Job 25: Lessons About Jesus that Respond to Bildad's Accusations
Introduction: Here, Bildad made his final attack against Job. This was also the last time we ever hear from Job’s three wayward friends. In an effort to rebuke Job, Bildad made a number of true statements about mankind’s relationship with God. Many of Bildad’s statements about God are repeated throughout the Old and New Testaments. But God later expressly rejected his advice to Job (Job 42:7). God rejected his statements because they did not explain Job’s circumstances. More importantly, Bildad used true statements that were taken out of context as a weapon to attack Job. Many believers make similar mistakes when trying to prove that they are correct. Many use the truth as a weapon to hurt others. God’s Word should only be used in the right context. His Word must also only be spoken in love. In response to Bildad’s false claim that Job had no hope, the Bible reveals seven truths about Jesus. Jesus offers believers His: (1) deliverance, (2) protection, (3) guidance, (4) holiness, (5) mercy, (6) hope, and (7) love.
First, Bildad praised God for His omnipotence. But he misrepresented God as a distant Creator. You can instead praise Jesus because He uses His power as the Creator of the universe to deliver you. Second, Bildad praised God for His unrivaled power against any enemy. Yet, he misrepresented God as someone who used this power to crush Job as an alleged enemy. You can instead praise Jesus because He uses His power to protect you from your spiritual enemy. Third, Bildad praised God as all-knowing. But he misrepresented God to suggest that God used his omniscience to bring Job’s alleged sins into judgment. You can instead praise Jesus because He uses His omniscience to guide, protect, and help you. Fourth, Bildad warned that none can be righteous before God. Bildad made this statement to suggest that Job had no hope. Jesus answered this dilemma. Through His death on the cross, you can be righteous before God. You can also praise Him because He is holy and a guiding light to the lost. Fifth, Bildad then warned that none can be made pure before God. Bildad made this statement to also suggest that Job’s situation was hopeless. Jesus again provides the answer. You can praise Jesus for the mercy and forgiveness that He offers through His death on the cross. Sixth, Bildad argued that not even the stars and the moon could be pure before God. Thus, he argued that Job had no hope. Yet, with faith, Jesus gives hope and makes the impossible possible. Finally, Bildad concluded by arguing that mankind was no better than a maggot or worm in God’s eyes. Thus, he again argued that Job had no hope. Bildad was wrong. He failed to understand God’s love for mankind. You can praise God that He loves you. Out of love, He sent His only begotten son Jesus to die for you.
1. Deliverance: Praise Jesus Because He Uses His Power to Deliver You. Job 25:1-2.
Bildad praised God’s sovereignty and power. Bildad began his rebuke with the true statement and praise for God’s omnipotent power: “1 Then Bildad the Shuhite responded, 2 ‘Dominion and awe belong to Him who makes peace in His heights.”’ (Job 25:1-2). Bildad and Job made similar statements of praise for God. Yet, Bildad misconstrued God as being powerful but distant. He failed to see God as using His sovereignty and power out of love to deliver believers and to mold them for His greater glory (Ro. 8:28).
Bildad praised God’s power and implied that He had a good reason to punish Job1
Praise God for His omnipotence as the Creator of the universe. God created the entire universe (Gen. 1:1; Dt. 10:14; Neh. 9:6; Acts 4:24; Col. 1:16). Like Bildad, Job praised God as sovereign over everything in his life. Although Job questioned God, he conceded that he could not question the Creator of the universe: “5 It is God who removes the mountains, and they do not know how, when He overturns them in His anger. 6 It is He who shakes the earth from its place, and its pillars tremble; 7 who commands the sun not to shine, and puts a seal on the stars; 8 who alone stretches out the heavens, and tramples down the waves of the sea; 9 who makes the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, and the constellations of the south. 10 It is He who does great things, the unfathomable, and wondrous works without number. 11 If He were to pass by me, I would not see Him; were He to move past me, I would not perceive Him. 12 If He were to snatch away, who could restrain Him? Who could say to Him, ‘What are You doing?’” (Job 9:5-12). Like Bildad, Job failed to understand that God used His power out of love to share His creation with mankind. Are you praising God for His creation? Or, like Bildad and Job, do you see Him as distant and removed from your life?
Worship the faithful Creator of the universe who is sovereign over everything. The psalmist worshiped God as the creator of all life: “May you be blessed of the LORD, maker of heaven and earth.” (Ps. 115:15). “Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.” (Ps. 124:8). “May the LORD bless you from Zion, He who made heaven and earth.” (Ps. 134:3). Do you have the faith to know that that there is no problem that is too big or small in your life for God to deal with?
Praise Jesus for using His power to deliver you . Jesus uses His power over creation to deliver you when you turn to Him in faith: “Or has a god tried to go to take for himself a nation from within another nation by trials, by signs and wonders and by war and by a mighty hand and by an outstretched arm and by great terrors, as the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?” (Dt. 4:34). “Why was there no man when I came? When I called, why was there none to answer? Is My hand so short that it cannot ransom? Or have I no power to deliver? Behold, I dry up the sea with My rebuke, I make the rivers a wilderness; their fish stink for lack of water and die of thirst.” (Is. 50:2). Are you crying out to God to free you when you are in bondage or being attacked?
2. Protection: Praise Jesus Because He Uses His Power to Protect You. Job 25:3a.
Bildad praised God’s unrivaled might against any enemy. Bildad then praised God for His ability crush any enemy with His army of angels in heaven: ‘“3 Is there any number to His troops?” (Job 25:3a). God’s military might is unlimited. Satan is no rival to God’s power. But Bildad made this statement to tell Job that he had no hope because God allegedly viewed Job as His enemy. This was a mistake that Job also made. Both Bildad and Job failed to appreciate what Jesus does with His power. He does not seek to crush people with His unlimited power. Instead, He desires to protect His people.
God uses His power to put fear into your spiritual enemy. God promised that those who oppose Abraham’s descendants will be cursed (Gen. 12:3). He also promised to put fear into the Jews’ enemies when they walked with Him: “10 So all the peoples of the earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will be afraid of you.” (Dt. 28:10). “May those who are enemies of my soul be put to shame and consumed; may they be covered with disgrace and dishonor, who seek to injure me.” (Ps. 71:13). “My tongue also will tell of Your righteousness all day long; for they are put to shame, for they are humiliated who seek my harm.” (Ps. 71:24). “All my enemies will be put to shame and greatly horrified; they shall turn back, they will suddenly be put to shame.” (Ps. 6:10). “May those be ashamed and humiliated together who seek my life to destroy it; may those be turned back and dishonored who delight in my hurt.” (Ps. 40:14). “It will be to Me a name of joy, praise and glory before all the nations of the earth which will hear of all the good that I do for them, and they will fear and tremble because of all the good and all the peace that I make for it.” (Jer. 33:9; Is. 31:9). To show that His promises are true, God then put fear into the people of Edom, Moab, and Canaan when they opposed the Jews: “Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed; the leaders of Moab, trembling grips them; all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away. Terror and dread fall upon them; by the greatness of Your arm they are motionless as stone; until Your people pass over, O LORD, until the people pass over whom You have purchased.” (Ex. 15:15-16). God also put fear into the Jews’ enemies in Persia when they tried to kill all of the Jews under Haman’s evil edict: “And many among the peoples of the land became Jews, because the dread of the Jews had fallen on them.” (Esther 8:17b; 9:2).
Pray for Jesus to be your shield and to strengthen you when you are attacked. When you are attacked, Jesus promises to be your shield if you take refuge in Him: “He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.” (Prov. 30:5(b); 2 Sam. 22:31). When you are attacked or threatened, Jesus will also strengthen you if you pray for His help: “On the day I called, You answered me; You made me bold with strength in my soul.” (Ps. 138:3). “The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped; therefore my heart exults, and with my song I shall thank Him.” (Ps. 28:7). “But You, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the One who lifts my head.” (Ps. 3:3). If you feel that you are under spiritual attack, are you praying for Jesus to strengthen you?
Praise and worship Jesus for His protection. Jesus uses His unlimited power to be your rock of protection from your spiritual enemy. Thus, He deserves your praise for His protection: “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock; and exalted be God, the rock of my salvation,” (2 Sam. 22:47). “My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my savior, You save me from violence.” (2 Sam. 22:3). “The Rock! His work is perfect, for all His ways are just; a God of faithfulness and without injustice, righteous and upright is He.” (Dt. 32:4). “The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.” (Ps. 18:2, 31, 46; 19:14). Do you praise Jesus for His protection in your life?
3. Guidance: Praise Jesus For Using His Omniscience to Guide You. Job 25:3b.
Bildad praised God for being all-knowing. Bildad then praised God because nothing can be hidden from Him: “And upon whom does His light not rise?”’ (Job 25:3b). Yet, Bildad made this statement to again suggest that Job was in a hopeless situation because Job’s alleged sins could not escape God’s sight. Job also saw God’s constant oversight as a cause of his misfortune. Both failed to understand that God uses His omniscience out of love. He watches out for you to guide you, protect you, and answer your prayers.
