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Job Chapter 25
Bildad Speaks: Man Cannot Be Righteous
This is Bildad's last words. The third
time he was to speak and what an opening for the gospel for those
that choose to use it. His words of course are aimed at Job but his
picture of God is flawed.
- Job 25:2 Dominion
and fear are with him, he maketh peace in his high places.
- 3 Is there any
number of his armies? and upon whom doth not his light arise?
This part is true. God is great and His
power is unlimited, His greatness can't be compared with anything.
This is spoken here to Job because of Job's defense of Himself. His
point is to say to Job he can't possibly be righteous before God.
- Job 25:4 How then
can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is
born of a woman?
- 5 Behold even to the
moon, and it shineth not; yea, the stars are not pure in his
sight.
- 6 How much less man,
that is a worm? and the son of man, which is a worm?
In the book of Genesis chapter one we
see that God made everything and it was good. God was pleased with
His creation. At this time man and female were both created perfect,
flawless and pure. This was until sin entered into the world and
caused a curse upon all the earth because the dominion over the
earth was given to Adam.
-
Genesis 1:27 So God created
man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male
and female created he them.
-
28 And God blessed them, and
God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the
earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the
sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth.
When Adam believed the enemy in chapter three
of Genesis instead of
obeying what God commanded, that brought in a curse upon all the
earth. That curse will continue until Jesus returns to set up His
righteous kingdom. The curse in our own lives can be cancelled and
stopped the minute one turns to Jesus for salvation and turns away
from sin. Our old bodies still may suffer death but our souls will
be saved. We now await our new bodies that will come at the
resurrection.
Those alive at the Lord's coming will be changed and
made perfect and new. This is only true for those that come to
Christ by faith. Unbelief and disobedience caused the fall of man. A
perfect man was the only way to reverse this. That is why God the
Son had to become one of us yet never sin to be able to be killed
and take the payment for sin upon Himself. Through faith in Jesus we
can have that curse reverse within us forever.
So it is true a no one can be justified
before God until He or she comes to Christ. Before Jesus came
obeying the law and offering sacrifices pointed to the perfect
sacrifice to come. God through His Son Jesus brought forth a human
man born of woman yet one that had no sin all the days of His
earthly life. When He was crucified, the perfect sinless man paid
for our sins. He had no sin Himself. None. So the perfect just man
could then reverse the curse that came upon man in the garden of
Eden.
The curse of sin is broken when we believe this and receive
Jesus by asking for forgiveness and allowing Him to cleanse us of
sin and give us salvation, eternal life and the gift of the Holy
Spirit. We become a new creature in Christ and justified. He will
then even baptize us in the Holy Spirit to give us power to share
this gospel with others.
So to answer Bildad who was speaking way
before Jesus came, it would look as if justification was impossible
unless He knew ahead of time of that one who was to come and die for
sins. Some in the Old Testament did know and were waiting for that
time. That is why they made sacrifices that were not perfect but
pointed to the time when the perfect sacrifice was made.
The blood
of Jesus is the only way to cleanse us from sin and make us
justified before God. We receive Him by faith. Faith in what He did
do when He died on the cross and they were justified by faith by
believing in the promise of God to send that perfect one. They
looked forward to that time while we look backward to that time. To
us He already came the first time as an offering for our sins.
The reason God accepted Abel's sacrifice
and not Cain's was because Abel's sacrifice was by faith. Abel knew
he needed God. His heart cried out to God in his sacrifice. Cain
made a sacrifice too but was not by faith.
Hebrews chapter 10 and then chapter 11
explains this further. I have included chapter 11 here but chapter
10 actually starts the explanation of sacrifices and the future
coming of the perfect sacrifice.
- Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
- 2 For by it the elders obtained a
good report.
- 3 Through faith we understand that
the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are
seen were not made of things which do appear.
- 4 By faith Abel offered unto God a
more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he
being dead yet speaketh.
- 5 By faith Enoch was translated that
he should not see death; and was not found, because God had
translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony,
that he pleased God.
- 6 But without faith it is impossible
to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
- 7 By faith Noah, being warned of God
of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the
saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became
heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
- 8 By faith Abraham, when he was
called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an
inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
- 9 By faith he sojourned in the land
of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with
Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
- 10 For he looked for a city which
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.
- 11 Through faith also Sara herself
received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child
when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had
promised.
- 12 Therefore sprang there even of
one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in
multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.
- 13 These all died in faith, not
having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and
were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they
were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.
- 14 For they that say such things
declare plainly that they seek a country.
- 15 And truly, if they had been
mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have
had opportunity to have returned.
- 16 But now they desire a better
country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be
called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.
- 17 By faith Abraham, when he was
tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises
offered up his only begotten son,
- 18 Of whom it was said, That in
Isaac shall thy seed be called:
- 19 Accounting that God was able to
raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him
in a figure.
- 20 By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and
Esau concerning things to come.
- 21 By faith Jacob, when he was a
dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon
the top of his staff.
- 22 By faith Joseph, when he died,
made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave
commandment concerning his bones.
- 23 By faith Moses, when he was born,
was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a
proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
- 24 By faith Moses, when he was come
to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
- 25 Choosing rather to suffer
affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a season;
- 26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ
greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto
the recompence of the reward.
- 27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not
fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is
invisible.
- 28 Through faith he kept the
passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the
firstborn should touch them.
- 29 By faith they passed through the
Red sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were
drowned.
- 30 By faith the walls of Jericho
fell down, after they were compassed about seven days.
- 31 By faith the harlot Rahab
perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the
spies with peace.
- 32 And what shall I more say? for
the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of
Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the
prophets:
- 33 Who through faith subdued
kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the
mouths of lions,
- 34 Quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong,
waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
- 35 Women received their dead raised
to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance;
that they might obtain a better resurrection:
- 36 And others had trial of cruel
mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
- 37 They were stoned, they were sawn
asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered
about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted,
tormented;
- 38 (Of whom the world was not
worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and
caves of the earth.
- 39 And these all, having obtained a
good report through faith, received not the promise:
- 40 God having provided some better
thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Yes a person can be justified before God
by receiving the gospel of Jesus Christ, the only way to be saved.
DC
Job Chapter 26
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