What can we learn about God's sovereignty from Job 39:16's depiction of nature? Setting the scene Job, stripped of health, wealth, and family, has demanded answers. In chapter 39, God turns Job’s gaze to the animals. Verse 16 sits in a portrait of the ostrich, a bird whose odd parenting habits defy our expectations: “She treats her young harshly, as if they were not her own; she is unconcerned that her labor was in vain.” (Job 39:16) What we see in the ostrich • A mother seemingly indifferent to her chicks • Eggs laid on bare sand, vulnerable to a passer-by’s foot (vv. 14–15) • Lack of “wisdom” or “understanding” by human standards (v. 17) • Nonetheless, a creature able to outrun a horse when she spreads her wings (v. 18) God’s sovereignty on display 1. God governs instincts • The ostrich acts exactly as He ordained (v. 17). • Psalm 104:24 – “All things You have made; the earth is full of Your creatures.” Even the oddities arise from His design. 2. God assigns gifts unequally • “God did not endow her with wisdom” (v. 17) yet gave phenomenal speed (v. 18). • 1 Corinthians 12:11 parallels this truth in spiritual gifts: the Spirit “apportions to each one as He wills.” 3. God sustains what He designs • Despite risky nesting, ostriches thrive. Matthew 10:29 reminds us that not even a sparrow falls apart from the Father’s will. 4. God’s purposes transcend our logic • What feels wasteful or cruel to us fits perfectly in His plan. Isaiah 55:8-9—His thoughts soar higher than ours. 5. God humbles human pride • Job, famed for wisdom, cannot explain the ostrich. The scene echoes Romans 11:33: “How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!” Living the truth • Trust: If God rules over an apparently careless bird, He sovereignly rules the complicated details of your life. • Rest: Unequal gifts and puzzling circumstances flow from perfect wisdom. • Worship: Creation’s quirks call for awe, not accusation—“Bless the LORD, O my soul!” (Psalm 104:1). |
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