(REFLECTIONS ON Job 18:1-21; Job 19:1-29)

Bildad doubles down on his perspective that the wicked will be taken care of by the Lord. 

18:5 “Indeed, the light of the wicked goes out, 
And the flame of his fire gives not light.
18:6 “The light in his tent is darkened,
And his lamp goes out above him.

In the end, Bildad believes that the wicked will end up in darkness, “and this is the place of him who does not know God.”

There is truth to what Bildad says. In fact, there is truth to what all of Job’s friends observe and experience in the world. However, it is the direct causal relationship, trying to turn God’s will into a set of rules, formulas, and predictable pathways that gets them in trouble.

Job himself sees himself as an exception, an anomaly that breaks the formula, that shows what his friends think of as truth, fact, and wisdom, as flawed. Yet, Job himself cannot understand and explain the correct formula. He just knows that his friends’ way of seeing the world and understanding his suffering is flawed.

Job knows his wisdom is flawed, and he knows his friends’ wisdom is also flawed, so what is the one thing that Job can hold on to, given that even the greatest human mind will only lead to a flawed conclusion?

It is here that we reach a passage in today’s Scripture that many people know of, that worship songs have been written about, but perhaps not many people know it is from the Book of Job. It reminds us that although our thinking is often times flawed, the only solution is to trust in that which is not flawed, and that is God.

19:25 “As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives,
And at the last He will take His stand on the earth.
19:26 “Even after my skin is destroyed,
Yet from my flesh I shall see God;

On the human level, our thinking, our hope, our answers are flawed because we are not the source, the creator, nor are we God. Today’s Scripture reminds us that we don’t have to know it all, understand it all, or even to be understood by the world, but to hold firm to the belief that our Redeemer lives, and in the end, He will take His stand on the earth.

Job will pass, his friends will pass, all wars, conflicts and chaos will pass, but I know that my Redeemer lives and, in the end, He will be the last one standing. Even after our bodies are destroyed. Even after all world powers and powerful people are destroyed, those that put their trust in the Redeemer will see God.

So, our focus should not be on people, things, life, death, success, or tragedy as the foundation of our hope, because none of these things lasts forever. Instead, our focus should be on the One who does, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, through whom we will behold the glory of God.

That is why the direction of our lives must be shaped by our trust in the Redeemer. Our hope is to see God, through Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to the glory of God.

Pastor Michael Lu
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Job 18
Enduring Word Bible Commentary: Job 19