1.20.25 – Job 25-26

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Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Alan J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.

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Today we come upon Job chapter 25 and 26. We haven’t heard from Bildad in a while, so he has something to say about Job concerning righteousness. Then Job gives us his reply that God’s majesty is unsearchable. So let’s listen to Bildad in chapter 25 and Job in chapter 26. Job 25

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Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said, “‘Dominion and fear are with God.

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He makes peace in His high heaven. Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not arise? How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who was born of woman be pure?’ Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes. How much less man who is a maggot, and the son of man who is a worm!

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Job 26 Then Job answered and said, How you have helped him who has no power!

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How you have saved the arm that has no strength! How you have counseled him who has no wisdom, and plentifully declared sound knowledge! With whose help have you uttered words, and with whose breath has come out from you? The dead tremble under the waters and their inhabitants. Sheol is naked before God, and Abaddon has no covering. He stretches out the north over the void, and hangs the earth on nothing. He binds up the waters in his thick clouds, and the cloud is not split open under them. He covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud. He has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness. The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke. By his power he stilled the sea. By his understanding he shattered Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair. His hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him. But the thunder of his power, who can understand?

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In 1984, I read Job chapters 24 through 28 on the same day. And concerning chapter 25, I wrote, How can a man be right before God? In 1997, I read Job 22 through 28 on the same day, and part of my journal entry is, Man cannot figure out God or His ways, yet we try in our limited wisdom to do so. And in 2015, I read Job 24 and 25 on one day, and 26 and 27 on the next day. Concerning chapter 25, I wrote, Bildad reminds us that none are pure before God. True. True. None righteous. No, not one. Concerning chapter 26, I wrote, Though his friends speak, Job is unsure they are hearing from God. And I was referencing verse 4 of chapter 26. Job offers some amazing science as he credits God with hanging the earth on nothing. 26, verse 7. He credits God with so much that his majesty is not understandable by men.

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26, 14.

