Remember the Battle
Can you fill his skin with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? Lay your hands on him; remember the battle—you will not do it again!
Job 41:7–8
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Remember the Battle
History is full of accounts of bravery in which an outnumbered or outgunned underdog was able to overcome a much more formidable foe. The American Revolution comes to mind. There are also other battles in which things played out as expected, the outnumbered group was overrun and destroyed, yet their refusal to back down against the odds spurred their allies to victory later on. The Alamo is one such battle. The thing is that we remember these accounts because they are out of the ordinary. It was not supposed to happen that way but it did. Those fights in which everything went as planned are often not as memorable, especially for the losing side. This is what God is telling Job here. That if he were to engage the leviathan he would lose and there would not be a second chance at redemption for he would be utterly destroyed. And as fierce an opponent that the leviathan was, he was nothing compared to God. God created him and could easily destroy him. For with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). And in Christ Jesus, we need never fear the Tempter’s power. The victory is already won. The devil was defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus. And that victory belongs to us in through Him. His Word and Sacraments assure us of this victory. And when we remember our Baptism, we remember the battle fought and won for us on the cross.
Job 41:7–8
+
Remember the Battle
History is full of accounts of bravery in which an outnumbered or outgunned underdog was able to overcome a much more formidable foe. The American Revolution comes to mind. There are also other battles in which things played out as expected, the outnumbered group was overrun and destroyed, yet their refusal to back down against the odds spurred their allies to victory later on. The Alamo is one such battle. The thing is that we remember these accounts because they are out of the ordinary. It was not supposed to happen that way but it did. Those fights in which everything went as planned are often not as memorable, especially for the losing side. This is what God is telling Job here. That if he were to engage the leviathan he would lose and there would not be a second chance at redemption for he would be utterly destroyed. And as fierce an opponent that the leviathan was, he was nothing compared to God. God created him and could easily destroy him. For with God, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). And in Christ Jesus, we need never fear the Tempter’s power. The victory is already won. The devil was defeated by the death and resurrection of Jesus. And that victory belongs to us in through Him. His Word and Sacraments assure us of this victory. And when we remember our Baptism, we remember the battle fought and won for us on the cross.
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