A study of the book of Job

#12  How Faint a Whisper! Job 25-28

“Every year makes me tremble at the daring with which people speak of spiritual things.” -- Bishop Brooke F. Westcott

Bildad’s speech in Job 25 is the shortest in the book and focuses on God’s power (vv. 1-3) and justice (vv. 4-6). It is disturbing to see how Job’s friends speak so knowingly about God when, in the end, God revealed that they really didn’t know what they were talking about. Too often, those who say the most about God know the least about God.

God’s power is inherent in His nature (vv. 1-3): He has all dominion and fear (“awe”) and reigns sovereignly in the heavens. He has everything under control and sees what is going on in all places. His army of angels is at His command and ready to obey His will. Who can resist Him?

God’s justice is the outworking of His holy nature (vv. 4-6), for “God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all” (1 John 1:5). Since God is holy and just, how can mere man claim to be righteous before Him? (Remember, Job was holding fast to his integrity and refusing to confess that his sins had brought God’s judgment on him.) Since man is born of woman, he is born with a sinful nature (Ps. 51:5). In the East, the moon and stars shine with great brilliance; but even they are not pure in God’s sight. How can a mere man claim to be righteous before God, man who is nothing but a maggot and a worm? (See Job 4:17-18; 8:20; 9:2.) Now, we listen to Job’s reply.

1. Job acknowledges God’s power (Job 26)

Before magnifying God’s great power in the universe, Job first rebuked Bildad for giving him no help (Job 26:1-4). Job had no power, but Bildad didn’t make him stronger. According to his friends, Job lacked wisdom; yet Bildad didn’t share one piece of wisdom or insight. “Who has helped you utter these words? And whose spirit spoke from your mouth?” (v. 4, niv) If Bildad’s words had come from God, then they would have done Job good; for Job had been crying out for God to speak to him. The conclusion is that Bildad’s words came from Bildad, and that’s why they did Job no good.

Then Job extolled the greatness of God (vv. 5-13). God sees everything, even the realm of the dead (vv. 5-6). Job used three different names for the place of the dead: the waters, Sheol, and “destruction” (Abaddon, Rev. 9:11). If God sees what’s going on in the world of the dead, then surely He knows what is happening in the world of the living!

God not only sees everything, but He made everything and controls it (Job 26:7-13). Job began his hymn of praise with a statement about God’s power in the heavens (vv. 7-9), and he described the earth with remarkable scientific accuracy (v. 7). God also controls the clouds and the rain.

Job then moved his attention to the earth (vv. 10-11) and praised God for marking out the horizon where the sun rises and sets. He is the God who controls day and night, land and water. The “pillars of heaven” is a poetic phrase for the mountains; they rest on earth, but they seem to hold up the heavens. All God has to do is speak, and the mountains tremble (9:6).

The last stanza of Job’s hymn centers on God’s power in the waters (26:12-13). God can stir up the sea or still it as He desires, and He has power over sea creatures (“Rahab” and “the gliding serpent,” niv). He can blow the storm clouds away and clear the sky after the storm.

The three friends must have listened impatiently because they already knew the things Job was talking about; but they hadn’t drawn the right conclusion from them. Because they saw God’s handiwork in nature, they thought they knew all about God; and therefore they could explain God to Job.

Job said that just the opposite was true. “Behold, these are the fringes of His ways; and how faint a word we hear of Him! But His mighty thunder, who can understand?” (v. 14, nasb) What we see of God in creation is but the fringes of His ways, and what we hear is but a whisper of His power! You may read The Book of Nature carefully and still have a great deal more to learn about God. Knowing a few facts about the creation of God is not the same as knowing truths about the God of Creation.

The fourteenth-century British spiritual writer Richard Rolle said, “He truly knows God perfectly that finds Him incomprehensible and unable to be known.” The more we learn about God, the more we discover how much more there is to know! Beware of people who claim to know all about God, for their claim is proof they know neither God not themselves.

2. Job questions God’s justice (Job 27)

Bildad had made it clear that since God is holy, no man can stand righteous in His sight (Job 25:4-6). The corollary to this proposition is that God is obligated to punish people for their sins; otherwise, He would not be a righteous God. If Job is suffering, it must be that Job is sinning.

Job takes an oath (Job 27:1-6).

Once again, Job stood fast in affirming his integrity (10:1-7; 13:13-19; 19:23-27; 23:2-7); but this time, he gave an oath: “As God lives” (27:2). Among Eastern people in that day, taking an oath was a serious matter. It was like inviting God to kill you if what you said was not true. Job was so sure of himself that he was willing to take that chance.

Job also repeated his charge that God was not treating him fairly (“[He] has denied me justice,” v. 2, niv). Job had asked God to declare the charges against him, but the heavens had been silent. Job had called for an umpire to bring him and God together, but no umpire had been provided.

So, Job declared that, as long as he lived, he would defend himself and maintain his integrity. He would not lie just to please his friends or to “bribe” God into restoring his fortunes. (Satan would have rejoiced at that!) Job had to live with his conscience (“heart,” v. 6) no matter what his friends said or his God did to him.

