We continue with Job Chapter 25 in which Bildad the Shuhite speaks.

1: Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2: Dominion and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.
3: Is there any number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?

Doctrine: Here we see the omnipotence, omniscience, and omnipresence of God in three verses. Rarely is so much of God’s nature revealed in so few words in His Word. Additionally, we are reminded of the hosts of Heaven who do His Will.

Reproof: Have I submitted to His dominion with all due reverence and godly fear?

Correction: “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,” Deuteronomy 10:12, and “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Instruction: As often happens, the end of verse three has several levels of meaning. The first and most obvious is that the sun shines on everyone equally. The next is described in John 1:9, where we are told of the Word: “That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” This refers to the fact that “the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:20. There are even more levels, however. “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” Hebrews 11:6, tells us that anyone who seeks God will be rewarded. Even if we rebel, and get banished into a punishing separation from God, “But if from thence thou shalt seek the LORD thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Deuteronomy 4:29. And, finally, my personal favorite promise, because there are no qualifiers. This promise does not say “if you are righteous” or even “if you are God’s elect.” This promise is to everyone: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.” James 1:5. Now, it could be said that this promise was only to the “you,” that is to say the addressees of the letter, but note that James clarifies this by adding “giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not;” thereby stating explicitly that wisdom is available to all without question or reproach. Of course, since “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10, those who ask God for wisdom will end up fearing Him, which brings us back around to the beginning of verse 2, “Dominion and fear are with him.”

4: How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is born of a woman?
5: Behold even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his sight.
6: How much less man, that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?

Doctrine: God’s purity is beyond us. This is critical to an understanding of the nature of God, and how he relates to His beloved. It is what necessitated His Sacrificial Death.

Reproof: Do I ever fall into the trap of thinking that I have finally satisfied God with my behavior?

Correction: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” I John 1:8. I am clean in His sight today, but it is not because of anything I have done, that “I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith” Philippians 3:8-9.

Instruction: It is critical, if I am to be at all effective in reaching the lost, that I keep this thought firmly in mind: “I am not a Christian because I am obedient to Christ, I am obedient to Christ because I am a Christian.” It is so easy, having worked at serving God for all these years, to fall into the trap of being appalled by the sins of others, rather than being terrified lest they be called into judgment for them. The most important fact about any man is that he is either a child of God’s or in bondage to Satan. I need to be careful not to identify people by the sins they commit. This one is not a thief, he is lost. That one is not a child molester, he is lost. This other one is not a glutton, he is lost. When someone pulls over and asks for directions, I don’t start telling him what an ugly car he is driving, I start showing him the way to his destination.

Since this was such a short chapter, we continue with Job Chapter 26 in which Job answers Bildad the Shuhite.

1: But Job answered and said,
2: How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?
3: How hast thou counselled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?

Doctrine: Now we begin to see another aspect of God. Sometimes the help He sends to us doesn’t look much like help. How did these friends help Job? They challenged his assumptions, and made him state his premises more clearly. God could have spoken to Job much earlier in the tale, but He chose to wait and let Job’s friends draw out Job’s real concerns and complaints. There are some things God tells me through others because, were He to tell me more directly, they would overwhelm me. It is much less terrifying to have a friend ask “have you been studying God’s word?” than to have God speak through a burning bush to tell me to read more. God’s rebukes can be painful and alarming, but His Presence is overwhelming. It is difficult to attend to the words of a Voice that shakes the hills. I am too busy watching out for falling rocks to listen carefully.

Reproof: Do I ever presume to speak as if I knew what I was talking about when I know I’m really only guessing?

Correction: “A fool uttereth all his mind: but a wise man keepeth it in till afterwards.” Proverbs 29:11 and “He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him.” Proverbs 18:13. These verses tell me that I should listen to the words of him who is in distress before offering any counsel. Even if a man is falsely protesting his innocence, it is better to offer counsel as if he were correct in his protestations. If I challenge his innocence, he will only work harder to defend it rather than listen to reason. If I tacitly support his innocence by offering corresponding counsel, he may recognize the falsity of his position independently. Even if he doesn’t, he has the advantage of having learned the proper way to act if he ever suffers adversity in innocence.

Instruction: Implicit in these questions is the understanding that I ought always help the powerless, save he who is without strength, counsel he who is without wisdom, and plentifully declare the right way.

4: To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?

Doctrine: God is always listening. This, too, is part of Who He Is.

Reproof: If I tell a fisherman how to drive nails, and a carpenter how to mend nets, I’m wasting my time and theirs.

Correction: “For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” I Corinthians 9:19-22.

Instruction: Jesus once said to Peter “Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men” (Mark 8:33.) “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” John 3:6. “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another. This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Galatians 5:13-17. These verses, taken together, tell me that I should always be sure to know what spirit speaks through me.

5: Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.
6: Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.

Doctrine: God is omniscient.

Reproof: Do I think I can choose when God will watch me?

Correction: “In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.” Luke 12:1-3.

Instruction: Warnings to the wicked are a consolation to the upright, for, when I am walking in the light I can boldly claim “No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 54:17.

7: He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8: He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.

Doctrine: God is omnipotent.

Reproof: Do I ever pray “If you can”?

