Leviathan Legend

A Leviathan is told of in Job 41 for your light reading pleasure. Can you tell his chief characteristics and ways?

Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down?

2 Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?

Here we see that the Leviathan is a creature which cannot be caught or tamed by any man using any of the usual methods. He's smart enough to avoid them and also cunning. Four ways of catching one are listed which usually work for most lesser creatures. You can try with a hook as you would catch a fish if you wish or even let down a noose to try to draw it up. Let's say you went diving and happened to meet one in the waters. It seems you cannot put a fishing hook or the hook of harpoon or spear through his nose. Even catching and tagging with thorns and other irritants through the jaw do not work on them either.

3 Will he make many supplications unto thee? will he speak soft words unto thee?

4 Will he make a covenant with thee? wilt thou take him for a servant for ever?

5 Wilt thou play with him as with a bird? or wilt thou bind him for thy maidens?

Let's say you have by chance caught a Leviathan. What will you do now? Has he in fact caught you while you thought you were catching him? Notice here how the Leviathan says 'please, please, please' after the manner of entreating someone softly. He's more subtle than the snake in the garden of Eden is he not. You're going to get curious aren't you and go somewhere you shouldn't and do something you ought not in the hopes of catching one. Then you'll think the Leviathan has befriended you by all these pleadings, pleasings, flattering speech, and promises to keep. Let's say you have by chance got it to make a deal with you like Rumplestiltskin from the tale of beauty in love with a beast. You think you can just take him home like that to serve you because it's pleasing or come back every day to play. Perchance you might could even wrap it with cords of treachery and deceit for all the maidens to enjoy.

6 Shall the companions make a banquet of him? shall they part him among the merchants?

7 Canst thou fill his skin with barbed irons? or his head with fish spears?

8 Lay thine hand upon him, remember the battle, do no more.

Let's just say, by some strange chance it happens. You've caught one now, but what happens then. Sure, you could take it home to put cut it up and put it in a tasty dish. Go ahead, call all your friends if you like since you have got that far. Let's say you cut him up and take him to the market and give some to this one and to that to sell. Notice how massive the Leviathan is, how much room it takes. The more you cut and cut the more is there to eat and eat. Perhaps you shouldn't have done that at all it seems. Let's say you leave him there where he lay and come back with some other men to do battle. Come on, let's fight the monster since there is enough of this one to be found. Notice though, you'll get close enough to touch and remember the fight. Then whether it's all over with for you or not is anyone's guess.

9 Behold, the hope of him is in vain: shall not one be cast down even at the sight of him?

10 None is so fierce that dare stir him up: who then is able to stand before me?

11 Who hath prevented me, that I should repay him? whatsoever is under the whole heaven is mine.

It appears whoever has any hope of catching, taking, and destroying leviathan is working in vain. Should someone even come to try or yet to meet him, they would be cast down. This state of affairs is enough to make one sad indeed. Especially considering one such as Leviathan who seems to be quite the creature if I can tell just from looking at him. Imagine coming then with ill-news and all sorts of other devices to stir one up. Even if I were to get quite warlike indeed, and come in with a company, I still would not be able to stand before such a one as this. You'll see why in just a little bit.

12 I will not conceal his parts, nor his power, nor his comely proportion.

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

14 Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about.

Look at it now, for it has come up out of the water and out of hiding for us to have a closer look. It's got a double bridle as though a horse ready and waiting for its' rider. Only, if it has that I would imagine that you haven't put it there. It seems someone else that has knowledge of a thing or two about owning these has. It's so strange to see such a one laid bare in power and description yet so clothed that you cannot see a thing. So, it seems that the only One who can describe him is his maker which is God. Behold, when you approach him, his face appears to be like doors. If any yet should try to open them, save perhaps himself, they'd find some terrible dentition. This either means he has teeth set ready and waiting to gobble you up much like a shark or else he sees a really bad dentist. For a creature that big, God only knows.

