I invite you to turn with me in your Bibles to Job chapter 39. Job chapter 39. My plan this morning is to finish up through Job 39. Last week we actually went through and from a high view we looked at Job 38 through verse 38. It is a more natural, by the way, break in the book of Job if we don't go to the end of the chapter in verse 38, but we pick up actually in verse 39. That seems like a A clear distinction apart from what we have in our books, the chapter breaks here in verse 39. It seems like we should have actually picked up here. The break should have been here at verse 38 and then we pick up in verse 39 and then flow from there. Those subjects seem to be more fitting there in at the end of verse 38. So I'm going to actually start reading verse 39 of chapter 30. I'm not going to read all of this. I'm just going to read through the first portion here in verse 4. We'll pick up those other verses as we go along and we talk about some of those other verses. Beginning in verse 39 of chapter 38, remember God is addressing Job with the first discourse concerning who he is that Job might be reminded of his place and God's place. Can you haunt the prey of the lion or satisfy the appetite of the young lions when they crouch in their dens and lie in wait in their lair? Who prepares the raven its nourishment when its young cry to God and wander about without food? Chapter 39, do you know the time the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer? Can you count the months they fulfill? Or do you know the time they give birth? They kneel down. They bring forth their young. They get rid of their labor pains. Their offspring become strong. They grow up in the field. they leave and do not return to them. In his book entitled Knowing God by J.I. Packer, J.I. Packer here quotes in the opening chapter something that Spurgeon wrote or spoke at the age of 20. You'll see the wisdom of Spurgeon at a very young age. in these words here concerning the study of God. He says, there is something exceedingly improving to the mind in the contemplation of the divinity. It is a subject so vast that all our thoughts are lost in its immensity, so deep that our pride is drowned in its infinity. Other subjects we can compass and grapple In them, we feel a kind of self-content and go our way with the thought, quote, behold, I am wise. But when we come to this master science, finding that our plumb line cannot sound its depths and that our eagle eye cannot see its height, we turn away with the thought that vain man would be wise, but he is like a wild colt. and with solemn exclamation, I am but of yesterday and know nothing. No subject of contemplation will tend more to humble the mind than thoughts of God. But while the subject humbles the mind, it also expands it. He who often thinks of God will have a larger mind than the man who simply plods around this narrow globe. The most excellent study for expanding the soul is the science of Christ and Him crucified and the knowledge of the Godhead in the glorious Trinity. Nothing will so enlarge the intellect, nothing so magnify the whole soul of man as a devout, earnest, continued investigation of the great subject of the deity. And whilst humbling and expanding, this subject is eminently consolatory Oh, there is, in contemplating Christ, a balm for every wound In musing on the Father, there is a quietus for every grief And in the influence of the Holy Ghost, there is a balsam for every sore Would you lose your sorrow? Would you drown your cares? Then go, plunge yourself in the Godhead's deepest sea be lost in his immensity, and you shall come forth as from a couch of rest, refreshed and invigorated. I know nothing which can so comfort the soul, so calm the swelling billows of sorrow and grief, so speak peace to the winds of trial as a devout musing upon the subject of the Godhead." And this is why we see God taking Job to school right now. He has decided here that I will instruct Job now. Job needs to be instructed about who God is in light of his current pride and his need for consolation. And so God begins to instruct Job. And we saw last week So we considered these chapters here, verses chapters 38 through 42, we divided them into two headings. God reveals to Job his majestic glory, and God restores to Job beyond his former glory. And so we began to consider God revealing to Job his majestic glory, and we began to ask the question, how does God reveal himself to Job? and we found that God reveals himself to Job by way of a flood of rhetorical questions. In fact, God asked Job over 70 rhetorical questions. These questions were not intended to be answered by Job. Rather, they were intended for three reasons. To disclose, to expose, and to depose. to disclose to Job who God was, to reveal the reality of who God was to Job, to expose Job's pride and his arrogance in seeking to question God and to bring a charge against God, and to depose, that means to remove Job from his high place this place of arrogance that he was at. And so, we asked the question, what are the questions pertaining to that Job had to ponder? Well, these rhetorical questions that Job had to ponder were concerning God's distinction in creation, his power, his wisdom, and his sovereignty. In chapter 38, God interrogates