Job 23-26
How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure?
Job 25:4
Required Reading
Devotional
Here is one of the challenges I've had with Job's friends...they made some very valid points.
Consider these words from Bildad in Chapter 25.
Bars.
Bildad is making the same case that many throughout the Biblical canon have made.
Paul said, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23).
John said, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us., (1 John 1:8)
King Solomon said, Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins., (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
I think you get the point.
What Bildad said was absolutely true. Whether it was the right thing to say in the moment is a conversation for last week's devotionals that I encourage you to check out. But today I just want to take a moment to reflect on this very true statement. All of mankind has sinned. None of us are righteous. No one.
And I think this is relevant for a common question posed to followers of Jesus by unbelievers, a question we explored earlier this year. "If God is so good, why is there so much evil in the world?"
Well Bildad answers that for us by reminding us that the evil in the world is not God's fault, it is our fault. It is because humanity is selfish, prideful and wicked. Because humanity will find reasons to be divided, (see: blue bubbles vs. green bubbles). We are never satisfied with what we have and will do whatever it takes to get more.
Look back on human history.
Was the Transatlantic Slave trade God's idea?
Did God command Hitler to remove Jesus' Jewish heritage?
You think America created concentration camps in the name of Jesus?
No. Humanity is to blame for all of it. We are the problem.
Take time to reflect on your own sin nature. How have your desires and actions contributed to the evil we experience in the world? Why does it matter that our default setting is evil?
Ask God to reveal to you His truth and equip you with the evidence to support it for both yourself, and for others you know.
Consider these words from Bildad in Chapter 25.
How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of woman be pure? If even the moon does not shine and the stars are not pure in his sight, how much less a human, who is a maggot, a son of man, who is a worm!
Bars.
Bildad is making the same case that many throughout the Biblical canon have made.
Paul said, For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23).
John said, If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us., (1 John 1:8)
King Solomon said, Surely there is not a righteous man on earth who does good and never sins., (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
I think you get the point.
What Bildad said was absolutely true. Whether it was the right thing to say in the moment is a conversation for last week's devotionals that I encourage you to check out. But today I just want to take a moment to reflect on this very true statement. All of mankind has sinned. None of us are righteous. No one.
And I think this is relevant for a common question posed to followers of Jesus by unbelievers, a question we explored earlier this year. "If God is so good, why is there so much evil in the world?"
Well Bildad answers that for us by reminding us that the evil in the world is not God's fault, it is our fault. It is because humanity is selfish, prideful and wicked. Because humanity will find reasons to be divided, (see: blue bubbles vs. green bubbles). We are never satisfied with what we have and will do whatever it takes to get more.
Look back on human history.
Was the Transatlantic Slave trade God's idea?
Did God command Hitler to remove Jesus' Jewish heritage?
You think America created concentration camps in the name of Jesus?
No. Humanity is to blame for all of it. We are the problem.
Take time to reflect on your own sin nature. How have your desires and actions contributed to the evil we experience in the world? Why does it matter that our default setting is evil?
Ask God to reveal to you His truth and equip you with the evidence to support it for both yourself, and for others you know.
Reflection Questions
- How have your desires and actions contributed to the evil we experience in the world?
- Why does it matter that our default setting is evil?
- What does it say about God that he loves us despite our sinful nature? (See Romans 5:8)
- Is there evil in the world that you can't trace back to actions of human?
Go Deeper
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