No sin can be concealed before the omniscient Creator. God is omniscient (all-knowing). This includes the Father (Ps. 147:5), the Son (Jo. 16:30), and the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 2:10). Job knew that God is infinitely wise and knows each person’s sins: “For His eyes are upon the ways of a person, and He sees all his steps.” (Job 34:21). “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, watching the evil and the good.” (Prov. 15:3). “For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”’ (2 Chr. 16:9(a)). “For My eyes are on all their ways; they are not hidden from My face, nor is their wrongdoing concealed from My eyes.” (Jer. 16:17; Ps. 130:3). “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.” (Heb. 4:13). The fact that God is omniscient should cause every person to both avoid evil and seek to be holy.
Praise Jesus for using His omniscience to guide and help you. Job conceded that he could not comprehend the mind of an all-knowing God: “3 If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times. 4 Wise in heart and mighty in strength, who has defied Him without harm?” (Job 9:3-4). But while Job feared his omniscient Creator, you can trust that Jesus uses His knowledge out of love to protect and guide you, even when His reasons are unclear to you: “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.” (Prov. 3:5). “Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him, and He will do it.” (Ps. 37:5). “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us. Selah” (Ps. 62:8). “Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation.” (Is. 12:2). Are you trusting in Jesus and praising Him for watching over you, guiding you, and answering your prayers?
4. Holiness: Praise Jesus Because He is Holy and the Light of the World. Job 25:4a.
Bildad praised God for His holiness. Bildad then questioned how any sinful person could stand in God’s holy presence: ‘“4 How then can mankind be righteous with God?”’ (Job 25:4a). Bildad was in fact paraphrasing one of Job’s statements (Job 9:2). Yet, Bildad was misusing a true statement to again suggest to Job that he was in a hopeless situation.
Mankind cannot on its own be in God’s holy presence. After Bildad’s first speech, Job made a nearly identical statement: “1 Then Job responded, 2 ‘In truth I know that this is so; but how can a person be in the right with God?” (Job 9:1-2). Bildad had previously told Job that God does not pervert justice (Job 8:3). The implication was that God would not have allowed Job to suffer unless Job were a wicked sinner. Job did not agree with Bildad’s attacks. But he conceded that no one could stand in God’s holy presence.
Sin has separated us from God. Although Job was “blameless” before God (Job 1:8; 2:3), he was not without sin. His sins separated him from God. Sin has also separated us from God: “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God . . .” (Is. 59:2(a)). God has looked down from heaven and observed that not one person is holy and without sin: “[I]t is written, ‘There is none righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.”’ (Rom. 3:10-11). “[T]here is no one who does good.” (Ps. 14:1; 53:1). “Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.” (Ps. 143:2). “LORD God of Israel, You are righteous, for we have been left an escaped remnant, as it is this day; behold, we are before You in our guilt, for no one can stand before You because of this.” (Ezra 9:15). “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jo. 1:8). Thus, if you say that you are going to heaven because you are good, God’s truth is not within you.
Sin can also “hinder” your prayers to God. In the Old Testament, God warned that as a consequence of the separation caused by sin, He would not hear the prayers of sinners: “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.” (Is. 1:15). “And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken falsehood, your tongue mutters wickedness.” (Is. 59:2-3(b)). “We know that God doesn't listen to sinners, but He does listen to anyone who worships Him and does His will.” (Jo. 9:31; Prov. 15:29; 8:9; Ps. 66:18). In the New Testament, He warns that sin can “hinder” a believer’s prayers (1 Pet. 3:7). This is an important reason to let Jesus cleanse you.
Praise Jesus for His holiness. Because God is holy, He expects you to be holy before Him: “because it is written: ‘you shall be holy, for I am holy.”’ (1 Pet. 1:16; Lev. 11:44-45; 19:2; 20:7). You should praise God for His holiness as the source of your righteousness and because His holiness burns away the desires of your flesh.
Praise Jesus for being the light of the world. Jesus’ holy light also makes Him the light of the world: “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I am the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” (Jo. 8:12). His Word also guides you when you are in darkness: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” (Ps. 119:105). You can also praise Him for His guiding light. You can also show your appreciation by being His light to others (Matt. 5:14-16).
