“Have you given the horse strength?” (Job 39:19).
The world is a classroom that teaches us about God. Through His creation, His eternal qualities, divine nature, and glorious attributes shine forth, dim but true. We can learn a great deal about the power, wisdom, and goodness of God by considering the various aspects of creation: the motion of the constellations, the strength and fearlessness of the horse, and the wisdom and beauty of the eagle. “These and many such instances of natural power and sagacity in the inferior creatures, which we cannot account for, oblige us to confess our own weakness and ignorance and to give glory to God as the fountain of all being, power, wisdom, and perfection,” Matthew Henry wrote.
God describes the power of the horse and the majesty of the eagle to humble Job in his own weakness and to exalt Himself as the author and sustainer of life. Man cannot give a horse its strength, causing it to thunder into war without fear. Man cannot give it the courage it needs to gallop into the clash of arms as the war horses did in the day of Job. Only God endows the animal with such characteristics. Just as He deprives the ostrich of wisdom in caring for its young, so God gives the horse its strength and courage, courage that inspires man and terrifies him as he stands before the fierce temper of the majestic beast.
Just as the horse reflects God’s strength, the wise and splendid eagle reflects the glory of God in its magnificent display. “Does the hawk fly by your wisdom, and spread its wings toward the south? Does the eagle mount up at your command and make its nest on high?” The beauty and intricate complexities of nature, from the expanses of the universe to the mysteries of the atom, should humble us. This does not mean that man is less than the creatures that roam the earth or fly above the mountain peaks, but it does mean that we are far less than the One who created them. We did not make the hawk and the eagle; God did, and His glory is reflected in them. May each of us as we consider the glories of creation turn our thoughts to God and give Him the praise and honor He is due as the Creator and Sustainer of everything that crawls upon the ground, swims in the waters, and flies through the air.
Make a brief list of various animals. Name one or two characteristics or habits of each that give glory to God. What about man reflects the glory of God? Summarize what the creation reveals about God. Spend some time today praising God for His wisdom, power, beauty, and majesty as the Creator of all things.
