You Mean Something to God!

In the midst of Job's suffering, one of his friends, Bildad, said the following to him:

"Dominion and fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His high places. Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise? How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman? If even the moon does not shine, and the stars are not pure in His sight, how much less man, who is a maggot, and a son of man, who is a worm?" (Job 25)

Bildad was attempting to bring Job down a notch. He was trying to prove to his suffering friend that he wasn't so righteous after all and that he had no right to boast before God. After all, God is SO great and SO powerful...so who are we to stand against Him?

I enjoy playing basketball, and I feel that I'm a decent player in my own right. But would I challenge Kobe Bryant or Lebron James in a game of one on one? I wouldn't stand a chance! That's kind of Bildad's point here in this passage.

But I would suggest to you that while Bildad's premise is absolutely correct - and beautifully worded, I might add - his conclusions are just a bit off...

God's greatness should certainly humble us. But is Bildad right in saying that because of God's greatness, we cannot possibly be righteous before him? And is he right in saying that men are mere maggots before God? Again, I can appreciate the sense of humility, but in Job 1, we get to see Job from God's perspective. How did God view Job? As an unrighteous maggot? No! God said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, one who fears God and shuns evil?" (Job 1:8).

The sovereignty and brilliance of God is truly astounding. And if God were at all like the so-called gods of the world (Baal, Zeus, etc.), Bildad's point would be valid. But our God, in addition to being omnipotent and majestic, is also a God of incredible love and mercy.

While we are truly undeserving of God's grace, and while "all have sinned and fall short" of His glory, we are more than maggots before Him. We may feel like maggots at times, but unlike the maggots, we have been made in the image of God and, like Job, can bring pleasure to God.

Bildad's words in Job 25 are quite lovely. His premise is 100% true...and something that I appreciate more and more each day. But thanks to God's loving nature and the gift of His Son, we can be righteous before Him and pleasing to Him.

You mean something to God!

What a thought!