Main Highlights
God continues to demonstrate His power and wisdom by highlighting His providential care for the animal kingdom, illustrating the complexity and intentionality of His creation.
Key Verses
Do you know when the mountain goats give birth? Do you observe the calving of the deer? Can you number the months that they fulfill, or do you know the time when they give birth?"— Job 39:1-2"Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, to whom I have given the desert as his home and the salt land as his dwelling place?"— Job 39:5-6"Is it by your understanding that the hawk soars and spreads his wings toward the south? Is it at your command that the eagle mounts up and makes his nest on high?"— Job 39:26-27
Related Scripture
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God."— Luke 12:6
Scholar Insight
"Chapter 39 is a detailed survey of the ways that God provides for the animals of the wild. As such, it is an extended lesson in the goodness and power of God in providing for the needs of his creatures." - David Atkinson, The Message of Job (The Bible Speaks Today)"
Theological Analysis
What we learn about God
God is a caring provider, attentive to the needs of all creatures.
Christological Connection
Implicitly, as the One through whom all things were created and are sustained (Colossians 1:17).
Systematic Theology
Divine Providence: God's active and ongoing involvement in sustaining and governing creation.
Law & Grace
The emphasis is on God's providential care, not on law. Grace is seen in His meticulous provision for even the smallest details of the natural world.
Personal Application
Recognize God's hand in creation and trust in His provision for our needs, even in times of difficulty. We must realize that God knows the numbers of the days ordained for us.