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Let’s take a look at Job 25 and 26. In chapter 25, Bildad speaks. Verse 4 is the key to this short chapter. He says, “…how then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure?” I’d like to refer to my English Standard Version Study Bible footnote concerning this question. My footnote says this question is repeated several times throughout the dialogue between Job and his friends in slightly different forms. It is asked originally by Eliphaz, recast and used by Job in his second speech, repeated and reinforced by Eliphaz, and returned to again here by Bildad in the final speech of the friends. So let’s go back and see where this question has already appeared in our study of the book of Job. It was first raised in chapter 4, verse 17 by Eliphaz. That time it was phrased this way. Can mortal man be in the right before God? Can a man be pure before his maker? Next, Job refers to this thought in chapter 9, verse 2. He says it this way, Truly I know that it is so, but how can a man be in the right before God? Eliphaz again repeats this thought in chapter 15, verse 14. He says it this way, What is man that he can be pure, or he who is born of a woman that he can be righteous? And that brings us here to chapter 25, where Bildad states it this way, How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of a woman be pure? However the question is cast, the answer is the same. Man cannot be righteous before God. We have a sinful nature. God is holy. That is the great divide bridged by the cross of Jesus. If you expect to stand before God in your purity or your righteousness, you will fail. Good is not good enough before a holy God. These questions in their various forms remind us of this. But praise God, there is an answer. It’s in the New Testament. Jesus bridges the gap between sinful people and a holy God. My prayer as we go through Ad Bible is that you understand this concept. It is vital to your eternity. Jesus says in John 14, 6, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. That’s not religion. That’s not theology. That’s the words of Jesus himself. I pray you’ve made such a decision to accept Jesus as your Savior, allowing him to bridge the gap between your sinful nature and the holiness of our Almighty God. Now let’s look at chapter 26, where Job declares the majesty of this Almighty God. let’s begin with verse seven he stretches out the north over the void and hangs the earth on nothing he binds up the waters in his thick clouds and the cloud is not split open under them he covers the face of the full moon and spreads over it his cloud he has inscribed a circle on the face of the waters at the boundary between light and darkness The pillars of heaven tremble and are astounded at his rebuke. By his power he stilled the sea, by his understanding he shattered Rahab. By his wind the heavens were made fair, his hand pierced the fleeing serpent. Behold, these are but the outskirts of his ways, and how small a whisper do we hear of him, but the thunder of his power, who can understand? Yes, God’s majesty is unsearchable. That’s why man cannot stand before a God like this. Father, we thank you that in our humanity, we try to understand you, but we cannot. Your majesty is unsearchable. It is unfathomable to the human mind. So often we are guilty of putting you in a small box. It’s our attempt to somehow grasp who you are, to understand your attributes. Forgive us, Lord. Thanks for reminding us in Job chapter 26. that you are majestic, you are glorious, you are holy. Thank you for reaching down from your heavenly throne and providing Jesus, your Son, to bridge the gap between sinful humanity and you, a holy, majestic God. What a gift. We accept it. In Jesus’ name, amen. Thanks for listening to AdBible today. You know, sometimes we need a plumb line, a true north, a solid basis of truth to live life. We’re not going to find it in the media or in social media or Google or your friends, but it is available right at your fingertips. Pilate asked Jesus in John 18, 38, what is truth? The chapter before, Jesus had answered the question in his prayer to God for his disciples. In the 17th verse, Jesus pleads with the Father, Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth. So what would it be like if everyone, everywhere, read the Bible every day? Wow, it might be heaven on earth. What would it be like if every Christian read the Bible every day? Would we be better ambassadors for Christ? What would it be like if everyone in your community read the Bible every day? Would we have greater impact in our communities? And what would it be like if you personally read the Bible every day? Could you use a closer walk with Jesus? Could you use a light unto your path and a lamp unto your feet to walk through this life? Could you use a spiritual power surge in your life? Matthew 22, 29, Jesus speaking to the Sadducees said, You are mistaken not understanding the scriptures or the power of God. Yes, the scriptures can give us power to live this life. So I’m going to give you three easy action steps to make the Bible worth your time each and every day. Number one, commit to daily Bible reading. Commit to seek God and His Word daily, every day. And if you miss a day, start again the next day. Change your belief about God’s Word to behavior in God’s Word. Use any of our Ezra Project resources to help you. Visit EzraProject.net to get an Ezra Project Bible reading journal or one of our day-by-day through the Bible books. Commit today and visit EzraProject.net for easy-to-use resources for your daily time in God’s Word. Number two, be intentional. Decide what you want out of your Bible reading. I got to visit the headquarters of Back to the Bible once in Lincoln, Nebraska, and in one hallway down one side, they had scribbled all the reasons people say they don’t read the Bible. On the other side were all the reasons people do read the Bible. And I want to give you some of those to encourage you. On that wall, it said, God wants me to. Yes, God wants you to read the Bible. Do you want to meet with Him daily? Because He’ll meet with you every day through His Word. Number two, it changes me. Where could you be in one year with more Bible reading in your life? Number three, it improves my outlook on life. Yeah, turn out the bad news and saturate yourself with good news from the Word of God. Number four, it keeps me grounded. Yes, when the storms of life come, and they will, can you stand? Yes, you’ll stand better and more solid because you’re in the Word of God. Next, it keeps my heart soft. Yeah, Nehemiah 8, when people heard the Word, they wept and they worshipped. You will do the same as the Word softens your heart. Lastly, on the wall, it said, it keeps my daily focus on God. Yeah, that’s a great reason to read the Bible. You’ll gain the spiritual power to live life in our secular world. And then thirdly and lastly, feed your soul. Let God minister to your soul. Hebrews 4.12 says the Word of God pierces between your soul and your spirit, between joints and marrow, and is the discerner of the thoughts and intents of your heart. Nothing else goes that deep. I don’t know where the place is between my soul and my spirit, but I want to put the Word of God there each and every day of my life. I hope you do too. God bless you as you spend time in God’s Word.