God asks 'Will the wild ox consent to serve you? Will he stay at your manger?' shifting focus to the wild ox and its refusal of domestication. The questions presuppose that the wild ox, unlike domesticated cattle, refuses to submit to human service. The mention of the manger (indicating agriculture and settled civilization) contrasts with the wild ox's freedom. Job cannot domesticate the wild ox; the ox will not consent to serve. The verse establishes that some creatures are created with natures that refuse human control. The implicit question for Job: just as the wild ox refuses human domestication, does Job refuse divine domestication? Or are the cases different due to differences in relative power?

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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