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Job 25 marks the last occasion that we hear from Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar. Day after day we have read these back-and-forth debates about the situation Job found himself in and this is the finale. In this chapter, Bildad concludes their collective attempt at consoling their friend and trying to explain why all that has happened to Job just happened. While they were well intentioned, we can sense the frustration that Job must have felt. It’s easy to start poking holes in their arguments while reading along ourselves.

Bildad’s final speech was short and straightforward. He has two points he is trying to drive home: God is great and majestic and man is the opposite. Bildad ends on the most depressing note of all of the speeches we read from Job’s friends, concluding with Bildad devaluing the role of humanity to nothing more than a maggot or a worm (an insensitive comment considering Job already told us he was covered in worms in Job 7:5). It is hard for us to know exactly what Bildad was hoping for in this speech. Maybe he just wanted Job to concede defeat and tell Bildad he was right. Maybe he was trying to get Job to his breaking point. Whatever Bildad’s reasoning, his argument is both right and wrong and it is important to put his argument under the microscope to see what we can learn about God and His character in this story. 

We can agree with Bildad about the greatness of God. Scripture time and time again reinforces that fact. We can also agree with Bildad about the wickedness of man. From Genesis 3 on, man stumbles to uphold God’s standard time and time again. But where we can disagree with Bildad is about God’s love for people. People, despite their wickedness, aren’t on par with worms and maggots in the eyes of God. God’s love and heart for humanity is displayed all throughout Scripture, but perhaps most prominently in John 3:16-17:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

While Job didn’t have the benefit of that reminder from Scripture, we do today. Let’s live as people who are both aware of our depravity and God’s unending love for us through Jesus today. 

Job poignantly paints a disturbing picture of what seems commonplace in his culture: displaced boundary markers; stealing from the fatherless, the widow, and the needy, leaving them naked, hungry, thirsty, and without shelter; seizing babies as collateral; and mortally wounding the defenseless. What outlandish injustice and oppression Job depicts! He further describes the wicked as a group of heartless, murdering, thieving, lovers of the dark who prey upon the innocent. “For the morning is like death’s shadow to them. Surely they are familiar with the terrors of death’s shadow.” (v. 17) The wicked continue in their evil deeds with no apparent justice ever being served.

But God! Job highlights the justice of God in light of human suffering. “But God drags away the mighty by his power; though they become established, they have no assurance of life. He may let them rest in a feeling of security, but his eyes are on their way.” Although He may seem silent, His eyes are ever on mankind. Proverbs 15:3 declares, “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” Nothing escapes His watchful eye. Job opens this chapter with a question that begs an answer: “Why does the Almighty not reserve time for judgment?” Because we are on this side of Calvary, we can affirm 1 Corinthians 4:5, “Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart. At that time each will receive their praise from God.”  

What do we do in the meantime? We are to be prayerfully alert to injustice in our world and spring into action. As followers of Christ, Scripture outlines specifically what we are to be about. James 1:27 declares, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” We must move from sympathy (feeling) to empathy (action). Join in where the Lord is at work for the least, the lonely, and the forgotten.

Job heard the counsel of Eliphaz and is still discouraged. Instead of hearing from other people in his despair, he is really longing to see and feel the presence of God. God’s presence was going to be the biggest encouragement people could not offer. Despite what was going on in Job’s life, including loss and sickness of all kinds, he knew the only thing that could possibly help was being in God’s presence.

Job had it right. But what about us? Let’s think about our own circumstances that may bring despair. It might be a friend not knowing Christ, a child going astray, or a broken relationship within the family. What do we search for? So often we search for an immediate fix that we can provide ourselves. Seeking God’s presence, like Job did, is often a last resort. How often have you said or heard prayer is the “only thing we can do”?

Consider how responding to despair more like Job did would be a wise choice. Job ran to prayer rather than resorting to prayer. He saw prayer as his first option rather than thinking prayer is the only option. Prayer is what we get to do rather than what we have to do when facing difficult times. We get to go to the Lord in His presence and be with Him in His glory. 

Setting prayer as the first resort rather than last resort will change our perspective of the circumstances we face. His presence changes how we think and what we do. When we fall to our knees and feel the weight of his glory and power, what seemed insurmountable seems possible. Sitting at the throne of God in prayer reminds us that He is over all things, including our trials.

Furthermore, Job seeks God’s presence after feeling forgotten and forsaken by God. Even when doubting God, he continued to search for what God was doing. It is amazing to see Job searching for God’s presence even when he felt like God was not there. What faith! Let us all remember Job’s story and do the same.

After initially showing Job sympathy, Eliphaz was the first of the three friends to speak (Job 4-5). He focuses on the prosperity of the innocent, implying Job must not be innocent.  Eliphaz’s second speech (Job 15) calls into question Job’s fear of God. In this chapter, Job 22, Eliphaz attacks Job’s character in a very personal way. Eliphaz emphatically declares Job’s own sin and wickedness as the source of his suffering and punishment from God.   

