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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Job 25
Alas, there is still much about the book of Job that I simply do not get. It certainly makes me think about Jesus in a lot of ways, but I can’t put its message all together in a tidy little package all wrapped up in a pretty bow. Bildad’s statement in Job 25 is a good example of this. He said, “How can a human be justified before God? How can one born of a woman be pure?” (Job 25:4). I’m thinking that a lot of people in Jesus’ day may have thought the same thing. The truth is, however, that not only was Jesus, a human, fully righteous, but all who believe in Him are also justified before God through Him.
Bildad also mentions, “a son of man, who is a worm” (Job 25:6b), which likewise makes me think of Jesus. Besides that familiar “son of man” reference, this statement also points to the Messianic prophecy in Psalms 22:6. “But I am a worm and not a man”. That Psalm goes on to say, “…scorned by mankind and despised by people. Everyone who sees me mocks me” (Ps. 22:6b-7a). That part sounds a lot like Job’s complaint.
So perhaps Job is one of the many Old Testament characters who foreshadow Christ – typologies of Christ, I believe they are called. I actually sense something a little more than that, though. Job seems to me to be more of a foreshadowing of our union with Christ. I don’t know if that’s the best way to say it, but it has to do with how we share in His suffering so that we can also share in His righteousness. We then become like Him because we are one with Him
Job 26-27
As much as I see glimpses of Jesus in Job and his story, I also see glimpses of us, as believers. One of the repeated themes of the Bible is that this life will not be easy for God’s people and that we must cling to our faith through whatever comes. We find this theme in Job’s story. Though He felt battered by God, or you could say because of God, he declared, “as long as my breath is still in me…I will maintain my integrity until I die. I will cling to my righteousness and never let it go.” (Job. 27:3a, 6). So it is for us. Though we suffer, especially when it is because of our faith, we must cling to Christ, our righteousness and never let Him go.