Precious In His Sight - Job 25-26

Job 25:1-6 (ESV)

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:

“Dominion and fear are with God;

he makes peace in his high heaven.

Is there any number to his armies?

Upon whom does his light not arise?

How then can man be in the right before God?

How can he who is born of woman be pure?

Behold, even the moon is not bright,

and the stars are not pure in his eyes;

how much less man, who is a maggot,

and the son of man, who is a worm!”

This is Job’s friend, Bildad, giving his final speech.  He came to Job to comfort him.  He ends up telling Job is nothing more than a maggot and a worm.   That must have brought great comfort to Job.  Not only did he lose all of his kids and all his property and all his servants and all his reputation.  Now, his “friend” calls him a worm and maggot.   The interesting thing about Bildad’s speech is theologically he is might be on point, but he makes for a very bad counselor.     Here is what on commentary said about his speech:

(Understanding the Bible Commentary Series - Old Testament Set (18 vols.)) Bildad’s final argument is simple enough, although not new: God is exalted and firmly in control. If he rules even over the powerful heavenly beings and can call on them to enforce his will, how can mere humans resist? Since humans are by nature sinful and weak, they cannot expect to be pure before God and—as lowly maggots—they must accept God’s judgment.

He is not totally wrong. If you compare mankind to all of creation and you compare us to the rest of the universe, we are lowly creatures.  However, Bildad did forget that we are the capstone of God’s creation.  On the sixth day of creation, the final day, God made mankind.   We are the cherry on the top of all God made.   Bildad is trying to see simply say we are ONLY a created thing and what gives us (or Job) the right to question God.   On that point he is correct.   But, in reality, we are the culmination of all God created and we are the apple of His eye, since He even sent His Son to die to redeem us.  Jesus didn’t die from a maggot or a worm.   What Bildad (and his two other friends) keep failing to see (they could not know this) is that Job was so precious in God’s eyes that God ask Satan if he had considered Job.   That meant that God was putting Job on a pedestal and thought kindly toward him.  That is not a worm or maggot.  God is in complete control.  God has made the universe for His enjoyment.  Nothing is pure in God’s eyes unless it is covered by Christ blood, believed by faith.  But, mankind is not a maggot or worm in God’s eyes.  We are precious in His sight:

1 Peter 2:4 (ESV)

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious,