(Dear Lord Jesus, guide me and give me insight as I read and study Your word, and let it be the meditation of my heart...)
(Job 18:1-21) Then Bildad the Shuhite responded,
2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as animals,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 You who tear yourself in your anger—
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock moved from its place?
5 “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent is darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 His vigorous stride is shortened,
And his own plan brings him down.
8 For he is thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the pathway.
11 All around sudden terrors frighten him,
And harass him at every step.
12 His strength is famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
13 It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the security of his tent,
And they march him before the king of terrors.
15 Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16 His roots are dried below,
And his branch withers above.
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
20 Those in the west are appalled at his fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
21 Certainly these are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
2 “How long will you hunt for words?
Show understanding, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as animals,
As stupid in your eyes?
4 You who tear yourself in your anger—
Should the earth be abandoned for your sake,
Or the rock moved from its place?
5 “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out,
And the spark from his fire does not shine.
6 The light in his tent is darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.
7 His vigorous stride is shortened,
And his own plan brings him down.
8 For he is thrown into the net by his own feet,
And he steps on the webbing.
9 A snare seizes him by the heel,
And a trap snaps shut on him.
10 A noose for him is hidden in the ground,
And a trap for him on the pathway.
11 All around sudden terrors frighten him,
And harass him at every step.
12 His strength is famished,
And disaster is ready at his side.
13 It devours parts of his skin,
The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the security of his tent,
And they march him before the king of terrors.
15 Nothing of his dwells in his tent;
Brimstone is scattered on his home.
16 His roots are dried below,
And his branch withers above.
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth,
And he has no name abroad.
18 He is driven from light into darkness,
And chased from the inhabited world.
19 He has no offspring or descendants among his people,
Nor any survivor where he resided.
20 Those in the west are appalled at his fate,
And those in the east are seized with horror.
21 Certainly these are the dwellings of the wicked,
And this is the place of him who does not know God.”
(Job 19:1-29) Then Job responded,
2 “How long will you torment me
And crush me with words?
3 These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.
4 Even if I have truly done wrong,
My error stays with me.
5 If indeed you exalt yourselves against me
And prove my disgrace to me,
6 Know then that God has wronged me
And has surrounded me with His net.
7 “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has put darkness on my paths.
9 He has stripped my honor from me
And removed the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His anger against me
And considered me as His enemy.
12 His troops come together
And build up their way against me
And camp around my tent.
13 “He has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances have completely turned away from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.
16 I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore his favor with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18 Even young children despise me;
I stand up and they speak against me.
19 All my associates loathe me,
And those I love have turned against me.
20 My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,
And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21 Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine,
For the hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were recorded in a book!
24 That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!
25 Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.
26 Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I will see God,
27 Whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself,
And whom my eyes will see, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
28 If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’
And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’
29 Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
So that you may know there is judgment.”
2 “How long will you torment me
And crush me with words?
3 These ten times you have insulted me;
You are not ashamed to wrong me.
4 Even if I have truly done wrong,
My error stays with me.
5 If indeed you exalt yourselves against me
And prove my disgrace to me,
6 Know then that God has wronged me
And has surrounded me with His net.
7 “Behold, I cry, ‘Violence!’ but I get no answer;
I shout for help, but there is no justice.
8 He has blocked my way so that I cannot pass,
And He has put darkness on my paths.
9 He has stripped my honor from me
And removed the crown from my head.
10 He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone;
And He has uprooted my hope like a tree.
11 He has also kindled His anger against me
And considered me as His enemy.
12 His troops come together
And build up their way against me
And camp around my tent.
13 “He has removed my brothers far from me,
And my acquaintances have completely turned away from me.
14 My relatives have failed,
And my close friends have forgotten me.
15 Those who live in my house and my servant women consider me a stranger.
I am a foreigner in their sight.
16 I call to my servant, but he does not answer;
I have to implore his favor with my mouth.
17 My breath is offensive to my wife,
And I am loathsome to my own brothers.
18 Even young children despise me;
I stand up and they speak against me.
19 All my associates loathe me,
And those I love have turned against me.
20 My bone clings to my skin and my flesh,
And I have escaped only by the skin of my teeth.
21 Pity me, pity me, you friends of mine,
For the hand of God has struck me.
22 Why do you persecute me as God does,
And are not satisfied with my flesh?
23 “Oh that my words were written!
Oh that they were recorded in a book!
24 That with an iron stylus and lead
They were engraved in the rock forever!
25 Yet as for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last, He will take His stand on the earth.
26 Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I will see God,
27 Whom I, on my part, shall behold for myself,
And whom my eyes will see, and not another.
My heart faints within me!
28 If you say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’
And ‘What pretext for a case against him can we find?’
29 Then be afraid of the sword for yourselves,
For wrath brings the punishment of the sword,
So that you may know there is judgment.”
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
Wow! Bildad really hit Job where it hurt. Job just lost all of his children and everything he had, and then this "friend" had the nerve to say "CERTAINLY these are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God." Seriously, no one has the right to say for certain if anyone is a believer or not. Only God can do that. And no one can judge other people's motives for the things they say and do. Only God can see into our hearts and only He is Judge.
In the same way though, Job was judging God's motives for sending him these struggles. How can we do that? We do not know the reasons why God allows certain things to happen. But in the end there will be perfect justice. In the end, God will judge the wicked for their sins, and He will judge and reward all believers according to deeds done with pure motives. And even for right now, we can trust God, because He is Sovereign. Therefore we can be confident that God will work everything out to His glory!
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