Understanding God (8 of a series)

On another topic, on impulse here is a bit more to consider. I've made the point that God is often subtle in demonstrating his all-knowing. I also have worked in other posts to help people to understand that God's will, his concept of "days," and evolution are mutually supportive, and not exclusionary. Think about this little passage spoken by God to Job, about one of my favorite animals, the hippopotamus.

Job 40: 15-19

See, besides you I made Behemoth, [the hippopotamus]
that feeds on grass like an ox.
Behold the strength of his loins,
and his vigor in the sinews of his belly.
He carries his tail like a cedar;
the sinews of his thighs are like cables.
His bones are like tubes of bronze;
his frame is like iron rods.

He came at the beginning of God's ways,
and was made the taskmaster of his fellows;

Notice the line that I have placed in italics and bold type: "He came at the beginning of God's ways." Now think about this. This passage is from a long discourse by God to Job about the greatness of God's power, with examples given of common animals who were created by God. But notice that God, in describing the first animal of two animals mentioned (the second is the crocodile) makes a point of mentioning that the hippopotamus "came at the beginning of God's ways." In other words, the hippopotamus was early in God's creation.

God works these touches of authenticity into many of his discourses, not because he is being poetic or mysterious, but because the truth is always present whenever God gives his perspective to humans. So even when God's focus is on describing the marvelous attributes of the hippo, which only God could create, it is natural that God mentions that the hippo came into being "at the beginning of God's ways." In other words, God is putting Job a bit in his place by telling him that the hippos were around before humans. If you read all of Chapters 38-40 you'll know better what I mean, since the point of God's discourse is to itemize the all-knowing of God by listing many examples of animals and their ways, that only God knows the "why" of in addition to the where and the what. As one reads chapters 38, 39 and then 40, it is easy to get lulled into just the poetic nature of God's discourse. But then, there it is, Job 40:19, "He came at the beginning of God's ways, and was made the taskmaster of his fellows."

Let's look at the Wikipedia entry for the hippopotamus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippopatamus

snip

Despite their physical resemblance to pigs and other terrestrial even-toed ungulates, their closest living relatives are cetaceans (whales, porpoise, etc.). The common ancestor of whales and hippos split from other even-toed ungulates around 60 million years ago. The earliest known hippopotamus fossils, belonging to the genus Kenyapotamus in Africa, date to around 16 million years ago.

Do you see how science confirms what God says, even when what he says is very subtle and off handed? There are two important points. One is that the common ancestor of whales and hippos lived around 60 million years ago, which is certainly way before ancestral man. Thus science affirms that the ancestor of the whale lived indeed "in the beginning of God's ways" (relative to man, to whom God is speaking). So God is making the point that hippos were around millions of years before humankind, and indeed, the fossil record shows full hippo genus present around sixteen million years ago.

And is it not interesting that God first makes the point that hippos came at the beginning (compared to man, to whom he is speaking and putting somewhat in his place) and then immediately follows with calling the hippo the "taskmaster?" Yes, part of that is referring to their assertive and overpowering behavior but taskmaster implies putting someone to work. Again, think of how the hippo shares ancestry with the whales and dolphins, of all animals! Whales and dolphins that swim, while the hippo lives in water but breathes air and has such strong body and legs with most definite limbs, unlike the whales. When God is speaking to Job in this one sentence, God is holding the image in front of him of the hippo's ancestry and origin in the will and way of God's creation. God envisions the hippo in his strength of body, the priority of his age of creation over humans, and his emergence as a taskmaster, having split from the whales who cruise the seas and surely are anything but taskmasters.

If you watch and are alert, and have cheerful and positively oriented attitude, when you read the Bible you can catch such references and gain greater faith together with science in support. Also, when you encounter something like this one particular line, it breaks any unconscious feeling of being lulled into thinking you are just reading analogy of what some holy people think God would say, putting poetic words in his mouth, and with a jolt you remember and better appreciate in those examples that it is indeed actually God who is really speaking, and not the poetic or mythological output of humans.

I thought you might enjoy this example and I hope that you did.