Job concerning God's inanimate creation And he asks Job questions that are intended to reveal to Job, like Elihu stated, that God is greater than man So that Job would be humbled and repent of his high-handed questioning of the omnipotent God So the questions that Job asked, or is asked, about the inanimate creation surround the initial creation of the world and God's sustaining power of or over the world. Many times we are overwhelmed by the fact that God created ex nihilo, which means God created out of nothing, while we neglect to be amazed at God's sustaining power God not only created the world by his powerful word, he also, according to Hebrews 1.3, he upholds all things by the power of his word We also saw that God sovereignly gives rules over the sun, the sea, the snow, the lightning, the clouds, and the planets. All of God's inanimate creation is sovereignly ruled by God. However, God does not stop there with Job. He continues, and beginning in verse 39 of chapter 38, God reminds Job that he is also sovereign over animate creation or the animals. He uses now a series of created beasts to continue to disclose, to expose, and to depose Job. And so we find ourselves again in Job 38 beginning in verse 39. And in this, God begins to speak to Job about the animals. and how he is sovereignly ruling over there, over these as well And so God rules over the inanimate creation and the animate creation In the Bible, God frequently uses his animate creation to instruct his children He used the ant in Proverbs to instruct us about the folly of slothfulness where he commends to the lazy man to go to the ant, O sluggard, and observe her ways and be wise." In Matthew 6, 27, he instructs the anxious believer to go to the bird to bolster their faith in God to provide for their daily needs by seeing that the common bird neither sows nor reaps nor gathers into barns, and yet your Heavenly Father takes care of them. In 1 Peter 5.8, God uses the lion to instruct us about the fact that we have an adversary. It speaks this in 1 Peter 5.8, that we are to be on the alert, knowing that our adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And so God used the animate world animals to rebuke us, to encourage us, and to warn us. In verse 39, God, we see here, uses a lion. And in verse 41, he uses a raven. He says in verse 39, can you hunt the prey for the lion? He's speaking here to Job. or satisfy the appetite of the young lions when they crouch in their dens and lie and wait in their lair? Who prepares for the raven its nourishment when its young cry to God and wander about without food?" And so he begins with these two creatures here, the lion and the raven These two creatures have in common the reality that both of them are very smart creatures Lions are very intelligent creatures and ravens are very intelligent creatures as well In verse 39 through 40, he speaks here of the lions We know lions to be the kings of the jungle They're master hunters Specifically, we talk about the lionesses because the lions themselves don't typically go out to hunt It's usually the lionesses that are out doing the hunting Now, despite the fact that lions are considered master hunters. They're not very fast creatures, by the way. They're not very swift of foot. They're not like the cheetah or the leopard. Lions are probably, of the larger feline beasts, are probably the slowest of them all. But they're smart. They're smart. They know how to hide. They're very intelligent in that they hide themselves very well from their prey. And they're patient. They're very patient creatures. They'll wait and wait and wait. It's been said that lions can wait in one spot for over 24 hours. in order to secure a meal for itself and for its young. 24 hours. It's a long time to be waiting. Nonchalantly meandering about and then all of a sudden when their prey turns their head and they let down their guard. This is why you see a lot of creatures when they're around lions. You see them and they have some that are eating or drinking and then you have some who are on watch. They're looking around, they're looking for the lion because the lion is waiting for them to put down their guard and at the right time to pounce upon their prey. And so we see these lions and they are smart and they're patient creatures. This is instructive to us as again as God compares and equates Satan to the lion. Satan is in many ways like this lion. He's patient. He knows something about us, and he waits until you let down your guard and you're no longer vigilant, until you turn your head and you're no longer looking out for your enemy, then he pounces on us. That's why it speaks here like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. The lion is smart, and this is how he gets his prey, because he waits and he's patient. It says in Psalm 104.21, the young lions roar after their prey and seek their food from God. Listen, although they're wise and they're patient, God still provides for them. They don't get these instincts on their own. God provides for them. God gives them the intellect. God gives them the patience that they need in order to wait out their prey. These creatures are patient because God has made them this way. These creatures are intelligent because God has made