Job utters a curse (Job 27:7-10).

In the East, it was not enough for accused people simply to affirm their innocence; they also felt compelled to call down the wrath of God on those who said they were guilty. Job’s words remind us of the “imprecatory psalms” (Pss. 58, 69, 137, etc.) in that they are a prayer for God’s judgment on his enemies.

Who were Job’s enemies? Anybody who agreed with Job’s three friends that he was guilty of sin and deserved to be punished by God. While this conversation had been going on, many people had likely gathered around the ash heap and listened to the debate; and most of them probably sided with Bildad, Zophar, and Eliphaz. Job could see the spectators nod their heads in agreement with his friends, and he knew that he was outnumbered.

Job’s words sound cruel to us, especially in light of what we are taught about forgiving our enemies by both Jesus (Matt. 5:38-48) and Paul (Rom. 12:17-21). But Job lived even before the Mosaic Law was given, let alone the Sermon on the Mount; and we must not expect him to manifest the kind of spirit that was seen in Jesus (Luke 23:34) and Stephen (Acts 7:60).

However, in the sight of God, Job was right. God had twice declared before the court of heaven that Job was “a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8; 2:3, nkjv). Therefore, Job’s enemies were wrong; and Job had the right to ask God to vindicate him. In fact, God was the only one who could prove Job right and his enemies wrong. Where else could Job turn for help?

The three friends had repeatedly warned Job about the terrible destiny of the wicked, so Job threw their words right back at them. “May my enemies be like the wicked, my adversaries like the unjust” (27:7, niv). Job saw his enemies experiencing great distress, calling out to God for help but getting no answer, and then being suddenly cut off by death. But isn’t that the very judgment Job’s friends predicted for him and probably hoped would come?

Bildad had affirmed that God is just and punishes those who disobey Him. But this does not mean that everybody who suffers is being punished for his or her sins. Sometimes we suffer because of the sins of others (e.g., Joseph) or because God is keeping us from sin (e.g., Paul in 2 Cor. 12). Jesus suffered, not for His own sins, for He had none, but for the sins of the world (1 Peter 2:22-24; 3:18); and because His suffering and death, sinners can believe and receive eternal life.

Job teaches a lesson (Job 27:11-23).

“I will teach you about the power of God” (27:11, niv), says Job; and he describes God’s judgment of the wicked. On the day when God vindicates Job, this is what will happen to his enemies.

They will die, and their widows will not mourn for them, a terrible insult in the Eastern world. Their children will be slain by the sword or the plague; and if any survive, they will spend the rest of their lives begging for something to eat. The wicked will lie down rich and wake up poor. Their silver and expensive clothing will be gone. Their houses will be destroyed like cocoons (or spiders’ webs), or like the temporary shacks of the watchmen in the fields. The death of the wicked will not be peaceful. Terrors will come in at night like a flood and carry him away. Even if the wicked try to flee, the storm will follow them and destroy them.

You can recognize in this description many of the images that Job’s friends used in their “judgment” speeches against him. Job did this deliberately to remind them that they had better be careful what they say lest they declare their own punishment. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you” (Matt. 7:1-2, nkjv).

Scripture records several instances where the judgment planned by an enemy was brought home to that enemy by the Lord. Pharaoh ordered the newborn Jewish boys to be drowned, and his own army was drowned in the Red Sea (Ex. 1:15-22; 14:23-31). Haman built a gallows on which to hang Mordecai, but Haman and his sons were hanged there instead (Es. 7:10; 9:25). Daniel’s enemies tried to have him destroyed, but they and their families ended up in the lions’ den in the place of Daniel (Dan. 6:24). (See Prov. 11:8.)

Scholars do not agree on the interpretation of Job 27:23. The nasb reads, “Men will clap their hands at him, and will hiss him from his place,” and most translations agree with that; but the word men is not in the original text. It simply reads, “He claps his hands against him.” Who is “he”? Elmer B. Smick in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary suggests that it might be God, and that verse 23 should be connected with verse 13 where “God” is the subject of the sentence (vol. 4, p. 972). He translates verse 23, “He claps his hands against them and hisses at them from his dwelling [heaven].” Whether God or men, there is rejoicing at the destruction of the wicked.

3. Job seeks God’s wisdom (Job 28)

“But where shall wisdom be found?” (Job 28:12) “Where then does wisdom come from? Where does understanding dwell?” (v. 20, niv) Job asked these questions because he was weary of the clichés and platitudes that his three friends were giving him in the name of “wisdom.” His friends were sure that their words were pure gold, but Job concluded they were tinsel and trash. The three men had knowledge, but they lacked wisdom.

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge,” said Charles Spurgeon. “To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as the knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom.”

In this poem about wisdom, Job gives three answers to his question, “Where shall wisdom be found?”

You cannot mine wisdom (Job 28:1-11).

