Job 25
Bildad will be the last of the three friends to speak. Bildad‘s words are just trite sayings that bring no revelation to what has been occurring. One would think that Bildad, in his final comments, would bring revelation, but he has continued in the same story line. Bildad will not speak of anything specific, just inferences. At best, Bildad’s words are general comments on God and mankind.
Job 25:1-3
1Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, 2Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places. 3Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?
Bildad does not answer Job’s challenge from the previous chapter. Bildad completely sidesteps the issue by stating glowing words of God’s dominion.
Job never stated that God was not supreme nor did Job claim to be more righteous than God. That was never Job’s contention. Job, like many of us, wanted the suffering to end and he wanted understanding. The only way Job saw an end to his suffering was through death. Job had no intentions of taking his own life. For Job, he saw no end insight.
Job 25:4-6
4How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? 5Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. 6How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
Bildad may be answering Job’s contention in a general way. Bildad, like his friends, does not believe that Job is innocent. He, too, believes that Job is worthy of his present suffering, but he cannot point to a sin that Job has committed. Although Job’s friends have failed to provide a reasonable answer to Job’s condition, this may be Job’s downfall, in a sense. It is true that Job did not do anything warranting his suffering; however, there is a much different issue at hand. Job missed what was really occurring. Something many of us do in our daily lives without realizing it. This will be discussed later in the final chapters.
At this point in the book, no one can explain why this is happening to Job beyond unfounded accusations. Their assumption is always that Job must have committed some awful sin deserving of the calamities that have occurred. Job lost all his wealth and all his children in a very short time. This is more than any of us have ever endured. In all his pain and suffering, all have turned their backs on Job.
When traumatic events or calamities occur, often it is stated “It could always be worse, be thankful for what you have”. People state this as if this makes everything better. For Job things could not be worse. In Job’s case to even think this is to misunderstand what was occurring. Satan was give free reign in Job’s life. Job was considered to be the most upstanding individual of his time. Satan was going to do everything in his power to destroy Job and bring about as much confusion as he could. Life could not get much worse for Job, this is why death represented sweet rest to Job.
Even today, people like to think up sins that Job committed. It seems that many have a private interpretation. One must not forget the overall purpose of the book of Job and the multitude of items that are discussed. One must never forget what God has stated about Job. Job was not punished for a sin he committed, quite the opposite. He was chosen of God not for punishment, but as an example to learn from. Job was not driven by self-seeking motives. Job was driven to serve God whether in plenty or insufficiency. It was stated of Job in Job 1:22.
22In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
One should not fail to see that Job did something few of us did. He was not given to complaining and whining. God stated of Job when speaking to Eliphaz in Job 42:8B.
8Blest I deal with you after your folly, in that ye have not spoken of me the thing which is right, like my servant Job.
Job spoke rightly of God. The question we should all be asking is not what sin did Job commit, but what can we learn of God from Job’s wisdom.
We have come to the end of the comments from Job’s friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar’s. One might ask, if what these spoke was not correct, what value is there in studying their remarks? There is much to gain from their words concerning God and life. They are an indictment of Christianity through the ages. Their opinions and speeches are rampant today among believers, those who have fallen far from the truth, as Job’ friends. One should study them to ensure that they too are not guilty of the same heresies and attitudes. And if anything, I would hope that we would learn to have more compassion and love for the hurting and outcast.
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