“Behold now behemoth [large beast], which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox.... His bones are like bars of iron.” Job 40:1515Behold now behemoth, which I made with thee; he eateth grass as an ox. (Job 40:15).18.
There is no relationship between the water buffalo of Asia, India and Africa and the animals we often call buffalo in the United States and Canada. (Their correct name is bison.)
Wild water buffalo which make their homes in grassy jungles, swamps and marshes are huge animals, much like the large beast described in the opening Bible verse. Fully grown water buffalo measure up to six feet high at their shoulders and weigh more than a ton. Because of their fierce natures, loud roars and great strength, only a well-armed hunter would want to get near them.
But the ones in which we are interested have, over many years, been tamed — becoming somewhat smaller in the process — and are as gentle as a cow, at least with people they know and serve. They seldom kick or attack people or other animals, do not roar loudly and are more useful and friendly than most bulls on North American farms. It is not uncommon to see youngsters or grown persons riding or even sleeping on the bare back of a water buffalo, with only a rope or strap needed to guide them.
As a working animal, milk producer, source of meat and even as a human companion, this ungainly animal is one of the most important domestic animals in the world. Their owners consider them a source of power, wealth and pride. In fact, so valuable has this bulky beast with its droopy neck and massive horns become, that its reputation is spreading to more and more parts of the world where people welcome them to replace hand and machine labor.
To say the least, they are a happy answer for many farmers who cannot afford a tractor or other machinery, as they do work no other animal could match. Sure-footed, their broad hoofs are well suited for moving through deep mud, and they have become in many areas the principal means of plowing and preparing rice paddies which are covered with several inches of water and muddy soil below. Besides plowing, water buffalo transport heavy loads on sleds or carts and do a variety of other jobs on farms where their slow speed is plenty good enough.
Do you think animals of this kind are watched over by their Creator? Yes indeed. There is not one part of God’s wonderful creation, large or small, that is not under His watchful care, as this Bible verse assures us: “Thou, even Thou, art Lord alone; Thou hast made... the earth, and all things that are therein... and Thou preservest them all.” Nehemiah 9:66Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee. (Nehemiah 9:6).
Let us never forget another verse that tells us: “For His eyes are upon the ways of man, and He seeth all his goings.” Job 34:2121For his eyes are upon the ways of man, and he seeth all his goings. (Job 34:21). Does that make you uneasy or does it make you glad?
(to be continued)
ML-12/31/1989