Job takes us deep into the earth where brave men are mining gold, iron, copper, and precious stones. Precious metals and precious stones are often used in Scripture as symbols of wisdom (Prov. 2:1-10; 3:13-15; 8:10-21; 1 Cor. 3:12-23). Once you have found it, you must “refine” it in the furnace and “mint” it for practical use. Paul said that the opposite of God’s wisdom is man’s wisdom—“wood, hay, and stubble”—materials that are not beautiful, durable, or valuable (1 Cor. 3:12). You can find wood, hay, and stubble on the surface of the earth; but if you want real treasures, you must dig deep.

Job describes how men work hard and face great danger to find material wealth. They tunnel through hard rock and risk their lives to get rich. Why will men and women not put that much effort into gaining God’s wisdom? The Word of God is like a deep mine, filled with precious treasures; but the believer must put forth effort to discover its riches. It takes careful reading and study, prayer, meditation, and obedience to mine the treasures of the Word of God; and the Holy Spirit of God is willing to assist us. Why are we so negligent when this great wealth lies so near at hand?

Though man can dig deep into the earth and find great wealth, though he can go places where birds and beasts would not dare to go, though he can even find the hidden sources of the great rivers, man cannot find God’s wisdom by mere human efforts. It takes more than courage and native intelligence; it demands humility and spiritual perception.

The fact that a person succeeds admirably in one area of life doesn’t mean he or she is qualified to speak about other areas of life. Advertisers use athletes to sell razors and automobiles, or actors and actresses to sell medicine. When famous scientists (who have never studied the Bible) speak authoritatively about spiritual things, their opinion is as valuable as that of any other untrained amateur theologian.

You cannot buy wisdom (Job 28:12-19).

Modern society thinks that anything can be obtained or accomplished if only you have enough money. Government agencies ask for a bigger slice of the annual budget so they can do a better job of fighting crime, ending pollution, providing jobs, and building a better environment. While a certain amount of money is necessary to survive in modern society, money is not the do-all and be-all that the world says it is. It’s good to enjoy the things money can buy (1 Tim. 6:17) if you don’t lose the things that money can’t buy.

In these verses, Job mentions gold five times, silver once, and names seven different precious stones; yet none of these treasures individually, nor all of them collectively, can purchase the wisdom of God. The real problem is that man doesn’t comprehend the price of wisdom and thinks he can get it cheaply (Job 28:13). “[Wisdom] is more precious than rubies, and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her” (Prov. 3:15, nkjv). True wisdom is expensive. It is not received automatically just because you listen to a cassette tape, attend a seminar, or listen to a dynamic speaker.

Wisdom comes only from God (Job 28:20-28).

Go as high as the birds can fly, and you won’t find wisdom there. Go as deep as Abaddon and death, and wisdom is not there. Only God knows where to find wisdom, for God sees everything. (He doesn’t have to dig into the earth to see what’s there!) God has the wisdom to adjust the pressure of the wind and measure the amount of water in the atmosphere. If these proportions were changed, what disturbances in nature might result! God knows how to control the rain and guide the storm as it moves across the earth. Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder may seem arbitrary to us, but God controls even the lightning and thunder.

Job answers his where-is-wisdom question in Job 28:28: “Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (see Ps. 111:10; Prov. 1:7; 9:10). This was God’s description of Job (Job 1:8; 2:3); so, in spite of what his friends said about him, Job was a man of wisdom.

What is “the fear of the Lord”? It is loving reverence for God, who He is, what He says, and what He does (Mal. 2:5-6). It is not a fear that paralyzes, but one that energizes. When you fear the Lord, you obey His commandments (Ecc. 12:13), walk in His ways (Deut. 8:6), and serve Him (Josh. 24:14). You are loyal to Him and give Him wholehearted service (2 Chron. 19:9). Like Job, when you fear the Lord, you depart from evil (Prov. 3:7-8). The “fear of the Lord” is the fear that conquers fear (Ps. 112); for if you fear God, you need not fear anyone else (Matt. 10:26-31).

So, the first step toward true wisdom is a reverent and respectful attitude toward God, which also involves a humble attitude toward ourselves. Personal pride is the greatest barrier to spiritual wisdom. “When pride comes, then comes shame; but with the humble is wisdom” (Prov. 11:2, nkjv).

The next step is to ask God for wisdom (James 1:5) and make diligent use of the means He gives us for securing His wisdom, especially knowing and doing the Word of God (Matt. 7:21-29). It is not enough merely to study; we must also obey what God tells us to do (John 7:17). As we walk by faith, we discover the wisdom of God in the everyday things of life. Spiritual wisdom is not abstract; it is very personal and very practical.

As we fellowship with other believers in the church and share with one another, we can learn wisdom. Reading the best books can also help us grow in wisdom and understanding. The important thing is that we focus on Christ, for He is our wisdom (1 Cor. 1:24) and in Him is hidden “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:3). The better we know Christ and the more we become like Him, the more we will walk in wisdom and understand the will of the Lord. We must allow the Holy Spirit to open the eyes of our heart so we can see God in His Word and understand more of the riches we have in Christ (Eph. 1:15-23).

Job’s speech is not yet finished. In the next three chapters, Job will review his life and then challenge God to either vindicate him or judge him. That will end the debate and usher in two new participants—Elihu and the Lord.

Last time updated: Thursday July 10, 2008 10:22 AM