did not turn to abstract or analytical categories when addressing the problem of evil, and yhwh is addressing one such Semite in the book of Job. Although not decisive for how we read the end of the book, ancient Israelites would arguably have understood Behemoth and Leviathan in the same way they are presented elsewhere in the ANE unless it were clearly signalled that these creatures were only ordinary animals.” (Eric Ortlund, Piercing Leviathan: God’s Defeat of Evil in the Book of Job (New Studies in Biblical Theology 56), 137-138 (Kindle Edition, emphasis added); Downers Grove, IL; InterVarsity Press)

The Bible equates “Satan” with “leviathan.”

Furthermore, Ancient Near Eastern literature equates behemoth with a god known as Mot.

“I would submit, then, that these contextual, linguistic and structural considerations make the identification of Behemoth with Mot, the god of death, a very strong probability. If, as I shall argue, Leviathan is the power of evil, the Satan, then who but the figure of death could provide a parallel?” (Robert Fyall, Now My Eyes Have Seen You: Images of Creation and Evil in the Book of Job (New Studies in Biblical Theology 12), 137 (Kindle Edition); Downers Grove, IL; IVP Academic)

Mot is also connected with Respheph. Amazingly, this “god” is shown to be a fallen angel masquerading as a god throughout the Bible.

“Scholars have long noted that both terms are Canaanite deities. Baker observes, “Yahweh has his two personified attendants who are subject to his control (cf. Ps. 91: 6), exemplifying his power. Both are also Canaanite deities, leading here to a hidden polemic against pagan worship.” 95 The term deber is commonly used in the Old Testament alongside terms for warfare and famine, all depicting the causes of widespread death (especially in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel). While this is the most common usage for deber, del Olmo Lete notes the term “seems to be used a number of times in a personified sense as a demon or evil deity (Hab 3: 5; Ps 91: 3, 6; cf. Hos 13: 14).” 96 In Habakkuk 3: 5, deber (“ pestilence”) and rešep (“ plague”) are presented “marching at Yahweh’s side as His helpers. This follows the ancient Mesopotamian tradition according to which ‘plague’ and ‘pestilence’ are present in the entourage of the great god Marduk.” 97 Some scholars object to deber as a true deity name, 98 but its partnering with rešep in Habakkuk 3: 5 strongly suggests this is the case, “given the presence of [Resheph] in the Ugaritic texts as a god of destruction (KTU 1.14 I 18–19; 1.82: 3).” 99 Rešep appears in Deuteronomy 32: 23–24, where Yahweh threatens his apostate people: 23And I will heap disasters upon them; I will spend my arrows on them; 24they shall be wasted with hunger (rāʿāb), and devoured by plague (rešep) and poisonous pestilence (qeṭeb). As noted above, Resheph is a deity of destruction at Ugarit. He is portrayed as an archer there (KTU 1.82: 3), and so the phrase “spending my arrows” is interesting. Resheph is accompanied by qeṭeb and rāʿāb. The former appears in an Ugaritic text as a kinsman of Mōt (“ Death”). The latter appears to be an epithet of Mōt. 100”. (Michael S. Heiser, Demons: What the Bible Really Says About the Powers of Darkness, 34-35 (Kindle Edition): Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press)

God is going to war against Satan and the other fallen angels who have throughout deception and treachery usurped control of the Creation. Mankind is unable to defeat Satan and these demonic forces: but God is!

This is the reason why Job is finally able to worship God again at the end of the Book of Job. He realizes that in the end, God is going to triumph and He will slay the serpent and all of his allies! This gives Christians hope as we live in this world of suffering and spiritual warfare.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. Amen.