DBG - June 12 - Job 25-28

In this chapter Bildad gives his third and final accusation against Job.

vs. 1-3 – Bildad ignores Job’s arguments and begins his final oration with a description of the might of God.  God is being placed about as high as rhetorically possible.

vs. 4-6 – Bildad contrasts the might of God with the weakness of man.  As high as he placed God in the opening verses, he places man that low on the other end of the scale.  His purpose is to humble Job.

In this chapter Job offers his defense against Bildad.

vs. 1-4 – The opening words of Job’s response drip with sarcasm.  While Bildad tried to humble job, comparing the weakness of man with the vastness of God, Job asks more practical questions.  Who is Bildad to lecture Job?  What good has he done?  God is just as much greater than Bildad and He is to Job.

vs. 5-14 – Job outdoes Bildad’s description of God’s greatness.  He is God over the living and the dead.  He created the universe.  Nature is at His command.  The conclusion in vs. 14 might be paraphrased to say that God’s greatness is beyond our understanding. 

In this chapter begins his final defense against his friends’ accusations.  You will note that Zophar does not speak in the third round of speeches.

vs. 1-6 – Job begins his final words of defense by swearing in an oath before God that he was innocent before God and would maintain his righteousness.  This oath

vs. 7-23 – Job describes the fate of the wicked once again.  He states that even in their posterity they  are being set up for judgment.  They will not escape death.  God will not have mercy upon them.  Job seems to be acknowledging that though he may have suffered like some of the wicked on this earth, their ends are utterly different.  His has faith in the blessed hope that awaits the child of God, which none of the unrighteous can taste. 

In this chapter Job continues his final defense.

vs. 1-6 – Job gives an amazing description of mining and metallurgy in these verses.  It begs for many questions that we do not know the answer to; such as, how he gained such intimate knowledge of these sciences.  Why is this included here?  It seems out of place from his previous arguments.  The reason is to show the ingenuity of man and set a baseline for discussing things of great value. 

vs. 7-22 – Job points out that animal life cannot touch the intelligence and ingenuity of man.  He continues to describe the feats of mining.  All that effort went into finding precious stones and metals, but there are greater treasures that man should seek after.  He identifies these treasures as wisdom.  Where was it to be found?  He answers in the following section.

vs. 23-28 – Job shows that God is the source of all wisdom.  Man’s ways are vastly greater than those of animals, as he described earlier.  God’s ways, however, are infinitely greater than those of man.  All the marvelous works imagined and accomplished by humans has no comparison with what God does effortlessly.  God has the wonders and workings of the entire world in His hands.  What did the almighty God reveal to man?  It is something that man could not discover on his own.  Wisdom is to fear the Lord.  Understanding is to depart from evil.  The wisest man who ever lived echoed this same conclusion in Ecclesiastes 12:13. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”

It is difficult to read Chapter 28 without thinking of a later figure who also wrote about wisdom, that of course being King Solomon.  There are parallels to 28:28 in multiple verses in Proverbs, such as 1:7, 3:7, 8:4-5, 9:10, 13:14, and 16:17.  Solomon comes to the same conclusion as Job in Ecclesiastes 12:13. “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.”  If you need expert testimonials to understand the value and content of true wisdom, I would recommend you begin with these two men. 

Our hymn today was originally written in German by Johann Wilhelm Hey and translated into English by E.L. Jorgenson in 1921.  “Can You Count the Stars?” echoes Job’s descriptions of God’s greatness, especially 26:7.  That such an almighty God could be concerned with mankind is too marvelous to comprehend. 

Can you count the stars of evening
That are shining in the sky?
Can you count the clouds that daily
Over all the world go by?
God the Lord, who doth not slumber,
Keepeth all the boundless number:
But He careth more for thee,
But He careth more for thee.

Can you count the birds that warble
In the sunshine all the day?
Can you count the little fishes
That in sparkling waters play?
God the Lord their number knoweth,
For each one His care he showeth:
Shall He not remember thee?
Shall He not remember thee?

Can you count the many children
In their little beds at night,
Who with out a thought of sorrow
Rise again at morning light?
God the Lord, who dwells in heaven,
Loving care to each has given:
He has not forgotten thee,
He has not forgotten thee.