“…tip over the water jars…” Job 38:37b
/The next few questions directed to Job revealed the dichotomy within God’s creation and in Job’s current circumstances:
“Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?” (v.36)
“Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?” (v.37a)
“Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens when the dust becomes hard and the clods of earth stick together?” (vv. 37b – 38)
“Do you hunt the prey for the lioness and satisfy the hunger of the lions when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in the thicket?” (vv. 39 – 40)
“Who provides food for the raven when its young cry-out to God and wander about for lack of food?” (v.41)
Understanding and wisdom are both bi-products of walking with God, they do not come naturally. The only natural tendency of man is that of sin… inherited through the lineage of humanity. It must have been painfully obvious to Job’s friends the lack of their own wisdom and understanding by their accusing Job of some hidden sin.
In the desert, clouds are fairly easy to count… until the monsoon storms come. The wise thing to do would be to count the clouds leading up to the storm. Once the seasonal rains arrive, the clouds become one continuous water-laden blanket of grey. Yes, in the desert, when it comes to water, it’s feast or famine.
The desert ground is such a fine powder, and is easily roused from its sleep by animals or the winds driving the clouds. It really is a marvelous thing to watch the awakened dust being lifted up into the sky, and becoming potentially dangerous as a sky-darkening dust storm. The hardened ground beneath the dust easily soaks-in the welcomed rain which flows through the paths of least resistance – forming balls of mud as the water rolls downhill. Those balls become clay clods that stick together and make great shooting targets.
The King of Beasts, with all his power and ferocity, is actually a guarantee for the pride’s protection and continuance of the species. It is the lioness that does the “mother-load” of the work. She literally brings home the bacon… which feeds the lion and cubs. The lioness joins her sisters, lying in wait for the next meal to arrive – that way they have the advantage of a surprise attack. To roam freely gives their prey too much advance notice to seek escape. It seems rather odd that such a fierce creature would sulk in hiding, in wait for the opportune moment to strike.
A mother raven incubates her nestle of eggs for about three weeks. A freshly hatched raven will leave its nest within five to seven weeks. Both parents tend to the young, and as the time nears for the young to leave the nest, the parents leave for increasingly longer periods. Though it may appear the young are left defenseless, those longer periods of separation help prepare the young to venture out of the nest. It was all part of God’s plan.
Ravens are some of the smartest birds in the world and are very adaptable – with insects, vegetation and meat as their diet. They often follow wolves or coyotes to scavenge off of their kills. The younger ravens often arrive to a food source in groups to be less enticing to their own predators. The young raven wandering about introduces the bird to the reality of personal responsibility – kill or be killed. The free ticket is over.
Life in the wild can seem quite harsh and is full of opposing forces. There seems to be sort of ‘see – saw’ to life… easily observable to the watchful eye, providing excellent lessons at a teachable moment. It was the teachable moment to which God was bringing his beloved servant Job. All these questions were but a prelude to God’s ultimate confrontation with Job.
As you experience life, and face desperate times in the desert chapters of your life, call-out to God, Who is able to tip over the water jars of Heaven and meet your need through His abundant supply. Have you ever experienced it? He is faithful. Trust Him.
Have a blessed day…