 Sitting face-to-face across from his friend, Job listens as Eliphaz condemns him for being wicked and cruel and greedy and heartless. What hurt, anger, and disappointment Job must be feeling at this moment when his friend accuses him of such sins. Harsh and all untrue. Eliphaz responds as the world would respond because he can think of no other reason for all the tragedies befallen Job. Eliphaz assumes suffering can only be the consequence of sin and God’s punishment follows. It does not occur to Eliphaz that Job’s suffering was not born of sin and that the innocent can suffer. 

Eliphaz’s harsh assumptions and accusations lead him to counsel Job to repent (v. 23). Eliphaz calls on Job to pray and submit to God so that a “light will shine upon his ways” (v. 28). Oh, how Eliphaz knows so little of Job and God! Eliphaz’s retribution theology misrepresents God and leads to a misunderstanding of life.

Today, let us use this story as a reminder that we do not have all the facts. Never will we know what God knows. We must be careful when making assumptions and remember that His way will always be the right way. God’s master plan may include innocent people suffering to strengthen their faith or draw others to Him. Furthermore, we must be careful not to use Eliphaz’s advice when leading nonbelievers to Christ. God does not require repentance before He will accept a sinner (Matthew 11:28). In fact, it is the virtue we derive from Christ that leads to genuine repentance. In Job’s situation, repentance was not the solution. Trust and reliance on the one true God in all circumstances is the calling on Job’s life as well as our own (Proverbs 3:5-6). 

Job 20 ends another round of discussions that Job has with his friends, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. The final conversation with Zophar left Job conflicted with God’s wrath and judgment on wicked people. In Job 21, Job responds to Zophar’s futile perspective of Job’s suffering. Zophar’s unsettled words are born of an incorrect and partial view of God as an impatient and harsh judge. According to his friends, Job’s suffering was a natural result of sin. Their conversations with Job did not offer any comfort or peace because they lacked wisdom and truth. If Job was a righteous man, why did God allow him to suffer, if He claims to be sovereign and good?

In the first three verses, Job clarifies to his friends that he was listening to them, while both alluding to and refuting their words. Job hardened his heart toward them because of their inability to comprehend the depth of his pain and suffering. What would it have looked like for the three men to listen to Job instead of providing false truth?

A common theme for this chapter of Job is questioning why the wicked often prosper while the righteous suffer. Job finds himself in conflict with God, wondering where God had gone in his time of darkness. In verses 17-26, Job recognizes the wisdom of God but stands confused at the prosperity of the wicked and the suffering that the godly endure. Job responds with the knowledge that he has about God and His will. He understands that God is the ultimate Judge and has the power to judge the wicked, but he does not know the final judgment on the evil that God promises in the end.

Job’s friends tried to make him repent of his sins, but they did not realize that suffering is not always connected to sin. Sometimes God allows us to experience suffering in order to be reminded of His power and sovereignty in every season of life. Job 21 creates a space for us to sit with Job in his suffering and questioning. We can learn from Job’s discernment in his trial, as he handled his grief by questioning his circumstances, instead of God’s wisdom and character.

Throughout most of Job so far, we have seen a back-and-forth discussion between Job and his friends about the cause of Job’s suffering and the goodness of God. Job rightly believes that the suffering was not a result of something he had done wrong, but his friends are convinced that he was getting what he deserved, because God is always just.

Today’s reading is a response by a friend named Zophar, and the message seems clear: The joy and worldly reward of the wicked is temporary and short-lived. Let that sit for a second and think about if you believe that is true: Do you believe that the wicked always get what they deserve? 

The biblical answer to that is no, but also yes. In Ecclesiastes 7:15 the author says this: “In this meaningless life of mine I have seen both of these: the righteous perishing in their righteousness, and the wicked living long in their wickedness.” In this life, the wicked might live long and prosper, not getting what they deserve in this life. This can seem unfair, but only if this life on Earth was all there is. 

There is more than just the short time we spend on Earth. After this life, some of the wicked get what they deserve, feeling the full wrath of God in hell for all eternity. Though they had worldly success, and though some of the wicked never “got what they deserved” in this life, they do when they die. 

Here’s the most important part of this discussion for us to remember about what the wicked deserve: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” (Romans‬ ‭3:23‬). ‬‬We are all wicked, and all deserve eternal punishment. But instead of getting what we deserve, God gave us the choice of eternal life with Him. “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans‬ ‭10:9‬). Thank God that He loves his children and wants us to trust and follow Him. And thank God that He doesn’t give us what we deserve.

Everything that meant something in Job’s life—his family, social standing, and wealth—has all been stripped away. Now his friends are abandoning him as well. Job is in his greatest despair in verse 10: “He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone.”

