October 14, 2023
Please use the comment section on this page to share insights from today’s reading OR your own personal Bible reading.
Reading along with us in Job? Here’s today’s reading:
Job 25-26 (NIV)
Bildad
1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2“Dominion and awe belong to God;
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?…..Continue Reading
Short and sweet Bildad expressses without empathy that despite all of Job’s defense he still believes job must be a sinner.
Bildad asks a great question in verse 4:
“How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?”
It is a legitimate question! Look at our fallen, broken world. Pain, suffering, and tragedy abound. Look at our own lives! How often have I rebelled and turned away from God’s goodness? How can a human possibly become righteous and pure?
Praise God that we know the answer…Jesus tells us in John 3:5 “Truly, truly I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit, is spirit.”
The really amazing thing to me about the Holy Spirit is thinking about where the Third Person of the Godhead shows up in scripture. Matthew tells us that the angel told Joseph to “not be afraid to take Mary home a your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Matt 1:20) This means that the human life of Jesus was conceived or begotten by the Holy Spirit…the very same Spirit who raised Jesus bodily from the dead. That same Spirit who descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove and the same Spirit who led Jesus into the wilderness to be tested.
That very SAME Spirit (because God is the same, yesterday, today, and forevermore) dwells with us as believers in Christ. He is our seal, our guarantee, our Helper and Counselor. And what is more…Paul says that the same Spirit who began the human life of Jesus on this earth as an infant, and then raised our Lord from the dead in His final and ultimate victory over death and sin…that very same Spirit gives US life! “And if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives in you.”
That is INCREDIBLE!!
Yes it is!
Amen, Sean!
Just reading this in Ephesians today:
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
Bildad is right when he says who can stand before God or be justified. God is all powerful and none can stand before Him for man is but a worm. But I have to wonder if he would say the same thing about himself. For he comes before Job with a judgmental attitude always thinking that he knows the mind of God. Does he even look at his own sin? For he and the others have made up their minds that Job is guilty. This is the last statement of the three friends for they didn`t know what else to say. Until a younger man speaks up in chapter 32. Also without good wisdom. God bless us as we seek His wisdom and strength on a daily basis.
In Chapter 26 Job begins but yet another response to his friend’s version of “help”. Job seems to make a point at the beginning that his friends are more concerned about being right than they are about helping Job. Their words are lacking both love, empathy, and most important God and so Job finishes the chapter telling them all he understands about God and his power, might, grace, and all the things they are seeming to forget about in their concern for the being right.
14 “….And these are but the outer fringes of his works. How faint we hear the whisper of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
Says a lot about our own limitations and God’s lack of any.
In chapter 26 Job is mocking his friends for he is asking them how they have helped anyone that is without power or saved the arm that has no strength. Or counselled him that has no wisdom. And what spirit lead them. It is clear to Job just by their poor wisdom they haven`t done anything like these things. Their wisdom doesn`t come from God. Then Job goes on and talks about how great God is for He can do anything that He wants. God bless us all as we look to the one who knows everything and is all powerful.
Job 25 & 26
Job 25-26
Bildad finally says something that is useful in declaring the glory and grandeur of God. He is mighty and righteous and we are not, and so all praise to Him that He makes a way for us to be righteous and thereby be able to approach Him and be in His presence. Job reflects similar thoughts in chapter 26, but starts off, in light of what he said in 24, to ask if they have ever helped anyone who is vulnerable? And yet God has displayed His power and wonder in His creation. He is high above and at times it is hard to hear His voice especially when we are suffering as much as Job is. But we also have greater revelation of God than Job had, both in the Scriptures and in the life of Jesus. So we are far more equipped than Job is as we face the challenges of our lives and can speak more readily about God’s presence and provision for us.
Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
Our God is an awesome God. His power is great, and we are tapped into it through his Son, Jesus Christ. Because of this truth, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!