them this way. And then we have the raven in verse 41. Those black birds that are very common to most of creation God provides for them too How does he provide for the raven? Well, ravens will eat anything They're omnivores. They'll eat meat and plants They're predators. They'll chase after their food. They're also what we call scavengers. If you see a dead animal on the side of the road, you might see a vulture, and you might see a crow also joining in to feast. And so God has made this creature so varied in his appetite that he can find food almost anywhere. He'll eat just about anything. If you were of a certain generation, you remember a commercial back in the 70s and 80s, it was from Life Cereal. There were three brothers who were sitting at a table and they were seeking, seeing who would try this healthy cereal first, this Life Cereal. And there's two brothers, two older brothers said, you try it. He says, no, I'm not going to try it, you try it. And then what do they say if you're my, hey, let's get who? Mikey. Let's get Mikey. He'll eat it. He'll what? He'll eat anything. And of course he eats and then they say he likes it. He likes it. Well, ravens are like Mikey. They'll eat anything. Anything you put before a raven, largely he will eat it. They'll eat it. They have no governor when it comes to what they will eat. But God has made their bodies in such a way that they can eat meat, they can eat plants, they can eat things that have been lying on the ground for a day or even a week, and God protects them and keeps them even in that. In Psalm 147 it says this, God gives to the beast its food, and to the young ravens which cry." And so the raven is dependent upon God for its food. The science world says, This comes because the raven has these evolved instincts. No, the Bible says that these are endowed instincts. God has given them these instincts. God has created the lion the way that he is and created the raven the way that he is so that he might care for them and provide for them. How instructive this would have been to Job. God is not only sovereign, God is kind and caring to you as well, Job. God will provide for you whatever you need in the midst of your suffering. It would have been instructive to Job. He feeds you. And by the way, we'll see that later on he talks about some other creatures that are fed by God, the eagle and the hawk at the end of chapter 39. And so we see in these verses here not only God's sovereignty, Not only God's wisdom, but God's kindness and his care over his creation. Now look at chapter 39, verses 1 through 4. He brings up another creature. He says, do you know the time of the mountain goat? Or the time the mountain goat gives birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer? Can you count the months they fulfill? Or do you know the time they give birth? They kneel down, they bring forth their young, they get rid of their labor pains, their offspring become strong, they grow up in the open field, they leave and do not return to them. He speaks here of the gestation period of the goat. He's asking Job the question, do you know what it is? Can you count those days? Do you know how long before the goat yields up in its body, the labor pains are ceased because it has given birth? Job, do you know this? Of course Job doesn't know. Listen, we all, by the way, even with the advanced technology, scientists still struggle to find the exact day when those children will come forth from the mother's womb. How many of you, apart from a C-section or a planned delivery, had your child or your children on the day that they were planned or predicted by the doctor? Any of you have your children on that date? Any of you women have on the exact day that you're, okay, we got one here. Anybody else? That's it. So even doctors are somewhat ignorant of these things. They're estimating, they're guessing to some degree as to exactly how long that will be, but there still doesn't, there remains an ignorance there, and with all that medical technology, and now here we're back here with Job, and he's being questioned about these things, and surely Job doesn't know. Surely Job doesn't know, and so he's bringing to light Job's ignorance here. And Job, if you don't know the gestation period of a goat, how do you know and how can you fathom the ways of God? and how I have dealt with you, Job. How can you comprehend these things? You can't even comprehend the gestation period of a goat. How can you question me then, Job, about these things? He says, do you observe the calving of the deer? Have you seen this, Job? This is a very rare occurrence. Can you count the months they fulfill? Or do you know the time they give birth? They kneel down. They bring forth their young. They get rid of their labor pains. This is speaking of that birthing phase right there, where the goat is giving forth the child, giving up that child through birth. It says in verse 4, their offspring become strong. They grow up in the open field. They leave and do not return to them. growing up and then leaving the home. They leave at a certain time. And he's asking him here, do you know this Job? And of course the answer is Job doesn't know this. And this is the point here, Job doesn't know this. And, but God cares for them in