THE WORM TURNS
Opening Prayer
Truly Lord, I was lost and you found me, I was spiritually blind but you gave me sight. How I praise you for your saving and transforming work in my life.
Read JOB 25, 26
Bildad
25 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 “Dominion and awe belong to God;
he establishes order in the heights of heaven.
3 Can his forces be numbered?
On whom does his light not rise?
4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?
How can one born of woman be pure?
5 If even the moon is not bright
and the stars are not pure in his eyes,
6 how much less a mortal, who is but a maggot—
a human being, who is only a worm!”
Job
26 Then Job replied:
2 “How you have helped the powerless!
How you have saved the arm that is feeble!
3 What advice you have offered to one without wisdom!
And what great insight you have displayed!
4 Who has helped you utter these words?
And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?
5 “The dead are in deep anguish,
those beneath the waters and all that live in them.
6 The realm of the dead is naked before God;
Destruction[a] lies uncovered.
7 He spreads out the northern skies over empty space;
he suspends the earth over nothing.
8 He wraps up the waters in his clouds,
yet the clouds do not burst under their weight.
9 He covers the face of the full moon,
spreading his clouds over it.
10 He marks out the horizon on the face of the waters
for a boundary between light and darkness.
11 The pillars of the heavens quake,
aghast at his rebuke.
12 By his power he churned up the sea;
by his wisdom he cut Rahab to pieces.
13 By his breath the skies became fair;
his hand pierced the gliding serpent.
14 And these are but the outer fringe of his works;
how faint the whisper we hear of him!
Who then can understand the thunder of his power?”
Footnotes
- Job 26:6 Hebrew Abaddon
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
Seek God’s ways today, notice the world in its complexity, wonder, and need.
Think Further
Here are two opposing world views. Bildad believes in the utter greatness of God, then argues that man is a mere maggot (25:6). For him there is no way that such an insignificant and unclean creature could ever be pure in the eyes of God. In contrast, the very greatness of Job’s vision of God implies the grandeur of human beings who are made in his image, though spoiled by sin.1 Between the two views stands the cross.
This age-old dilemma of how a holy God can have a relationship with sinful people is at the heart of the gospel. The God whose eyes are ‘too pure to look on evil’2 now accepts in Christ all those who come to him by faith.3 It is at Calvary that the two world views collide, where God’s righteousness and justice come together with his love and faithfulness.4 He is both righteous and Savior.5 The revelation that Job has received enables him to voice ideas that will be developed more fully by the Lord himself in the book’s closing chapters.
As the attacks of his three friends come to an end, Job asks a pertinent question (26:4), wondering whose spirit is really speaking here. Jesus taught that Satan is a liar and the father of lies.6 The errors and misjudgments exposed in the friends’ theology has been influenced by the enemy first introduced to us in chapters 1 and 2. Job is wise to turn away from his natural anger in response and to focus on the majesty and greatness of God. Despite his awesome description of God and his ways (vs 5–13), he recognizes that we glimpse only the outer garment of his glory, the mere whisper of his powerful word (v 14).
Apply
Thank God for the cross and for the amazing grace that we have received in Christ. Read Psalm 8 to discover what God really thinks about ‘mere mortals’.7
Closing prayer
Gracious God, I’m so grateful you count me worthy because of Jesus. Grow my faith and trust in your wise and loving control.
Last Updated on March 7, 2023 by kingstar
