Now Bildad and Zohar both speak for their second time. Their responses to Job follow with Eliphaz. Job must be a wicked person. God must know something hidden and secret about Job that they do not. His current situation speaks against his claims of innocence and unfair treatment. They are not quite as direct as Eliphaz. But it seems none of these men really know Job. Maybe they now betray hidden jealousies? Whatever the explanation, they offer no comfort, no sympathy. Take note of their theology. Many today express the same approach – that the promises and curses of God are always to be understood as more immediate, in this life. That is why they answer Job as they do. The wicked will know punishment for their sins against God. That punishment will be seen in this life. Whatever successes (by human standards) they enjoy will be lost – in this lifetime as God’s punishment. What a view! That would mean that every devout person of God who experiences difficulties and losses, like Job, are really wicked. That would mean that every worldly successful person who finds little trouble or disaster in life must be righteous men favored by God (think of the millionaires, most powerful politicians, etc.). The flaw in this begins with misunderstanding the truth of God’s Word – his promises and his judgments are not all always carried out in this lifetime. His greatest promise, of salvation and life, are found in Heaven and after death. This is exactly the lesson of Job (or one of the main)! We know his calamity is not the result of a wicked and sinful heart, but comes for other reasons.
Pay attention also to Job’s response, in chapter 19. Verse 25 is supposed by some as a Messianic statement. “I know that my Redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand upon the earth.” It may be Messianic, although I’m not so convinced of that. But, Job does assert: 1) God is sovereign and will stand, at the end of time, over and above all the tragedies, all of the wicked, all of the darkness of this world. 2) When he is finally recognize by all of creation for the God he is, our Lord will also show himself to be our Redeemer. The faithful will be redeemed from scorn, from guilt and shame, from the hand of the wicked, and from evil. Job will be shown before his “friends” to be truly blameless and righteous. 3) In this last age, the eternal age of God’s ultimate and perfect reign, his promises and blessings to his faithful will be finally and fully realized. Job is a beacon of trust and hope!
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AuthorDonovan Campbell, pastor of Greenville Presbyterian Church in Donalds, SC. Archives
June 2020
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