Why does God mention the ostrich in Job 39:13? Key Passage “The wings of the ostrich flap joyfully, but cannot match the pinions and feathers of the stork. She leaves her eggs on the ground and lets them warm in the sand. She forgets that a foot may crush them or a wild animal may trample them. She treats her young harshly, as if they were not her own, with no concern that her labor was in vain. For God has deprived her of wisdom; He has not endowed her with understanding. Yet when she proudly spreads her wings, she laughs at the horse and its rider.” (Job 39:13-18) Historical and Geographic Setting Ostriches roamed the Near-Eastern deserts from Egypt through Arabia into Mesopotamia until the nineteenth century. Tombs at Qantir (Ramesses II’s delta capital) and Qatna (MB II-B Syria) yield engraved ostrich-egg vessels, placing the bird in Job’s cultural memory and affirming the narrative’s rootedness in real fauna. Natural History and Intelligent Design Markers • Largest living bird: up to 150 kg yet capable of 70 km/h sprints—an aerodynamically optimized bipedal frame. • Two-toed foot with shock-absorbing tendons delivering the highest stride efficiency measured in terrestrial vertebrates (Creation Research Society Quarterly 57:2). • Eggshell microstructure demonstrates engineering precision: pores regulate gas exchange in arid sand incubation. Such integrated systems fit the design-information model far better than gradualism; no intermediate fossils document a transition from flighted to cursorial Struthioniformes, matching the expectation of created “kinds” (Genesis 1:21). Why God Mentions the Ostrich 1. Paradox as Pedagogy The ostrich embodies a puzzling blend of seemingly foolish parenting and spectacular power. By presenting this paradox, God reminds Job that human appraisal of “wisdom” is superficial. Only the Creator sees the tapestry’s underside where every thread has purpose (cf. Isaiah 55:8-9). 2. Distribution of Gifts Verse 17 states bluntly that God “has deprived her of wisdom,” yet verse 18 shows an unmatched athletic supremacy. Abilities, limitations, and circumstances are divinely allocated—an ancient lesson echoed in Paul’s body analogy (1 Corinthians 12:4-11). Job must recognize that his own suffering does not signal divine neglect but a different divine allotment. 3. Sovereign Freedom The ostrich is not a utility animal; it eludes domestication, laughs at the horse, and stands outside man’s economy. God is free to create for His delight and glory, not merely for human consumption. This silences anthropocentric complaints. 4. Humbling Human Reason Job, whose case against heaven hinges on moral calculus, is confronted with an animal that breaks common-sense categories. The lesson: if Job cannot fathom a bird, how will he litigate the moral order of the cosmos (Job 40:2)? Theological Themes Drawn from the Ostrich Portrait • Providence: God governs even the sand-warmed eggs no human eye sees. • Justice and Mercy: Lack of “wisdom” is not punitive; it is simply different. God’s character is multifaceted, not monolithic. • Joy in Creation: The ostrich “flaps joyfully.” Scripture sanctions delight as an intrinsic good rooted in God’s own joy (Zephaniah 3:17). Christological Glimmer The flightless bird that nevertheless “laughs at the horse and its rider” foreshadows the crucified yet risen Messiah who, despite apparent weakness, triumphs over the powers (Colossians 2:15). Job’s encounter anticipates the Redeemer he later longs for (Job 19:25). Practical Discipleship Applications • Trust God’s allotment of strengths and weaknesses. • Celebrate diversity within the Creator’s economy. • Relinquish the demand to understand every “why” behind providence. • Adopt the ostrich’s unselfconscious joy as an antidote to anxious striving (Matthew 6:26). Summary God spotlights the ostrich to humble Job, to display creative freedom, and to teach that perceived folly can coexist with magnificent design. The bird stands as an apologetic witness to intelligent craftsmanship, a historical anchor for the book’s setting, and a theological mirror inviting every reader to relinquish courtroom pretensions and entrust life, death, and resurrection hope to the sovereign Lord who alone “commands the morning” (Job 38:12) and, in Christ, commands the grave. |
    |