5. Mercy: Praise Jesus For the Mercy That He Offers to Those Who Repent. Job 25:4b.
Bildad warned that none could find mercy before God. After pointing out that mankind is sinful, Bildad argued that there was no way for mankind to be made pure before God: ‘“Or how can anyone who is born of woman be pure?”’ (Job 25:4b). Bildad used these true statements out of context to condemn Job: “The purpose of these questions seems to be to cause Job to understand that he is a sinner just like all, making it easier for him to confess and repent. Our whole nativity is impure. Hence in the law it is commanded, that the woman should be unclean seven days, that the child should be circumcised on the eighth day; and that the mother should remain three and thirty days in the blood of her purification, Leviticus 13.” (David Guzik on Job 25) (internal citation omitted).2
Bildad implied that Job would find no mercy before God3
Mankind cannot atone on its own for its sins. In response to Bildad’s prior attack, Job had previously agreed that there was nothing that he could do to be found innocent under God’s law: “28 I am afraid of all my pains, I know that You will not acquit me. 29 I am guilty, why then should I struggle in vain? 30 If I washed myself with snow, and cleansed my hands with lye, 31 Then You would plunge me into the pit, and my own clothes would loathe me.” (Job 9:28-31). In fact, everyone is guilty of sin under God’s law. Without Jesus’ death at the cross, it would be impossible to be pure before God.
Jesus is just and will judge evil. Because Jesus is just, His people can count on Him to judge evil: “He does not keep the wicked alive, but gives justice to the afflicted.” (Job 36:6). “But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.” (Is. 5:16). “He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the lovingkindness of the LORD.” (Ps. 33:5). “For the LORD loves justice and does not forsake His godly ones; they are preserved forever, but the descendants of the wicked will be cut off.” (Ps. 37:28). “The LORD is exalted, for He dwells on high; He has filled Zion with justice and righteousness.” (Is. 33:5). Among your many reasons to praise Jesus, you can give thanks that He will avenge any wrong against you.
The penalty for our sins is death. “[O]ur God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12:29; 10:27; Ex. 24:17; Dt. 4:24; 9:3; Ps. 97:3; Is. 33:14; 2 Thess. 1:7). We also cannot treat sin lightly (Rom. 6:26). “For the wages of sin is death, . .” (Rom. 6:23). Unless we accept that we are destined for judgment, we will feel no pressure to repent. Thus, are we helping others when we stay silent about God’s judgment of sin?
Mankind is in need of mercy in the face of God’s divine justice. Even though Job had led a model life of faith and service, Job also knew that he needed mercy under God’s law: “14 How then can I answer Him, and choose my words before Him? 15 For though I were right, I could not answer; I would have to implore the mercy of my Judge. 16 If I called and He answered me, I could not believe that He was listening to my voice. 17 For He bruises me with a storm and multiplies my wounds without cause. 18 He will not allow me to get my breath, but He saturates me with bitterness. 19 If it is a matter of power, behold, He is the strong one! And if it is a matter of justice, who can summon Him? 20 Though I am righteous, my mouth will condemn me; though I am guiltless, He will declare me guilty.” (Job 9:14-20). Thus, Job agreed that he lacked the ability to defend himself before God. Job therefore pleaded for his Advocate in heaven (Job 9:32-35).
Praise Jesus for taking your penalty at the cross. In response to this dilemma, Jesus died without sin in order to reconcile us with God the Father “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pet. 1:17-19). “But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His scourging we are healed.” (Is. 53:5). He is now your only mediator to God the Father (1 Tim. 2:5). He also advocates for you daily in God’s heavenly court: “And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;” (1 Jo. 2:1b). “Christ Jesus . . . also intercedes for us.” (Ro. 8:34). “Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Heb. 7:25). Are you praising Jesus for His sacrifice for you and His mercy?
Repent of your sins. Even Job could not offer a defense before God. We are no different. Thus, Jesus began His ministry with a call to repentance. “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”’ (Matt. 4:17). Jesus came “saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”’ (Mk. 1:15). His disciples also began their ministry with a call to repentance: “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”’ (Acts 2:38). If you say that you are without sin, the Bible says that the truth is not in you (1 Jo. 1:8). Yet, if you confess your sins, Jesus will forgive you: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 Jo. 1:9). What sins do you need to repent of?
Praise Jesus for His mercy and forgiveness. The Jews celebrated that God forgave their sins, despite their stiff-necked and rebellious nature: “You are a God of forgiveness, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in mercy; and You did not abandon them.” (Neh. 9:17). “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, ‘The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”’ (Ex. 34:6; 33:19; Nu. 19:18). “For the LORD your God is a compassionate God; He will not fail you nor destroy you nor forget the covenant with your fathers which He swore to them.” (Dt. 4:31). You can follow the Jews’ example. Are you praising Jesus for His mercy and for forgiving your sins?