this though. God even cares for the goat in these things as well. This reminds us that God rules over time. He knows the exact timing of all things, and he protects and cares for the mother and the child in their childbirth. This is why we pray for the ladies of our church when they are pregnant, because God oversees these. He superintends these things. We have to see God's hand in all things. And even in these things, when we talk about a child being born, God brings this about. God knows the timing of these things. God, in his kindness and care, we speak of that from Psalm 139. He's knitting that child in the mother's womb, and he's bringing forth that child on the appointed day that God has given to us. We speak in the scriptures of this It says in Hebrews 9 that God has appointed a day for every man to die once, right? God has also appointed the day of birth as well. He oversees that, he superintends that. And this would have been, again, instructed to Job, that God oversees these things, that God rules over the bringing forth even of the young goat. And God oversees you in your trials, Job. He's working in these things. He knows the timing of these things. He's not ignorant of what happened, Job. And we turn in verse, it says 5 through 8, and we turn now to what's called the wild donkey. It says, who sent out the wild donkey? Who sent out the wild donkey free, donkey free? And who loosened the bonds of the swift donkey? To whom I gave the wilderness for a home and the salt land for his dwelling place? He scorns the tumult of the city, the shoutings of the driver he does not hear. He explores the mountains for his pasture and searches after every green thing. He's speaking here of this wild donkey. You remember from the Old Testament, this is a name that was referred to, Ishmael. Ishmael and his descendants were compared to this creature. This creature is wild and untameable. He's not subject to being tamed like other creatures. He's free, he says here. And God has made him that way. He put him in his habitation so that he would be free. He would not be a domesticated creature. He's a free creature. He runs wild in the open field. God cares for him. It says here in verse 8, he explores the mountains for his pasture, and he searches where? How does God care for him? After every green thing. Again, God provides for the wild donkey. He gives him what he needs, because this creature eats every wild, every green thing, and so he's provided for by God again. God cares for him. God has made him the way that he is and put him in the habitation that he lives in so that he could be free. This creature is cared for by God. In verses 9 through 12, have here a pretty interesting creature. It says, will the wild ox consent to serve you? Or will he spend the night at your manger? Can you bind the wild ox in a furrow with ropes? Or will he herald the valleys after you? Will you trust him because his strength is great and leave your labor to him? Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain and gather it from your threshing floor? And the answer to all those questions is absolutely no. No, Joe. You can't do these things. If you have the King James Version, the translation of this is, will the unicorn be willing to serve thee or abide by the crib? So in the book of, in the King James Version, it's translated as unicorn. Now, I believe that this is that way because whatever this creature was, it probably only had one horn. So it's referred to as a unicorn. But the ESV and the NAS, NAU, translate this as wild ox. Many believe that this was probably a creature that is now extinct. It's called an auroch, A-U-R-O-C-H. But it speaks here of, it was a creature that was somewhat like a bull It was somewhere, but larger than a bull, could weigh up to some say about 3,000 pounds But it was a creature that was, again, wild and free Wasn't willing to consent to serve Job wasn't there to furrow his, his, his, or to harrow his valleys, which is to plow up his valleys. No, it was given for the purpose of running free. This is why I've created it, to run free, to be free of those things, not like the domesticated oxen to run in its place that I've given to it. In chapter 39, beginning in verse 13, we have a very familiar creature that's mentioned here. In verses 13 through 18, we have the ostrich. He says, the ostrich's wings flap joyously with the pinion and plumage of love, for she abandons her eggs to the earth and warms them in the dust. And she forgets that a foot may crush them or that a wild beast may trample them. She treats her young cruelly as if they were not hers. Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned, because God has made her forget wisdom and has not given her a share of understanding. When she lifts herself on high, she laughs at the horse and his rider." It's an interesting creature here. It's a large creature, by the way. Ostrich can grow up to nine feet tall. but it has very tiny feathers in comparison to its body So it's a bird, but it can't fly The creativity of God to create a bird that cannot fly says here that in verse 13 it says, the ostrich's wings flap joyously with the pinion and plumage of love. And so it has these wings that flap, but it doesn't lift it off the ground. Some have said that the wings of the ostrich is for balance and to keep it balanced and steady. Also, some have said it's for the purpose of drawing in its mates being somewhat like a peacock and displaying its wings, yet, like other birds, it's not able to fly. It says here, with the pinion and plumage of love. Then in verse 14, it says, she abandons her eggs to the earth. These are large eggs, by the way. From my understanding, the ostrich egg is about the size of about 24 chicken eggs. So just imagine the size of that that egg that the ostrich produces. But it says that she abandons her eggs to the earth. Well, she can't fly up in a tree, can she? And then lay her egg in a nest. So what does she do? She makes her nest where? On the ground. And she lays her eggs on the ground. Then it says, and she forgets that a foot may crush them. And this is what often happens. Ostrich eggs are crushed under the foot of other animals or even human beings. It says, or that a wild beast may trample them. It says in verse six, she treats her young cruelly as if they were not hers. Though her labor be in vain, she is unconcerned. And it appears that she is unconcerned about her, her young. Then it goes even further to say, unlike the lion and the raven, she's not a very intelligent bird, is she? It says here in verse 30 or verse 17, because God has made her forget wisdom and has not given her a share of understanding. This is, as we talked about in VBS, this is a bird with not much, very much gray matter, right? It doesn't have a lot of gray matter. says in verse 18, when she lifts herself on high, she laughs at the horse and his rider. What's that mean right there? It means she's fast. She's fast. She has no way of protecting her. She would be a very tasty treat for most beasts specifically. She'd be a tasty treat for a lion, right? The lion can't keep up with the ostrich. Not even close. She would just outrun him very quickly. The ostrich can run up to over 40 miles per hour. Listen to the, even back then, God's mind in these things. We talk about the ostrich can run as fast as a horse. We know that today, and even faster in many cases, and for a longer period of time as well. It can keep up that pace of 30 to 40 miles per hour for up to 30 minutes. Incredible. And so what that creature lacks in Brain matter, it possesses in speed. And what it lacks in being able to fly and the strength to carry itself to a place of safety, God has made it swift of foot. God cares for the ostrich. Even the young that are trampled underfoot very often, and it has been said that only about 10% of ostrich eggs survive. This creature lays a lot of eggs. Because you would think, well, this creature should be extinct. But see, it's not God's design. God determined to make it the way that it is so that it would survive. So the ostrich is a phenomenal creature. A marvel of God's design. Verse 19 through 25, we see another creature that is common to us, the horse. This powerful horse. Do you give the horse his might? Do you clothe his neck with a mane? Do you make him leap like the locust? His majestic snorting is terrible. He paws in the valley and rejoices in his strength. He goes out to meet the weapons. He laughs at fear and is not dismayed, and he does not turn back from the sword. The quiver rattles against him, the flashing spear and javelin. With shaking and rage, he races over the ground, and he does not stand still at the voice of the trumpet. As often as the trumpet sounds, he says, Aha! And he sensed the battle from afar, and the thunder of the captains, and the war cry." It's a creature that's powerful and majestic. It's a beautiful creature with the mane, and it's And it's a beautiful coating. It's a beautiful creature that's made to reflect the glory of God. It's a brave creature, too. This is why it's very frequently used in battle. Through the annals of history, you find this creature being ridden by those who would seek to go to war against their enemy. It's swift of foot, but not only swift of foot, it's powerful, and it's a very brave creature. Some very brave creatures, fearless. And then he ends this section with two more birds, the hawk and the eagle. Beginning in verse 26, he says, it is by your understanding that the hawk soars, stretching his wings toward the south. Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?" Again, we're here reminded that God is providentially and sovereignly, providentially even in control of all these things. It's at the command of God, he makes his nest on high, and so he is by his instinct, he makes his nest on high places to protect himself and for the purpose of feeding himself. Because eagles have sharp eyes. You ever hear someone saying he's got eyes like an eagle? He's got eagle's eyes? Because eagles have phenomenal vision. They can see from hundreds of yards away, even just the shrieks of a creature that they are seeking after. They can see the excrement and the elimination of body fluids by another animal from very, very far away. so they might be able to secure a meal for themselves and for their young. And it says in verse 28, on the cliff he dwells and lodges upon the rocky crag in inaccessible places. It's a place that's inaccessible to all other creatures. From there he spies out food. His