Yearly Archive: 2009

Storming through Job 27 wasn't easy. It actually required be re-reading a couple of times. There was so much to listen to in the words of Job.

Then, something started to nag at my brain. It was almost as thought I wanted to accuse Job of stealing words from someone in more recent history. Then it occurred to me, that the words from recent history had to be taken from Job. Yet the two voices at one point sounded like one.[more]

The words ringing in my head were Job saying in verses 3 and 4 "As long as I am alive and God gives me breath, I will not speak unfairly or unjustly, or complain about what has happened to me – I know what the rules of life are. I wont even try to speak behind His back about how wrong you or I think he might be." (Joe's translation).

What came to my mind were the words of Luther. No, not Lex Luther of Batman fame, but Martin Luther of the Reformation. Okay, so some of you need to go back and read history and find out who Martin was. This is not a reference to Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther, after posting his Theses on the door of the church, and being brought to trial said "…my conscience is captive to the word of God. To go against conscience is neither right nor safe. I cannot and I will not recant. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me." He too was being told that his reasoning might be "off", and he should consider other options. But he, like Job stood firm. Luther said "Unless I am convinced by Scripture and by plain reason…" his position was not going to change.

Job knew that the God in whom he trusted was not going to deviate. He knew that if he followed the way of the righteous, God would not desert him. Job's cry in chapter 27 is "I know what will happen to wicked people, but I haven't done any of that, so quit trying to get me to yell at God and blame Him for all this!"

We can be as sure as Job and Luther. John says (I John 1:9) that if we tell God we have sinned, He will be faithful to His word and forgive us and make us clean. Amazing that He will keep His promises, even when we don't. Thankfully, He is not like us humans.

After Bildad's short closing statement, Job's response sounded like someone who just got rejected by an old friend – you know, the cold shoulder.

In chapter 26, Job begins by saying his friend was no help. He even questioned that Bildad did nothing to give anyone any hope. Job says "it's as though you talk like somebody who doesn't know what they are talking about." Then after chastising Bildad for having nothing to say, he sarcastically says "thanks for lots of nothing.(v 3)"

The response to Bildad is topped off with "who did you think you were talking to, and who do you think you were speaking for?" Just by the way the words were spoken, you could feel the cutting edge of Job's words as he brought Bildad up with the truth. I wonder if Bildad went away with his "tail between his legs?"[more]

Even with so little encouragement from his friends, Job sang/spoke out about how great is the God he worships and serves. Note the present tense – God is not someone he used to serve and worship. Take note that Job has never stopped what he did before calamity struck!

As Job speaks, he leaves little to the imagination of those who are listening. He makes it plain that the God he serves is great! He talks about the one who had the power to hang the earth on nothing, and how He (God) "inscribed a circle on the surface of the waters." Then, as if those things were not great enough, Job caps it by saying "these are the fringes of His ways;". Now really, if those were on the outside of his powers, or did not take much power to accomplish, what then would the inside be. How much more wonderful and powerful!

Job has set a path – a standard. Wonder how his friends feel now? Stuff like this makes me wonder how much power do I ascribe to the God I worship and serve? It brings to mind the words of a song "Our God is an awesome God. He reigns from heaven above. With wisdom power and love. Our God is an awesome God."

In what has to be one of the shortest chapters in the Bible, Bildad lets loose with his final argument. Was not really much of an argument, but he did score a couple of points.

He made it clear that he recognizes the mighty power of God. The words he uses are "Dominion and awe." Two things strike home very quickly – He is incharge of everything, everywhere, and there is no one like Him.

You know the feeling when you are in the presence of someone great.

Say you are a golfer, [more]and Tiger Woods ask if he can play with you. Or you are shooting some hoops and Michael asks if he can jump in. Or you are whacking some balls across the net and Venus asks if she can play. In either case, you would wonder why someone like that would want to play this game with you?

Out of Bildad's mouth came the words "awe belongs to Him." In other words, you have to "give it to Him." There never has, nor will be anyone like Him. We have to look at all He has done, and simply say how great He is.

However, Bildad wasn't done – he had to throw in some definitions, like the size of His army and the fact that He is everywhere.

The words with which he ends though are often misinterpreted. When he calls man a maggot and a worm many think that is actually what he means. But when you look at the beginnings of his statement here in chapter 25, the reference to man is his insignificance size-wise to that awesome God. Surely he could have picked better words, like "louse" or "mosquito", but he chose maggot and worm.

His word choice then was to draw out that image based on how people might view those creatures in relation to themself. Then, even as now it makes us think about the comparison between a righteous, mighty God and ourselves. He has the power to crush us – snuff out our lives, but He loves us and longs to have us with Him. God created us in His image – certainly He is no "worm", so therefore neither are we. (Logic 101!)

We need not fear Him, but simply come to Him in faith. Let's face it, if Bildad was the closing argument in court for the Prosecution or Defense, he didn't score any points. If anything, he left the case wide open with Job ready to step in.