20141120 Thursday, November 20 2014
Job 41: The Origin Of Moby Dick

by Wayne Blank
See also 1 Year Holy Bible Reading Plan

"And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind ... and God saw that it was good"

Whales and all other sea creatures were created by the LORD. "And God saw that it was good."

"1:21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:21 KJV)

Many humans have a self-inflicted defective habit of calling things and behavior, that the LORD declared are good, "evil" - and of calling things and behavior, that the LORD declared are evil, "good." The spirit of rebellion remains, for a little while longer, the way of sinful man (see Repent, For The Kingdom Of Heaven Is At Hand).

"Sea monsters" have been the subject of human fantasies for thousands of years (land "monsters" too; see The Dragons Of The Bible). Sometimes, never-happened legends were created from actual experiences with sea creatures that were twisted into fables of humans in their mythical "heroic struggle against nature" i.e. their wanton and irresponsible destruction of the LORD's Creation and the God-given "nature" of its creatures, despite the LORD's command for humans to be responsible caretakers of the animal world (see What Did The LORD Say About Animals?).

A famous example from the early 1800s: A whaling ship attacked a group of peaceful whales who were not attacking or threatening the ship in any way. They harpooned the largest whale among them, an 80 ton "monster" ("monster" simply means big). In their attempts to kill and haul in the whale, their ship was damaged by the otherwise peaceful creature as it was writhing in great pain from the harpoons that the humans had thrust deep into it. Although the humans were in fact the deadly aggressors, the incident was used as the basis for a story about a sinister killer whale - the famous fantasy Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

Interestingly, along with knowledge of the incident, Melville's writing of the novel was reportedly based on his "experience at sea, on his reading in whaling literature, and on literary inspirations such as Shakespeare and the Bible." The Bible?

The incident with Jonah and the whale is well-known, but that wasn't about whalers (see the Fact Finder question below).

There is however another reference to a fight with a great whale recorded in the Bible. It's found in the Book of Job where the LORD Himself actually described how harpooning a whale will cause the whale to fight to defend itself - according to the nature that the LORD gave to it: "41:7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? 41:8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more." (Job 41:7-8 KJV). Creatures that defend themselves when attacked aren't evil - they are doing what the LORD made them to do (see also Meet Your Maker).

The LORD used that lesson of a harpooned whale to portray what happens to those who attack Him: "None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?"

"41:1 Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? 41:2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn? 41:3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee? 41:4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever? 41:5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens? 41:6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants? 41:7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears? 41:8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more. 41:9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him? 41:10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me? 41:11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

41:12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion. 41:13 Who can discover the face of his garment? or who can come to him with his double bridle? 41:14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. 41:15 His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. 41:16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. 41:17 They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. 41:18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. 41:19 Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. 41:20 Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or caldron. 41:21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. 41:22 In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. 41:23 The flakes of his flesh are joined together: they are firm in themselves; they cannot be moved. 41:24 His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. 41:25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. 41:26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. 41:27 He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. 41:28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. 41:29 Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. 41:30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. 41:31 He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. 41:32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. 41:33 Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. 41:34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride." (Job 41:1-34 KJV)

Fact Finder: Why did Jonah have an experience with "a great fish"?
See Jonah: Three Days And Three Nights