In chapter 25 Bildad hammers on the table. The shortest man in the Bible (Bildad the Shoe-Height) gives us the shortest chapter in Job. Adam Clarke writes, “This is the last attack on Job…” Concerning this brief address from Bildad:
Job is undoubtedly relieved it is such a short sermon – chapter 25 is only 6 verses long.
This is the last we hear from the three comforters.
Verse 6 is appalling in its implication.
25:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, 2 “Dominion and awe belong to Him Who establishes peace in His heights. 3 "Is there any number to His troops? And upon whom does His light not rise?"
Francis I Anderson states, “The discussion is nearly exhausted, the comforters have run out of fuel.” Bildad’s philosophy seems to be, “When you don’t have anything to say, say something!” Job’s argument in the preceding chapter was (in a nutshell), “Why do many of those who either hate God or totally disregard His laws seem to suffer no consequences when they oppress the poor, the widows and the orphans?” Job’s line of reasoning is totally ignored by Bildad – he seems to just cover his ears at the undeniable point Job had made and responded with a bluster, “Well, God is sovereign….and you’re ____________________” (We will wait till verse six to fill in this blank).
“Dominion and awe belong to Him…” Translation: So why are you, Job, even bothering to query God? You are far too powerless and puny to question God’s sovereignty. Even in God’s heavenly court no one would dare challenge the rule of God. So it is not wise of you to stir up Heaven and make such a commotion.”
The Comforters came to Uz in chapter two simply to be with their friend during such a tragic hour. They were to be commended for their desire to comfort their friend. But frustrated that Job wouldn’t yield to their “Job you must have sinned so you need to repent” solution, they left their original mission of mercy and their dialogue became increasingly sharp and cruel. It culminates with these disgusting verses of Bildad.
Throughout the dialogue from chapter 4 through chapter 25, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar refused to concede that their theology might be deficient in the mercy department and that their belief system needed a “There Are Some Things We Can’t Figure Out” chapter.
Barnes writes, “At this stage of the controversy, since they had nothing to reply to what Job had alleged, it would have been honorable in them to have acknowledged that they were in error, and to have yielded the palm of victory to him. But it requires extraordinary candor and humility to do that; and rather than do it, most people would prefer to say something—though it has nothing to do with the case in hand.”
25: 4 "How then can a man be just with God? Or how can he be clean who is born of woman?"
How do you get from verse 3 to verse 4? How do you get from “God’s angel armies are without number” to “How can a man have a proper relationship with God?” Adam Clarke writes, “This speech of Bildad is both confused and inconclusive. His reasoning is absurd, and he draws false conclusions from his premises.”
Trapp paraphrases Bildad’s thought in verse 4, “How can frivolous man, sorry man, morbis mortique obnoxius, man subject to diseases and death; how can such a man, so mortal and miserable, a mass of mortalities, a map of miseries, a very mixture and compound of dirt and sin, be justified with God?”
Bildad seems to be saying, “Job, you mass of mortalities, you map of miseries, you mixture and compound of dirt and sin…can never win a court battle with God. You can never be ‘justified’ in the heavenly courtroom.” Throughout the dialogue Job has never claimed an inherent sinlessness as his basis for approaching God. It was simply his dogged persistence to have his relationship restored with Him that has led him to pursue this course of tenacious and daring faith in God.
25:5 “If even the moon has no brightness and the stars are not pure in His sight, 6 how much less man, that maggot, and the son of man, that worm!"
Perhaps at this point Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar are arguing with Job at night under the crystal clear Arabian sky. It would be a breathtaking sight – four men at the city dump, waging theological warfare under the canopy of an innumerable number of stars. (I guess actually there would be five men…Elihu hasn’t been introduced to us yet).
Job is sick, a hospice-deathbed kind of sick. He is emaciated; his blackened and scab encrusted skin is flaking off. Insect larvae make their homes in many of his unbandaged sores. And he is too weak even to stand.
Bildad sees the sickly shell of this man named Job and comes to the ultimate conclusion that it would be as disgusting to have God meet Job out at the ash heap as it would be to present El-Shaddai with a platter of maggots. It is astonishing how different Bildad’s view of Job’s character is from God’s -- he has never looked into his heart. I Samuel 16:7 reminds us, “But the LORD said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.’’
There are two words in verse 6 that are degradingly expressive – maggot and worm. The first word (maggot) alludes to man’s corruption. Calling someone “a maggot” (either directly or indirectly [as Bildad is here]) is slang for a low and wretched person. The second word (worm) refers to a crawling worm and implies that man is weak and groveling.
To paraphrase: Job, you are a walking dunghill, a disgusting mass of maggots.
It seems inconceivable, but these are Bildad’s last words of “encouragement” to Job, “How much less man that maggot and the son of man that worm.”
Bildad truly is “Despicable He.”
Adam Clarke writes in summary chapter 25, “Thus ends Bildad the Shuhite, who endeavored to speak on a subject which he did not understand; and, having got on bad ground, was soon confounded in his own mind, spoke incoherently, argued inconclusively, and came abruptly and suddenly to an end. Thus, his three friends being confounded, Job was left to pursue his own way; they trouble him no more; and he proceeds in triumph to the end of the thirty-first chapter.”
The three Comforters obstinately hold fast to their theology of “retribution” and have failed to bring even a moment of respite to Job’s misery. Against such a backdrop of abandonment discouragement, Job’s story of faith shines even brighter.
Until we get a little further toward the end, these chapters of Job can get a little depressing. But it’s good to frequently remind ourselves of the endgame and the outcome of God’s dealings with us.
Maybe you are struggling through a dark period in your life. And maybe it seems that lately the people that have tried to encourage you have the middle name of “Bildad.” Below is James 5:11 from 6 different versions of the Bible. Perhaps they will bring some faith and encouragement to your situation. I particularly like how Eugene Price in The Message translates this verse.
Hang in there…and never give up!
The Bible in Basic English: We say that those men who have gone through pain are happy: you have the story of Job and the troubles through which he went and have seen that the Lord was full of pity and mercy in the end.
The Amplified Version: You know how we call those blessed (happy) who were steadfast
The English Standard Version: Behold, we consider those blessed who remained steadfast. You have heard of the steadfastness of Job, and you have seen the purpose of the Lord, how the Lord is compassionate and merciful.
The Message: What a gift life is to those who stay the course! You’ve heard, of course, of Job’s staying power, and you know how God brought it all together for him at the end. That’s because God cares, cares right down to the last detail.
The New Living Translation: We give great honor to those who endure under suffering. For instance, you know about Job, a man of great endurance. You can see how the Lord was kind to him at the end, for the Lord is full of tenderness and mercy.
Philips Version: Remember that it is those who have patiently endured to whom we accord the word "blessed". You have heard of Job’s patient endurance and how the Lord dealt with him in the end, and therefore you have seen that the Lord is merciful and full of understanding pity.
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