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Job Chapter 25 These are Bildad’s final words. “How then can a man be righteous before God?” “Even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in His sight.” The greatness of God and the smallness of man are spoken of. Bildad’s conclusion is simple. God is great. Man is small. Man cannot be righteous. There is a measure of truth in these words. But the problem is that they are directed at Job. When people become aware of their smallness, they fall silent. But that sile

Job Chapter 24 Bringing frustration as it is before God. Job speaks. “Why are times not set by the Almighty?” “The wicked move boundary markers.” Injustice is being done. The weak are suffering. Yet judgment cannot be seen. Why does He not stop it? Why does He only seem to watch? Injustice continues. The weak suffer. God remains silent. Job continues to speak that frustration toward God. He does not swallow his complaint. He does not remain silent. The frustration toward God’

Job Chapter 23 Job speaks. “I go forward, but He is not there.” “I turn back, but I cannot see Him.” Job is searching for God. The silence deepens. He is turning toward God. He is searching. Searching for a God he cannot see. When God cannot be seen, people become uneasy. Where is He? Am I being heard? They try to find Him. They try to make sure. Yet still, He cannot be seen. Then Job says: “He knows the way that I take.” Something changes here. I was trying to find God. Yet

Job Chapter 22 Eliphaz speaks again. “Can a person be righteous and benefit God?” “Is not your wickedness great?” He begins to declare Job’s guilt. The perspective shifts here. Is righteousness for God’s sake? Do human actions affect God? People try to hold their righteousness as value. To be right. To live rightly. They believe it carries meaning. Yet when it is directed toward God, righteousness becomes like a transaction. Eliphaz sees Job’s suffering, searches for a cause,

Job Chapter 21 Job speaks. “Why do the wicked live on, growing old and increasing in power?” “Their houses are safe, free from fear.” The reality is spoken: the wicked prosper. The logic of his friends begins to collapse. The wicked perish. The righteous are protected. People believe that if they are right, they will be rewarded. If they are wrong, they will be judged. But reality does not follow this pattern. Job looks at reality. He challenges his friends’ logic. Yet his qu

Job Chapter 20 Zophar speaks again. “The joy of the wicked is short.” “Their delight lasts only a moment.” The prosperity of the wicked does not endure. Time is emphasized. Even if one prospers now, it soon comes to an end. The number of one’s days is spoken of. People judge by what they see now. Doing well. Suffering. From there, they try to draw conclusions. And those conclusions are laid upon Job. When a person is measured by time, it leans not toward God’s perspective, bu

Job Chapter 19 Job speaks. “How long will you torment me?” “My close friends have abandoned me.” People have left him. Words do not reach. Job is alone. Everything is falling away. People. Support. Understanding. Nothing remains. Yet Job says: “I know 　　　that my Redeemer lives.” In the midst of collapse, there is still a word spoken. Not an explanation. Not a defense. Not knowledge. From the place where everything has been lost, one word emerges. “I know 　　　　that my Redeemer

Job Chapter 18 When a conclusion comes first, what you see may not be the other person, but your own framework. Bildad speaks again. “The light of the wicked is put out.” “The flame of his lamp is extinguished.” The end of the wicked is declared. The conclusion is spoken first. The wicked will perish. The light goes out. The outcome is clear. People seek conclusions. What will happen? Where will it lead? Because if they know, they believe they can feel at ease. Yet that concl

Job Chapter 17 Job speaks. “My spirit is broken; my days are finished.” “The grave alone awaits me.” Job is looking at the end. Hope is not spoken. There is a future. There is restoration. Yet those words are not in sight. When hope cannot be seen, a person cannot move forward. Where do we go? What do we wait for? Those questions fall into silence. Job sees only the end. “The grave alone awaits me,” he says. Yet he does not stop speaking. Without seeing hope, he continues to

Job Chapter 16 Job speaks. There were words. But they did not reach. “You are all miserable comforters.” “Your words of comfort are empty.” Job rejects his friends’ words. There are words. Words of comfort. Words that are right. Yet they do not reach. People speak to those who suffer. They want to support. They want to help. Yet those words can become heavy. Comfort does not become comfort. Why do right words not reach? It may not be a problem of the words themselves. It may