As I was reading Job 39, I began to feel that there was more here than first met the eye. The animals that God discusses with Job, and the mysteries God was revealing about them, seemed to have more meaning than a surface reading would suggest. As I looked at the key words of the chapter in Hebrew, I was touched at the profound revelation that God was giving Job. The Hebrew here depicts a detailed picture of the Gospel of the Messiah. I cannot give a word by word breakdown in this limited space, but will give a summary of each section from what I was able to discover, and was able to understand.
Verses 1-4 deals with wild goats and hinds:
From eternity, the Prince who is ascended on high, travails to birth. The mighty Ram of the Tabernacle, the Ram of sacrifice, who is the doorpost and lintels of the Tabernacle, was wounded, grieved, and anguished. The Son stretched out, pierced, shredded, in pain, pangs and sorrow. The Son restores and increases in number the chosen, purified, shining selected and leads them out, brings them out, to the storehouse. They are risen, escaped, delivered.
Verses 5-8 deals with the wild ass:
There are two different words used for "wild ass" in verse 5 as the term is repeated. One, pere, is associated with the freeing of slaves, opening of prisons, breaking the yoke, throwing open the grave.
The second word used for "wild ass" in this section is arode, which indicates the exact opposite, or opposing force: the oppressor, Sheol, prison, dungeon, whose permanent dwelling is the salted, barren, a dissipated grave. He scorns and mocks the great number of people who live in the walled and protected cities (because they are not safe from him), and disregards those in authority. The heights are his feeding and resting place, and he searches out to consume all life.
Verses 9-12 discusses the unicorn (KJV):
Though He is high, and lifted up, He willingly consents to be a servant. He dwells forever in a manger. He is bound by interwoven, braided foliage. He levels and smooths the most unsearchable, profound depths. Trust and take refuge in His great power. He is the Captain of tens of thousands. Loose Him to see the result of His labor. Trust Him to restore, deliver and recover the seed, and to gather and harvest it into the smooth place, or barn.
Verses 13-18, the Peacock/Ostrich:
A piercing, exulting, rejoicing cry of overcoming, with covering wings that soar, the Holy One who loves the saints. The King in fine, white bright linen of kingly apparel, was in the earth. Those who should have loved Him with a maternal love, instead treated Him roughly, severely. The Ram of sacrifice removed wisdom and understanding from them. Eternally, they mocked, whipped, lashed Him, rebelled, derided, scorned and made sport of the One who would have carried them in joyful flight.
Verses 19-25, the Horse:
Consecrated and appointed, leaping with joy in the strength of the mighty deeds of God. Victorious, valiant champion and warrior who prevails. He roars at adversaries who bring distress and siege. He is not moved back by the swarm, but breathes, His breath (ruach), is majesty, honor, beauty and splendor. He searches the deepest places, rejoicing in strength as He brings out and delivers, even as He encounters the weapons of battle. He laughs at, and does not withdraw from the Destroyer, the waste, and the desolation. He swallows up Sheol, with great rage and commotion, not caring about the alarm cries of the enemy. He breathes understanding and knowledge from long ago, and from a great distance, that He will prevail, overcome, devour the roars of the princes, powers and lords.
Verses 26-30, the Hawk/Eagle:
Soaring, shining with understanding, spread out at the right hand, at the right side, lifted up, preparing a chamber. to remain forever in the stronghold of defense and provision.
Digging a great pit to devour, to burn up. Seeing from a great distance and time. To remove, break forth, swallow up and utterly cut off the polluted, profane, and defiled. Where they are, He is also (they cannot escape from Him).
At the end of God's discourse with Job, which includes chapters 38-41, Job is stunned and confesses to God:
"I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee." Job 42:5
Job was given an incredible depiction of the great power of the Gospel of the Savior, Jesus Christ, the redemptive, victorious, just, powerful Son, Who desired to be a servant to His Father.
Our Father takes joy in revealing His Son.
"High Praise"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeORL0ZThWA
I found myself in a place this morning, spiritually speaking, that I hadn't expected. I didn't stay there long, because it was a lot to think about. The starting point was in the following verses:
"And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient (arkeo-to be possessed of unfailing strength, to defend, to lift up from the ground, to rise up, elevate, to ward off, to carry what has been raised up) for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." Therefore, I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure (good pleasure, willingly prefer, choose rather, be well pleased with) in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Cor. 12:7-10
I never really gave this the thought it deserved, nor did I really understand it.
As Paul also did initially, I spend a great deal of time involved in trying to remove the "thorn", even the comparatively small thorn, that brings me discomfort. My knee-jerk reaction was that the thorn must be removed. Common natural wisdom says that if you get a thorn, you take it out. I had not considered the fact that it is that very thorn that causes the grace of God to flow. Paul says that even though the thorn's origin was Satan, it was an essential part of a work of grace in his life. The thorn actually helped to defend Paul against a greater enemy that would have destroyed him- the pride of revelation. It makes sense since Paul concludes by saying that he takes pleasure in, and gladly chooses the thorn, because of what it provides and brings to him. From what greater evil is God using the thorn in my life to save and preserve me? Does my victory lie in this understanding?
