SUMMARY
Humans cannot survive if they attempt to resist cosmic evil on their own without God’s help.
ANALYSIS
In chapters 40 and 41, God talks about two different beasts, BehemothA behemoth is a large swamp monster. Such a beast, often identified as a hippopotamus, is part of the narrative in the book of Job where the Lord claims to have created both behemoth and Job himself. and LeviathanLeviathan is a biblical sea monster. Often mistakenly identified as a whale, this creature is perceived as larger and meaner than a whale. Leviathan is mentioned in Job, Psalms, and Isaiah as an example of enormity, who is eclipsed only by the enormity and power.... Their descriptions sound like a hippopotamus and a crocodile. As ugly and terrifying as these two animals can be, they serve here as symbols for the enormity of cosmic evil. The author takes two extremely frightening animals that are known and expands the picture to imagine a terrifying menace that exists in the world, against which mere mortals would quickly succumb.
This imagery is meant to convey the reality that there is evil in the world, that humans are helpless in confronting it on their own, and that only with God’s help can we prevail against such horror. It is, of course, a mysteryA mystery is something secret, hidden and not perceived by ordinary means. In the book of Daniel a significant mystery is revealed through divine revelation (Daniel 2); Paul speaks of a mystery of God in Romans 11 and again in Ephesians 3. In speaking of... why evil or Satan or the devil exists and continues to work harm in the world. In the end time, the dragon will finally be slain once and for all (see the end of the book of Revelation). In the meantime, we have help. As powerful as the forces of evil may be, God is more powerful. Though evil is still at work, it is certain that God will gain the final victory.
With regard to Job’s suffering, the presence of cosmic evil raises another important perspective. Job and his friends had been concentrating on whether or not Job is guilty and whether God is just. Perhaps there is a third party involved in causing pain and suffering. Maybe it has nothing to do with human sin or God’s justice, but is rather the work of an evil power that intends to hurt us.
