Psalm 74

When my first daughter was just four months old, some missionaries from our church who were living and working abroad lost their six-month-old child in a terrible accident. Though I had never met their son, the story touched me deeply. Perhaps it was because I had a four-month-old, and it was too easy to think about losing her. Maybe when the ages are similar, things hit a little closer to home. I still think about their story to this day; I can’t even imagine what it would be like to have to bury a child. I honestly hope I never have to find out.

I was just thinking of them this week as I used the example of their story in a sermon I was writing. And I think it was in contemplating their pain that these verses jumped out at me from today’s psalm: “God is my King from long ago; he brings salvation on the earth. It was you who split open the sea by your power; you broke the heads of the monster in the waters. It was you who crushed the heads of Leviathan and gave it as food to the creatures of the desert.” (vs 12-14)

You may remember Leviathan from our recent trip through the book of Job. Scholars aren’t completely sure what Leviathan refers to—if it was a now-extinct sea creature or if it was some sort of mythological creature. Either way, whether real or imagined, Leviathan was nothing short of a frightening beast.

One thing’s for sure: Bible writers referred to it as a symbol of overwhelming power before which no one can stand. In Job, God said of this beast, “If you lay a hand on it, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! Any hope of subduing it is false; the mere sight of it is overpowering.” (Job 41:8-9)

I don’t know that I’ve ever encountered an animal that was overpowering just to look at (and not sure I’d want to, either!). But I know that I’ve encountered suffering in this world that seems overpowering. Sometimes it is so hard to make sense of the awful things that happen in this place.

That’s why it’s so comforting to read a passage like the one in Psalm 74 and realize that though Leviathan may frighten us with overwhelming power, God is not overwhelmed by him. He takes monsters like Leviathan and crushes their heads like peanut shells. He takes the problems we face and turns them inside-out for blessing.

What Leviathan are you staring down today? Don’t be so overcome by your fear and anxiety that you forget the Mighty Dragon-Slayer we serve. Leviathan is no match for Him! He is God, our King of old. He brings salvation on the earth!