Right when Job seems to be at his lowest point, he makes his greatest proclamation of faith. “For I know that my redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth” (v. 25). Job’s response to his brokenness is not to wallow in self-pity. His response is a profession of his faith: “For I know that my redeemer lives.” He didn’t say he “thinks” his redeemer lives, or he’s “pretty sure,” or he “guesses.” Job knows his redeemer is alive and working amidst and despite his dire circumstances. He is certain. When all else seemed to be spiraling and collapsing around him, Job was clinging to the foundation of his faith.

In addition to this confident expression of his faith, Job also boldly declares God will vindicate him from the false charges his friends are making against him. The word “redeemer” in this passage is translated from the word “goel.” Theologian G. Campbell Morgan explains “The Goel stood for another to defend his cause, avenge wrongs done to him, and acquit him of all charges laid against him.” Job is resting in the confidence his redeemer will vindicate him as well as be an advocate for him. Where Job’s friends saw God as a belief system, Job saw God as much more than a belief system. Job is confidently expressing that while everyone else has abandoned him, he knows God is standing beside him as his champion and advocate.

Romans 10:9-10 says “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.” Thousands of years before the arrival of the Messiah, Job believed and professed that God would redeem him. Whether we are experiencing our darkest moments or our greatest celebrations, may we believe and profess with as great a confidence as Job.

Here we see Bildad the Shuhite for the second time in the book of Job. Job is pouring out his heart in mourning, anger, and frustration in the previous chapter. Like many of us would in this situation, Bildad goes to Job to console him, but his consolation quickly devolves into the offering of uninformed advice. As one well studied in the Jewish law, and unaware of Job’s unique circumstances, Bildad easily misinterprets Job’s outburst as a blasphemous criticism of the goodness of God. Bildad cannot wrap his head around the possibility of a righteous man’s suffering, because there was no precedent for it laid out before him. His misperceptions lead to false accusations, and his false accusations lead to further hurt and suffering in the life of Job.

This passage in Job continues to tackle one of the most difficult questions in Christian apologetics: “Why do bad things happen to good people?” Many would like to think that Christianity in the twenty-first century is far removed from the dogmatic theologies present in Job, but there are still many today that cling to the idea that suffering is reciprocal to sinful behavior, or perhaps even demonstrative of a lack of faith altogether. However, the more we engage those who are suffering, it is often they who exemplify faith on a scale far more apostolic in nature than the average cultural Christian. Often God allows for the tearing of the muscle so that in its healing process it may grow stronger to do the work of the kingdom, and to demonstrate in action the abundant and living grace of God.

This chapter reminds us that we often know less than we think about other peoples’ lives. It is also a call into authentic fellowship, honest confession, and radical vulnerability even in trial and temptation. We often feel the urge to provide free “advice,” to whoever will listen, and this flows from a place of compassion. However, when we lack an authentic relationship with those to whom we offer our thoughts, the very criticisms we perceive as productive can in reality be foolish or hurtful. We lack perspective. We must allow God to shift our hearts towards a vision that sees the world as he does, not with vengeful retribution, but with an immense compassion poured out at the cross.

James 1:19-20 says, “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” Today, let’s lean in to being people who are quick to listen and slow to speak.

Have you ever found yourself feeling like Job? Depressed, humiliated, alone, innocent, suffering, and longing for the grave. Many of us will find ourselves in circumstances that leave us relating to Job. God in His infinite kindness gives us His word to see ourselves within the pages but doesn’t leave us there without hope.

In this chapter, we find Job in the middle of a response to his friend Eliphaz. He is broken in spirit (v. 1), friends who once sat with him now mock him (v. 2), he’s humiliated (v. 6) and his eyes are dim with grief (v. 7). We aren’t alone when we feel like this. Jesus relates to us. Mark 15:29 reminds us that Jesus experienced those hurling insults at Him, despite His innocence. The humility Jesus endured was death on a cross on our behalf, Philippians 2:5-8. In John 11, we see Jesus deeply moved with grief.

Job doesn’t have the benefit of the perspective Christ gives, but in verse 9 he gives us a glimpse into his faith and teaches us. In our suffering the righteous can “hold to their ways”, in endurance and perseverance, and in time we will “grow stronger”. James 1 refers to the benefits of persevering in trials, it leads ultimately to our maturity. As with Job, God doesn’t bring us through suffering or trials in an instant, but often it is a process that grows, shapes, and sanctifies us.

 We close this chapter with a familiar question as we walk through hardship, “where then is my hope?” (v. 15) In our grief and suffering we can feel hopeless. Romans 15:13 reminds us that we have a God of Hope. Jesus is a perfect reflection of that character quality. God sent Christ to die on our behalf to be a source of hope and light in a dark world. 1 Peter 1:3 says that through Christ’s resurrection we have a living hope. “This hope is a strong and trustworthy anchor for our souls.” (Hebrews 6:19, NLT)

We can be thankful today for a God that doesn’t leave us alone in our sufferings, trials, and humiliation. He understands, He sees us, He helps us endure, and ultimately has provided a source of hope in Christ to anchor us.