What is the meaning of Job 39:11? Can you rely on his great strength? God draws Job’s attention to the untamable wild ox (sometimes called the aurochs), an animal known for power yet impossible for humans to harness. By asking whether Job can “rely on his great strength,” the Lord exposes human limits in contrast to His own mastery over creation. • The wild ox’s raw force is legendary in Scripture—“Save me from the horns of the wild oxen” (Psalm 22:21) and “His horns are the horns of a wild ox” (Deuteronomy 33:17). • Even watching an ox cavort in the mountains (“He makes them skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild ox,” Psalm 29:6) reminds us that brawn alone cannot be coerced into service by human effort. • The implied answer is “No, Job, you cannot rely on that strength,” highlighting that real, dependable power belongs to the Creator alone (Isaiah 40:26). • Practical takeaway: our confidence must rest in the Lord’s might, not in any earthly force—echoed centuries later when Paul declares, “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10). Will you leave your hard work to him? The second question digs deeper: even if Job could admire the ox’s muscle, would he dare entrust his livelihood—plowing, planting, harvesting—to such an untamed creature? • Proverbs 14:4 observes, “Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean, but abundant harvest comes through the strength of the ox.” A domesticated ox blesses a farmer; a wild one ruins the field. • Isaiah 28:24–26 notes that the farmer plows “continually”; he cannot afford unpredictable help. Likewise, Job cannot “leave” his labor to a beast that refuses yokes or commands. • The Lord is subtly reminding Job that even his daily bread depends on divine order (Psalm 104:27–28). Humans may sow and water, but “God causes the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:7). • The message: if Job cannot delegate chores to an animal, how can he presume to counsel the Almighty on running the universe (Job 38:2)? Trust belongs not in creatures but in the Creator (Proverbs 3:5–6). summary Job 39:11 uses the illustration of the wild ox to underscore our limitations and God’s unmatched sovereignty. Job cannot rely on the beast’s strength or consign his toil to it; likewise, we cannot lean on any earthly power for ultimate security. Only the Lord’s strength is reliable, and only His governance of our “hard work” turns effort into harvest. Recognizing this frees us to worship, depend, and rest in the One whose dominion never fails. |
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