Job 25 Devotional
by Pastor David Groendyk

This is the last time that one of Job’s friends tries to counsel him. Bildad speaks for the third time but is cut off before he can really get going, and you can see why when you read this chapter. Again, the question is posed, “How can man be in the right before God?” Eliphaz asked this question twice in his accusations against Job (4:17; 15:14), and Job himself meditated on it in one of his responses (9:2). How can man be in the right before God when he just a maggot and a worm? Job seemingly interrupts Bildad because he’s so sick of hearing this accusation again and again. If you look ahead to the first few verses of the next chapter, Job is fed up with his three friends. With all of their great talk about true righteousness consisting of helping the helpless and needy, the widows and orphans, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar sure haven’t done anything to help this helpless man! They’ve done nothing but pound him further into the dirt. Neither have they once, over the course of eight speeches, considered that their theology may be amiss. They lack theological understanding, pastoral sensitivity, and loving humility. They’ve placed themselves on God’s side, believing they’ve taken the correct opinion, and they refuse to see it any other way. Frankly, Job’s three friends have none of the humility that they’re demanding Job ought to have. How can we gain the kind of humility that’s missing from these speeches? When was the last time you were willing to admit that you were wrong?

As per usual, if you lift Bildad’s speech out of the context of Job, it actually does teach us important truths. Humility is so utterly necessary for Christians and all humans to have because of the great contrast between God and man. Bildad describes the chasm between God and man rightly. God is the great ruler who causes people to run in dread and terror of him, he has limitless heavenly armies at his beck and call, his kingdom and rule consist of all people everywhere and the entire universe. And what is man that he should notice us? As blazingly bright as the sun, moon, and stars are to our eyes, they are but a tiny flickering match compared to God’s glory. We are literally dirt compared to him (see Gen. 2:7). It’s literally an infinite gap between God and us. How can we be in the right before him? Bildad asks the question, but he doesn’t answer it. God himself must do it. We do not bridge the infinite gap with enough good works and prayers and church attendance. God himself has earned the infinite righteousness we need and paid the infinite debt we owe. God justifies us through the work of Jesus Christ on our behalf. And, as the apostle Paul says, “Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:1; see Job 25:1). We should feel small compared to God, but we should never feel despondent or hopeless or even insignificant. God has loved you so much that he’s bridged the gap, he’s crowned you with glory and honor (Psa. 8:5), you’re precious in sight (Isa. 43:4), and he’ll exalt you in the last day (Rev. 3:21).