Correction: “Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:” Isaiah 59:1. One of the most vexing sins I can commit is to pray as if I doubted God’s ability. If He created the Earth and all that is in it in six days, and holds all things together by His Will, there is nothing He cannot do.

Instruction: “But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” James 1:6. A careful reading of the Word has taught me that it is better for me to fail to pray than to pray in doubt. If I know God’s will, I should pray for its fulfillment. If I don’t know God’s will, I ought to rather pray for knowledge than to pray in its absence. I sometimes think that the years during which I doubted the efficacy of prayer were more a result of my own lack of certainty than of any other factor. On the other hand, I have also learned the folly of presumptive prayer. It is not my place to tell God what He must do. How, then, do I balance these apparently contradictory thoughts? I take several routes depending on the state of my knowledge and the strength of my desire. If I know for certain what is the Will of God, both by the revelation of the Spirit and the confirmation of the Word, I boldly ask Him to make it so. If I have a strong preference, and do not know the Mind of God, I ask Him to make me willing to hear it, and then state my preference. If I feel a need to pray, but am uncertain what to pray, I ask Him to both reveal His Will to me, and to bring it to pass.

9: He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.

Doctrine: God knows our frailty, and refrains from destroying us by revealing His Presence too completely.

Reproof: Do I try to pry into areas that are beyond me?

Correction: I need to know when to say, with David, “Such knowledge is too wonderful * for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” Psalm 139:6.

Instruction: God knows me, that I am often like a small child three days before Christmas: I want to pick up the package and shake it. I try to peel back the tape slowly and carefully so I can tape it back after I peek and no one will notice. As I would with such a child, so He does with me: He puts the package where I can’t reach it, and tells me “Don’t spoil the surprise.” I don’t do this to make the child squirm in agony, and neither does He. He loves me, and knows what will best please me in the long run. Oh! how I often weary of the “long run.” I’m impatient. I want to go tour Heaven for a couple days, and then come back and finish my work. Then I read this passage “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.” II Corinthians 12:7. Notice how Paul repeats the phrase “lest I should be exalted above measure.” It’s as if he has to keep reminding himself. I read this, and then I say, “You know what, God? I think I’ll just wait for Your time. I don’t really want to find out what a ‘thorn in the flesh’ feels like.”

10: He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.

Doctrine: God keeps His promises. He told Noah He would never again wipe out everyone and everything with a flood.

Reproof: Do I fully trust His promises?

Correction: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” II Peter 3:9. Forty years ago, when I first came to know Christ, everyone told me “Jesus is coming in just a few more years. These are the last days. It won’t be more than five or six more years at the most.” Here I am, forty years later – still waiting. This verse tells me that God is not slow, lazy, or uncaring. He is more anxious even than I am to wrap things up, but not so anxious that He will allow anyone to go to Hell because of His lack of patience. So, He waits for us to finish the job He gave us. I have learned to draw great confidence from this fact. It has greatly increased my ability to trust His promises even when they seem to be going unfulfilled. He doesn’t merely fulfill His promises, He overflows them. Sometimes that takes a little longer, but it’s well worth the wait.

Instruction: If God cares more for me than for “many sparrows,” He certainly values me above many waters. What are the boundaries He has set to keep me safe? And why do I keep wanting to cross them? Ah, revelation comes, if I had no desire to cross them, they wouldn’t be real boundaries. God wastes nothing. With one boundary He keeps me safe, teaches me obedience, and gives me opportunities to die daily so I might truly live.

11: The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
12: He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
13: By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.

Doctrine: God is omni-intelligent. He knows and understands and can use more information than I can imagine existing. Job was no slouch either. He clearly recognizes the true measure of God’s understanding: God knows how to cut through the pride and enter my heart.

Reproof: Do I ever get foolish enough to try to withstand His reproof?

Correction: If the very pillars of Heaven tremble at His reproof, it is obvious that I can’t withstand it. “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” James 4:7. Ahah! Here’s the proper use for my stubbornness, I ought to submit to God, and save my stubbornness to use in resisting the devil.

Instruction: Man has always been awed by the nighttime sky. He should be. It’s God’s decorations. In the stars I see the superabundance of God. He could have stopped with the sun and moon. One lights the day, the other the night. What more was needed? Nothing. The stars are a display of His bounty. Again, if God could lavish all that awesome power on mere decorations, surely He can deal with my minute problems. “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” I Peter 5:7.

14: 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?

Doctrine: God is omni-everything, but that is not the whole story. We can know only parts of His Ways. What we know about God is but a little portion of Him.

Reproof: Do I think I know everything there is to know about God? (Actually, this is not really a problem I have. I have been learning about God for a long time, and each thing I learn shows me three more things I don’t know.)

Correction: “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” Romans 11:3. If even Paul couldn’t grasp all of Him, why would I think I can?

Instruction: Once more I am reminded why God so rarely speaks to me in an audible Voice: I wouldn’t understand most of it because I’d be too busy being afraid. The amazing thing is not that sometimes I can feel His Presence, it is that He can reveal enough of His Presence to allow me to sense Him, without revealing so much it destroys me.

In His Service
Matthew M. Murch
http://matthewmurch.home.services.spaces.live.com

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 15th, 2008 at 1:31 pm and is filed under Bible Study. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.