CHAPTER 41

(1520 B.C.)

THE LEVIATHAN

¹Can you draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which you let down? (This Chapter is, no doubt, one of the most misunderstood in the entirety of the Word of God. Many have ascertained the description as to refer to some type of huge animal; however, there are certain things said that make us understand that God was not speaking of some such creature, but rather this is a description given of Satan. He is portrayed as a great dragon who is the enemy of both God and man.)

²Can you put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? (The Lord is telling man here that, within himself, he cannot subdue Satan. The battle is not physical, mental, or financial; the battle is spiritual.)

³Will he make many supplications unto you? will he speak soft words unto you? (Satan plies the heart of man continually, seeking to deceive him and, thereby, to lead him astray. Deception is his greatest weapon. He uses soft words to carry it through to its successful conclusion.)

⁴Will he make a covenant with you? will you take him for a servant forever? (Satan strongly desires to make a covenant with man. He will promise riches, power, influence, fame, etc. Inasmuch as he is a liar and the father of it, he will make any covenant that man likes, knowing that he will not keep his side of the bargain.)

⁵Will you play with him as with a bird? or will you bind him for your maidens? (Unfortunately, untold millions attempt to do this very thing each day; however, they soon find out that Satan and sin are not playthings.)

⁶Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants? (How many hundreds of millions through the centuries have thought that they were man or woman enough to defeat Satan in their own strength? They found out the hard way that they couldnt!)

⁷Can you fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? (Satan does not respond to natural weapons.)

⁸Lay your hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. (In effect, the Lord is saying, When man attempts to do battle with Satan, he should remember that he has lost all these conflicts in the past. Consequently, he should desire to do no more in this capacity. The Lord Jesus Christ has defeated Satan; He did so at Calvarys Cross.)

⁹Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? (No one can bargain with Satan. Every effort is in vain. The one who attempts to do business with him will be cast down.)

¹⁰None is so fierce who dare stir him up (the foolishness of one who dares to think he can beat the game of sin will meet with none other than the fierceness of Satan): who then is able to stand before Me? (The Lord is referring in this last phrase to Himself. Man cannot defeat Satan, but God can and, in effect, has, by the death, burial, and Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, which atoned for all sin, thereby completely defeating the Evil One.)

¹¹Who has prevented Me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole Heaven is Mine (all things belong to God; one day, the Lord will make an end of Satan; the Bible tells us so [Rev. 20:13]).

¹²I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion (in effect, God created him, but not as a fallen angel, but rather the beautiful Angel, Lucifer, who in fact served God in righteous and holiness for an undetermined period of time [Ezek. 28:1119]).

¹³Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle?

¹⁴Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about (Satan is very successful at making that which is ugly seem beautiful; that which is wicked seem righteous; that which is evil seem not evil; but behind his face is terrible destruction).

¹⁵His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal.

¹⁶One is so near to another, that no air can come between them (the idea of all of this pertains to man being unable to oppose Satan, as he would other creatures).

¹⁷They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered.

¹⁸By his neesings (sneezings) a light does shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

¹⁹Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out.

²⁰Out of his nostrils goes smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron.

²¹His breath kindles coals, and a flame goes out of his mouth.

²²In his neck remains strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him.

²³The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved.

²⁴His heart is a firm as a stone; yes, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone.

²⁵When he raises up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves (Lucifer was probably the most powerful of all the Angels ever created by God).

²⁶The sword of him who lays at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon (no natural weapon will suffice against him).

²⁷He esteems iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood.

²⁸The arrow cannot make him flee: sling-stones are turned with him into stubble.

²⁹Darts are counted as stubble: he laughs at the shaking of a spear.

³⁰Sharp stones are under him: he spreads sharp pointed things upon the mire (Satan cannot be opposed as other creatures).

³¹He makes the deep to boil like a pot: he makes the sea like a pot of ointment.

³²He makes a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary (while the path shines, still, it is deception).

³³Upon Earth there is not his like, who is made without fear.

³⁴He beholds all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride. (Pride is the crowning sin that besets the human race; it is the foundation sin of all sin; it is the good side of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Behind every sin, one ultimately will find pride. It is that which God cannot abide. It is the sin that caused the downfall of Lucifer to begin with [Ezek. 28:17]. Pride is the sin that caused the Fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden [Gen. 3:57]. Pride is the sin that God hates more than any other sin, a proud look [Prov. 6:1617].)