Who has a claim against me that I must pay?
    Everything under heaven belongs to me.
Job 41:11 (NIV)

Wendy and I have a little library of children’s books that resides just past the entrance of our home in a corner of the living room. It’s there for grandchildren and wee friends who come over for a visit. Among some of our favorites, there are also a couple of picture books with an exhaustive number of different creatures, critters, and creepy-crawlers from the animal kingdom.

Milo quickly learned that Ya-Ya (Grandma Wendy) has this thing with sharks. She doesn’t like them. Sharks produce a fear in Wendy that she’ll admit is slightly irrational. She doesn’t even want to see pictures of them.

So, of course, Milo always wants to read the creatures book and make Ya-Ya look at sharks.

God’s final discourse to Job ends with two poems that are somewhat mysterious. Each describes a mighty creature. The first describes a Behemoth and the other a Leviathan. The words are transliterations of the original Hebrew words because the exact identification of the animal or creature being described has been lost. Thus, the mystery. Both the Behemoth and Leviathan are mentioned multiple times in other biblical texts.

Scholars over the years have suggested that Behemoth’s description as an amazingly strong, dangerous, semi-aquatic, herbivore might suggest it is a hippopotamus. Hippos are often mistaken as docile creatures. Hippo attacks account for the deaths of about 500 people each year.

Leviathan is a bit different story because while some scholars suggest that it could refer to a crocodile. If that is true, then the description is hyperbolic and exaggerated. It’s certainly possible that hyperbole was a literary device in the ancient Hebrew poem.

As I read the Leviathan poem in the quiet this morning, it appeared to me to describe your standard dragon. Other scholars agree and suggest that Leviathan is a variation on a mythological creature from ancient Canaan called Lôtan. Lôtan was a seven-headed dragon who mythologically symbolized almost invincible power that stands in opposition to God. This caught my eye as I read about it this morning because our local gathering of Jesus’ followers is studying the book of Revelation which describes an enormous red dragon with seven heads (Rev 12:3).

No matter what the mysterious Behemoth and Leviathan are, the point that God is making is perfectly clear. Each represents an untamed, dangerous creature that would immediately strike fear in Job. It’s kind of like young Milo showing Ya-Ya pictures of sharks. God is in essence saying, “If you’re afraid of confronting a Behemoth or a Leviathan, how much more afraid should you be of the Creator who made them? Isn’t the Creator far greater in power and danger than either of them?”

Which, in the quiet this morning, has me thinking once again about that which is holy. When Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him up on the mountain and they saw Him transfigured into blinding, glorious light before their eyes while the voice of God thundered. Matthew writes that the three disciples “fell facedown to the ground, terrified.”

I think about the three disciples who enjoyed an intimate, human relationship with Jesus. They laughed with Him, ate meals with Him, and told stories around the campfire at night. They enjoyed familiar friendship and companionship with Him. When they experienced His unveiled power and glory on the mountain, they got a dose of his holiness and they hit the ground face down.

God is reminding Job of His holiness, and it’s a good reminder for me. I have experienced a relationship with Jesus full of grace, love, and forgiveness. But I should always be mindful that Jesus love and grace does not diminish His holiness, and neither should I.

If you know anyone who might be encouraged by today’s post, please share.