eyes see it from afar. His young ones also suck up blood, and where the slain are, there is he." He's speaking here of the food that he brings back to his child for its nourishment They're graceful creatures, and they are protected because of the height of their place of nesting He feeds its young with the prey that they secure from his high place And Job would have Again, in all these things, he sees here how God, yes, is sovereignly in control of all these things, and how he said that God does these things distinctly. This is the activity of God. But is God also caring for these creatures, providing for them all that they need? Again, this would have been instructed to Job. As Job now finds himself in that place of need, God will provide for him and meet his need for him as well. Let me end with a couple of points of application. When it comes to the sovereignty of God, the wisdom of God, and the kindness, the goodness of God. Are you living these doctrines out in your life practically? Having a hold of the doctrines of God are vital to the Christian life. However, equally important is that these doctrines have a hold on us. Calvin says this in his sermons on the book of Job, speaks here that the knowledge of God, he said, it is not a doctrine of the tongue, but of life. It is not apprehended by the understanding and memory alone, as other disciplines are. But it is received only when it possesses the whole soul. and finds a seat and resting place in the inmost affection of the heart Do these doctrines have a hold of you? Have you laid hold of these truths? Yes, but have these truths laid hold of you? You have many things that you face on a daily basis We face right now a country that is in great turmoil. We face a world in which there are numerous wars. We would even say, in quoting Jesus' words, there are wars and rumors of wars happening and taking place all over the world. Are you resting in the sovereignty of God in these things? Are you laying hold of Christ? Have those truths laid hold of you? Or when you hear these things, do your heart flutter to the point where you are incapacitated because you are anxious about what is taking place in the world? May these truths lay hold of you. Live out your creed, brethren. It's not just that we know these things. It's that we live out these things as well. Secondly, do you trust God in His handling of the affairs of men? And specifically, in your own affairs? Do you trust God? Do you believe the promises of God? Horatious Bonar has said this, man's dislike at God's sovereignty arises from his suspicion of God's heart We are not always comfortable with the idea of being holy at the disposal of God Remember we said this last week When we can't trust his hand or trace his hand We must trust His heart. He's a good God. He's kind and gracious. And if He puts you through that afflicting time of your life, know that it's for your good. Know that He's not doing it capriciously to punish you or to do something that's not for your good. It is for your good, brothers and sisters in Christ. Jerry Bridges in his book, Trusting God, says, no plan of God's can be thwarted. When he acts, no one can reverse it. No one can hold back his hand or bring him to account for his actions. God does as he pleases, only as he pleases, and works out every event to bring about the accomplishment of his will. Such a bare, unqualified statement of the sovereignty of God would terrify us if that were all we knew about God. But God is not only sovereign, he is perfect in love and infinite in wisdom. Alexander Carson said this, God's sovereignty is always to his people in wisdom and love. This is the difference between sovereignty in God and sovereignty in man. We dread the sovereignty of man because we have no security of its being exercised in mercy and even justice. We rejoice, though, in the sovereignty of God because we are sure it is always exercised for the good of its people." Finally, we must see that if God cares for the beast, He will care for us. Jesus said to his disciples, look at the birds of the air. They do not sow nor reap nor gather into barns. And yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? Jesus argues here from the excellency of humanity over the creature. Man is greater than the beast. He's higher than the beast. He is loved more intimately and graciously and kindly by God than the beast. And surely he will meet our every need according to his glory. And we can trust him. Amen? Let us pray. Father, we thank you for this time. Father, help us to trust you in your sovereignty, but Lord, also in your wisdom and kindness to us. That as we go through trials, may we rest in you. As we see your hand at work, even in creation, Lord, and providing for it, and meeting our every need, Lord, and meeting the needs of your creation, Lord, may we be reminded that you will also meet our needs. Wherever they are, God, you will meet them. According to your glory, Lord, for the glory of your name. We may not always have what we want, and at times, Lord, we may not even have all that we need, but we do have all that we need that we may glorify you. And in this, we rest and take comfort and rejoice in you, our God. And it's in the name of Christ we pray, and for his sake, amen.