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

16 One is so near to another, that no air can come between them.

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

Look now how he wears scales as one would armor, stuck and sealed together. Only, the skin is not like a snake at all, is it. This skin lets no air in nor anything else out. In fact, it's made to be resistant to all attempts at cutting, hacking, and the like. Nor can it be shed as does a snake or pierced in any place as does a dragon. Basically, this means he has excellent, unpierceable armor that lets none in and keeps all others out. This is wonderful in terms of full-surface protection.

18 By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning.

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

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

It's very hard to have eyelids like the morning. In fact, I'm not even sure what that means, do you? Lucifer was once called the son of the morning, so perhaps it's a reference to that. It seems that there's neesings and a light. Now I might not know what neesings are and I'm pretty sure neither do you. Still, there's light on this creature, everywhere you look. If you looked in the mouth, there's a lamp or two or three to be seen and even to light up your way. When he breathes, it's like seeing a crackling fire on a cold winter night with sparks flying out. Then again, if you're not a friend it would be almost like seeing judgment approaching burning up everything in its' path. How very like a dragon, except it's not quite the same I don't think. Then too, the breath, it burns everywhere, including out of the nose. The dragons of old used to spit fire or so I've been told. Not that I've ever met one in person, but I didn't think it quite included blowing smoke from the nose.

21 His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth.

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

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

It seems this creature is very handy to have round the house. Just think if you had a fire on a nice chill night and wanted to get warm. You could just turn to this creature and say, 'honey, blow on that please.' At the same time, if you are a coal yourself or look something like its' dinner, you just might find yourself charred, incinerated, and evaporated just as the dragons of old. Still though, there's something in the way he holds himself that invites a second look. There's strength found in the neck meaning he is not just without restraint, bent on his own way. There is purpose in the movements and indeed he makes all glad because of it.

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

25 When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves.

26 The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon.

Notice the condition of his heart as firm as the stones and harder still than the millstone which should be hung about the neck of one who causes offense and a stumbling and they themselves cast into the sea. I find for such a lovely creature, it seems strange his heart should be thus. Yet when he goes to get up, he makes the mighty peoples far and near fear. As he gets up to move you can hear the sound of things breaking beneath his weight. These mighty then start to get a little bit closer to God as they see this creature start moving around. I can see them now tossing out all the things that would offend the Lord. Some though that like their works get mad when they start to fall. So, they come at him with a sword, spear, dart, and habergeon. Yet it is funny this creature is not hurt by any of these things that typically bring down a creature. How unlike them he is.

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

28 The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble.

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

Look now at the deep things bubbling up and the sea made to be healing rather than death or something more bitter. I wonder why though there are sharp stones under such a one as this. There are also sharp pointed things in the mire to hopefully keep some from their death. Something this big and a servant like this shouldn't have much in the way to annoy. Look how the path glows too he has just trod. Let's say he came from the deep to spread through the earth. Even the deep has grown the hair of the old. Look now as he treads on the works of man even down to the castle gates and the bars of the city which can't keep him out. When they go to pelt him with arrows for destroying their work, he merely makes a smoke of their slingstones and darts and burns them all up. The spear too won't cause him to fear but rather laugh for he knows who he is, where he is going, whose he is, and whose these people are. There is much in him then to make men afraid I see. Should he wish, he could even make the iron and the brass his bed after he has trod it awhile and finally lay down as though in a nice nest.

30 Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire.

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

32 He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary.

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

34 He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride.

Look at him now, he who has no fear. Perhaps because he is made this way, he fears not. Perhaps some other people fear him also because they are not. Though this creature is very tall, he is yet able to see things put up high in other places that many of us cannot. Perhaps when they come to gather say all the lions of a pride together, he is there as their king. Which this is rather funny and so is that, for the leviathan say might not be a creature of pride himself I don't think. It's just that he has a rather unique height advantage. What do you think?