Job 7:12

Am I the Sea, or the Dragon,

   That you place a guard about me?

(Witten 4/10, Posted 4/20)

I was not ready for a review of myth and mythological creatures. I read about the difference in one of my sources the other day. A myth is more or less something made up to explain the past. Mythology is using an aspect of the myth to create a literary example. Zeus is a myth. Using Zeus in a comic movie is mythology. So, while the intent of the author is to reference the mythological dragon, it is not the Bible repeating a myth in order to define dragons as real flying, fire breathing beings of the past.

Some sources actually used the name the regional people used to reference the sea god. I did not think that was necessary. Some used generic “a sea” to prevent negative outcomes. For “the Dragon” some sources used “the monster of the deep”, “a sea serpent”, “a whale”, “the Serpent”, or “the Sea Beast”. I am not sure why no one used the regional name for the Dragon since it is not a “god”, but it is clear the author did in his original. Its like someone reference Batman and Superman as the rich vigilante and the powerful alien. The translation may be accurate but missing the depth of meaning.

“Place” could have been “set”, “put”, or “post”. No real differentiation there to me. “About” could have been “over”, “under”, or “upon”, but “about” seemed more complete. “Guard” could have been “watch”, but “guard” carries more force of action.

The regional myth was that one god overcame the sea god to bring about the land and thereafter constantly watches the sea god to make sure it does not destroy the land. The author is using the myth for Job to reference the constant watch that God keeps over him. This creates a mythology but does not portend that these gods were real or had any power.

To some degree, I think Job is telling his watchers that they are not true believers in God, and that they participate in a pagan religion when incorporating these myths in to their life. Batman and Superman are totally made up and everyone knows it. These gods are totally made up, but not everyone knew it. God does not want us to have idols. I am not sure the Batman and Superman toys we played with as kids were ever idols, but I know that the power of myths and novels and comics can become hinderances for people trying to fil the hole in their hearts that God put there to seek Him. I have always loved the idea of God having a protective presence around me. I do think Job was aware God was protecting him before this “incident”, and I know he still wants Gods protection, but I appreciate the depth of meaning in the use of myth and mythology to allow his hearers to understand his point, and to teach us to use what we know of the world to impact others.