Give thanks that God’s faithfulness is not dependent on your faithfulness. God remained faithful to His promise to never forsake the Jews: “Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you.” (Dt. 31:6; 4:31; Heb. 13:5). ‘“I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, and I will not remember your sins.”’ (Is. 43:25). He was faithful even when the Jews rebelled against Him (Neh. 9:18-19). You can also give thanks that His faithfulness is not conditioned upon our faithfulness: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” (2 Tim. 2:13). Have you given thanks that God will not use your sins to revoke His promises to you?
6. Hope: Praise Jesus For the Hope He Creates Through the Power of Faith. Job 25:5.
Bildad warned that nothing within creation was pure before God. To stress Job’s allegedly impossible predicament, Bildad argued that not even God’s creation can be pure in His holy presence: ‘“5 If even the moon has no brightness and the stars are not pure in His sight,”’ (Job 25:5). “Speaking cosmically and with hyperbole, Bildad faulted ‘the moon’ and ‘stars,’ created bodies incapable of sin, with failure to please God. This too is reminiscent of something Eliphaz said in 15:15-16.” (Robert Alden, The New American Commentary, Vol. 11, Job (B&H Publishing Group 1993) p. 256). Like the stars, Satan was also once a bright light. But he became filled with sin, and God cast him out of heaven: “12 How you have fallen from heaven, you star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who defeated the nations! 13 But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 Nevertheless you will be brought down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.” (Is. 14:12-15).
Through faith, Jesus gives hope and makes the impossible possible. Paul reveals that all of creation was subjected to futility. Yet, faith in Jesus brings hope: “For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.” (Ro. 8:20-21). With faith in Jesus, even the impossible is possible: ‘“All things are possible for the one who believes.”’ (Mk. 9:23). When things seem impossible, Jesus also offers a hope that cannot be taken away: “Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner person is being renewed day by day.” (2 Cor. 4:16). “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable, undefiled, and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,” (1 Pet. 1:3-4). When things feel hopeless, are you turning to Jesus?
7. Love: Praise God That He Loved You Enough to Send Jesus to Die for You. Job 25:6.
Bildad warned that mankind’s situation is hopeless. After arguing that none could be righteous before God, Bildad argued that Job had no hope: ‘“6 how much less man, that maggot, and a son of man, that worm!”’ (Job 25:6). According to one commentator, this final statement from Bildad represented the culmination of Job’s friends’ nihilistic arguments against him: “Eliphaz was the first to question the possibility of anyone’s purity before God (4:17). In chapter 8 Bildad’s words left the door open only for those who were truly blameless (8:20). Job, repeating the issue in 9:2, wanted to know how he could prove his blamelessness since God was so inaccessible. In 15:14-16 Eliphaz came very close to a nihilistic view of man – he is hopelessly ‘vile and corrupt, who drinks up evil like water!’ But in chapter 22 Eliphaz left the door open for Job to be restored, but not on the basis of mercy, for he must bear the penalty for whatever he has done. Then if there is repentance, Job could be restored (22:21-23). But Bildad repeated the old question of 9:2 with an implied negative answer. If God is inaccessible, it is because He is too pure; and man, like Job, is a hopeless worm.” (Frank Gaebelein, Elmer Smick, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Vol. 4, 1, 2 Kings, 1, 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Job (Zondervan Publishing House 1988) p. 963-64).
One of Satan’s biggest lies is when he tells you that God doesn’t care about you4
Praise God that He loves you. Bildad presumed that God viewed mankind as no better than a worm or a maggot (Job 25:6). He was wrong. Paul also argued that mankind is wicked and unable to redeem itself (Ro. 1-3). Yet, Paul understood that this prepared the way for the mercy and grace that only Jesus could offer. God loved you enough to send His only son to die for your sins (Jo. 3:16). Thus, you can praise God as well because He loves you: “The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. . . We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him (1 Jo. 4:8, 16). Thus, you should never feel hopeless. Through Jesus, you have the hope of eternal life.
Praise Jesus for promising to restore what you have lost because of sin. Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden because of sin (Gen. 3:23-24). They were also condemned to die a physical death after eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:16-17). As a result of their sins, the relationships between mankind were strained (Gen. 3:15). Also as a result of their sins, mankind experienced hardships and physical pain (Gen. 3:16-17; Ro. 5:12). Jesus came to restore all that mankind lost because of sin (1 Cor. 15:21-22). Through Jesus, you are a “new creation” (2 Cor. 5:17; Gal. 6:15). As a new creation, you have the hope that He will fully restore you. Thus, when a Bildad comes in your life and calls you worthless, you can put your trust in Jesus.
