“How Thou canst think so well of us, Yet be the God Thou art, Is darkness to my intellect, But sunshine to my heart.” —F.W. Faber
1236. Job concludes his speech with a challenge: “Now if it is not so, who will prove me a liar, and make my speech worth nothing?” (Job 24:25). As if he needs to ask! Bildad is ready— although he never addresses any of the issues Job raised. Instead he gives a brief study in contrasts between God and man. He begins, “Dominion and fear belong to Him; He makes peace in His high places” (25:2). Dominion speaks of the range of His authority; He has the right to rule everywhere and there are no boundaries to His kingdom. Fear (Heb, pahad) is the reflexive response of those who come into contact with Him. In fact, Jacob calls Him “the Fear of Isaac” (Gen 31:42). That visceral reaction s hows we take Him seriously. Because of the complete control He exercises, no one dares oppose Him. Thus, “He makes peace in His high places.” To prove his points, Bildad asks two rhetorical questions. “Is there any number to His armies? Upon whom does His light not rise?” (Job 25:3). The first question claims that peace reigns because His might is vastly superior to all others. The second question reminds us that the sun never sets on His empire. Following this is the pivotal point, the central verse in the chiasm. “How then can man be righteous before God? Or how can he be pure who is born of a woman?” (v 4). If God is supremely right, then man is sinfully wrong. How does he dare to face One whose perfections surpass even His celestial creations (see v 5)? If we haven’t already noticed, the speaker is terribly lopsided in his assessment. Is God not also gracious, loving, kind, and patient? And as for men being maggots and worms (v 6), he needs to be informed by the Lord what He thinks of this world of sinners (see Jn 3:16)!