Job Chapter 25
Verses
Bildad made his third speech (the last speech for the three friends), and restated the same theory.
That God was majestic and exalted (verses
Bildad’s short reply may indicate that the arguments of Job’s friends have been exhausted.
The essence of Bildad’s speech is this: Since the mighty “moon” and “stars” (verse 5), are not pure in God’s sight, how much less can Job, a “worm” like all men (verse 6), hope to escape unscathed.
While this is true, Job never claimed that he was without sin; he claimed only that his current suffering was not incurred because of sin.
This final recorded speech of the friends of Job (Bildad’s), is brief and brutal:
Yahweh has all power, but a man is as valueless as a “worm” in His presence!
Job 25:1 "Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,"
Not to what Job had just now delivered, in order to disprove that, that men guilty of the grossest crimes, often go unpunished in this life, and prosper and succeed, and die in peace and quietness, as other men.
Either because he was convinced of the truth of what he had said, or else because he thought he was an obstinate man and that it was best to let him alone and say no more to him, since there was no likelihood of working any conviction on him.
Wherefore he only tries to possess his mind of the greatness and majesty of God, in order to deter him from applying to God in a judicial way, and expecting redress and relief from him.
"And said":
As follows.
Job 25:2 "Dominion and fear [are] with him, he maketh peace in his high places."
He is absolute in sovereignty and terrible in power, so that even in His high places, and among His celestial hosts, He maintains peace and harmony.
This answer from Job's friend Bildad, was not answering what Job had said in the last chapter.
He was bringing up the greatness of God, which is undeniable, and also bringing up the worthlessness of man.
God is the absolute Almighty of the universe.
God set the world into motion and created all living things.
Since they are His creation, they are controlled entirely by God.
The only time there will be real peace on the earth is when the King of Peace (Jesus Christ), reigns here as King of kings and Lord of lords.
Job 25:3 "Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?"
Of his angels, and stars, and other creatures, all which are his hosts, wholly submitting themselves to his will, to be and to do whatever he pleases.
And therefore, how insolent and unreasonable a thing it is to quarrel with him or resist his will!
"Upon whom doth not his light arise?"
The light of the sun is communicated to all parts of the world.
This is a faint resemblance of the cognizance and care which God takes of the whole creation.
All are under the light of his knowledge: all partake of the light of his goodness: his pleasure is to show mercy.
All the creatures live upon his bounty.
We know from specific Scriptures that there are chariots of God.
There are thousands of angels who bear arms for God.
One of the earliest mentions of the angels being armed was when God stationed armed guards at the gate of Eden to keep Adam and Eve from going back into the garden.
Every living being is the answer to, "upon whom doth not his light arise?"
Verses
Bildad’s dark view of humanity has caught the fancy of some Bible teachers even in this day and age.
Nevertheless, the value of man to God is seen in the atonement.
Job 25:4 "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean [that is] born of a woman?"
See (Job
Instead of meeting the facts to which Job had appealed, all that Bildad could now do was to repeat what had been said before.
It shows that he felt himself unable to dispose of the argument, and yet that he was not willing to confess that he was vanquished.
"Or how can he be clean":
This sentiment had been expressed by Job himself (Job 14:4).
Perhaps Bildad meant now to adopt it as undoubted truth, and to throw it back upon Job as worthy of his special attention.
It has no bearing on the arguments which Job had advanced, and is utterly irrelevant except as Bildad supposed that the course of argument maintained by Job implied that he supposed himself to be pure.
The Light of God that is within all who dare to believe is the Light of God.
The flesh of man is born in sin.
The flesh is in constant warfare against the spirit.
The flesh of man wants to sin.
It is the spirit of man which reconciles with God.
To be justified means just as if I had never sinned.
The only way a person can be justified is for the penalty for his sin to be paid.
Jesus Christ paid the penalty of death for the sins of the world.
Job looked forward to that very event, when he said his Redeemer liveth.
Job 25:5 "Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight."
The moon, though a bright and glorious creature (Job 31:26; Song of Solomon 6:10), if compared with the splendor of the Divine majesty, is but as a dark and earthy lump, without any luster or glory.
He names the moon and the stars rather than the sun, because they many times are eclipsed or disappear even to our eyes, which is a plain evidence of their utter obscurity in respect of God’s light.
Whereas the sun, though that also can be obscure if compared with God, yet it casts a constant and most clear light.
Or by naming the moon, and thence proceeding to the stars, the sun is included between them.
"The stars are not pure in his sight":
He can discern many spots and blemishes in them which we cannot see.
And in like manner he can discover those corruptions or sins in us which are unknown to our own conscience.
Which should make thee, O Job, tremble to appear before his tribunal.
The moon and the stars are no more than containers for light.
They are not creative Light.
Jesus Christ is the source of all Light.
The moon is a reflector of an existing light.
Job 25:6 "How much less man, [that is] a worm? and the son of man, [which is] a worm?"
(Compare Psalm 22:6).
How much less can man be pure in God's sight?
An undoubted truth, or rather, perhaps, a truism.
But not to the point, for Job has never really maintained that he is without sin (see
He has only maintained that his sins have not been of such a character as to account for his sufferings.
Bildad forgot that man was made in the image of God.
Compared to God, he might be thought of as a worm.
Bildad said that Job was of no greater value to God than the lowly worm. Job really had never said that he was free of sin.
He was forgiven.
Job Chapter 25 Questions
1.Who spoke in the first and second verse, here?
2.What two things was Bildad saying in this chapter?
3.When is the only time there will be real peace on the earth?
4.How many chariots do many Scriptures say God has?
5.When is the first specific mention of armed guards of God on the earth?
6.Every __________ _________is the answer to "upon whom doth not his light shine?"
7.What is the Light within the believers?
8.It is the _________ of man that is born in sin.
9.What does "justified" mean?
10.What are the moon and the stars?
11.Who is the source of all Light?
12.What did he call man in verse 6?
13.What had Bildad forgotten?