How difficult it is to believe this in our lives, yet Paul insists that this is the case:
"Likewise the Spirit (also called the Spirit of grace, see Heb. 10:29) also helps in our weaknesses...Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good (useful, good, pleasant, agreeable, joyful, happy, excellent, distinguished, upright, honorable) for those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son..." Rom. 8:26-29
Even those things that originate from evil, meant to limit, harass, and weaken us, are worked for our good, even for our blessing and advantage.
I began to think of Moses. God commanded him to return to Egypt, and demand from Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves go to serve God. Moses had a thorn, as Paul might describe it. Moses was afflicted in speech (Ex. 4:10). Because of this affliction, he told God that he was not eloquent (dabar), and asked God to find someone else to send even after God assured him, "I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall say." (v. 12). If Moses had not been so afflicted, God would not have been "with his mouth".
Perhaps this affliction in speech, this thorn, actually helped to preserve Moses as he was raised in the very household of Pharaoh. The households of kings are dangerous, treacherous places, full of the schemes of men. Could this thorn have kept Moses, a child of the despised and feared Hebrew slaves, safely overlooked, even right in front of Pharaoh's face?
There is an example from history that very much mirrors this possibility. The Roman emperor Caligula died without a son, and conspiring men took advantage of that opportunity to grab power. They began to kill what was left of the imperial family of Caesar (those whom Caligula hadn't already done away with), so they could seize the power of the throne. They came upon a last living royal family member who was cowering in hiding. He was the uncle of the dead emperor. They were about to kill him also when one of the conspirators stopped them by saying that this uncle was "a harmless idiot", whom they could use as a puppet emperor. These conspirators would be able to become the real rulers of Rome using this man. They thought this uncle of the deceased emperor was mentally impaired because he had a severe stammer, and had palsied movements in his limbs. So this "idiot" was spared- the only family left of the emperor, and he became the emperor Claudius. The murderous conspirators soon found out that Claudius was neither harmless, nor an idiot, nor anyone's puppet. The thorns of speech and physical afflictions hampered Claudius all his life, but it was because of these very things that he survived both the reign of the mad Caligula, and the conspirators that followed, and went on to rule all of the Roman empire.
We may not understand how these thorns, these messengers of Satan, actually lead to the work of Grace in our lives, but our end is better than our beginning because of them.
As I thought about this, I began to wonder, if another work of thorns, but of a far deeper nature, the crown of thorns, and the nails through Christ's hands and feet, were also then a work of grace. Jesus certainly could not be "lifted up from the ground, elevated" (the sufficiency of grace) without them. It is also these very thorn and nail piercings that move us to bow our heads in pity and repentance. Because of those thorns, which Christ willingly chose to bear, grace flowed from Him to me. It is by those thorn and nail piercings that all the world identifies Him, and will identify Him:
"...They pierced My hands and My feet;" Ps. 22:16
"...Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." Jn. 20:25
"...then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son..." Zech. 12:10
"...and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen." Rev. 1:7
Those thorns and piercings are the very identification of Christ as Grace (Jn. 1:16-17). Thorns and piercings must then also identify me as a receiver of Grace. Is it possible that the thorns that hamper me may not just keep me from a greater harm, as they did Paul, but actually cause grace to flow to others, besides myself? If so, then I think I might actually be able to rejoice in those thorns, as Paul reveals, rather than despise or avoid them.
The Hebrew word that means "thorn" in scripture is khoa akh, חוֹחַ .
The Hebrew letters used are cheth, vaw, and cheth again. Cheth, as a pictograph, is a tent wall that separates, and protects. It divides the inner chamber from the outer chambers. Vaw, is a tent peg or a nail that joins together and makes secure. Even the fact that the two cheths are positioned at either end of the three-lettered word, gives the impression of being walled in. These walls limit, which we don't always like, but they also separate and protect. The kho akh thorn, therefore, acts as a separating wall, keeping me from going where I am not supposed to go, and keeping out what is not supposed to come near me, securely joining me together with Christ, and His Grace.
I could just begin to get a small glimpse of why Paul would say that he would willingly choose, and take good pleasure in the thorn in his flesh. What I am also seeing is that I underestimate the power of God. I don't understand His sovereign power, and enfolding love over ALL things concerning me. I don't really trust Him to make ALL things work together for good. This is a big failing on my part. It is almost too easy to admit that as I consider my short, slightly annoying thorns, but what about the people who are suffering with long, painful thorns? I hope this glimpse will help them also.
Our Father's grace begins with a thorn.
"Crown of Thorns"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JG0ZpiRRhQ
