“Who dares open… his mouth…” Job 41:22a
/The style of God’s dialogue changed in the last two thirds of the chapter. Up to this point, God had directed factual, observable descriptions of Creation to Job (read chapters 38 – 40). A noticeable change occurred in language style from factual to metaphorical in chapter fourty-one. It was a smooth transition, though, beginning with speaking of the crocodile’s strong limbs which, in God’s eyes, moved gracefully (is God describing a horse or a reptile? Perhaps the crocodile’s physiology changed over time? See v.12).
God had three last questions for Job to consider:
“Who can strip off his outer coat?” (v.13a);
“Who would approach him with a bridle?” (v.13b); and
“Who dares open the doors of his mouth, ringed about with his fearsome teeth?” (v.14).
Have you ever seen a crocodile rodeo? What a sight that would be!! No-one would dare ride on such a tough outer coat as that of a rip-snortin’ croc! It would be much different than riding bareback on a horse. The croc’s outer hide would have to be cut away to be saddled… that would be a hard enough challenge for even Crocodile Dundee, much less any man who had never had any interaction with the monster. I saw a movie once where Tarzan wrestled with a crocodile in an African river and barely came out alive (but that’s Hollywood).
Once the short-legged reptile had been saddled, then someone would have to be crazy enough to get a bridle in the leviathan’s mouth. God’s question was an excellent one: what human being would dare open the mouth of a crocodile on purpose? God pointed out the obvious when He spoke of the reptile’s fearsome teeth. Perhaps the only teeth as fearsome would be those seen in a live open-mouthed shark. I have no desire to find out.
Perhaps, God’s question was a bit tongue-in-cheek? “Who dares open the doors of his mouth?” Could there have been a hidden double meaning behind the query? It was Job’s mouth that got him into the drama playing before his eyes. Job just could not remain silent. In a small way, all of us know how Job felt: justified to speak up about being ill-treated; seeking self-vindication for being tossed-out into the garbage-heap of downsizing; beckoning the ear of those who could sympathize with him over the trauma and loss he experienced.
Does God sometimes see our teeth as jagged and ready to snap at him or any of His children? Are we like the crocodile who is untamable? Or would we find that when He has remade our hearts, we become gentle, kind, longsuffering, and soft-spoken?
Learn from God’s description of the crocodile… be ‘tame-able’ for His purposes.
Have a blessed day…