Chapter 25 - The Third Cycle of Speeches - Bildad
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25:1-3
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God's omnipotence
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25:4-6
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Man's impotence
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The brevity of Bildad's response and the silence of Zophar
indicates that the arguments of the friends are malnourished. They are too weak
to continue. Bildad does not explain why the wicked appear to prosper and makes
no attempt to address Job's challenge (24:25). The friends have very much
withdrawn from the action. This is reinforced by the fact that Bildad's final
words are woefully anaemic. He merely restates the omnipotence of God and
listlessly attacks Job's perceived confidence in his personal righteousness.
His friends' undeclared admission of defeat motivates Job to
utter a series of monologues that continue until Elihu enters the discussion in
chapter 32.
25:1-3 God's omnipotence
It is as if Bildad makes an excursion into heaven itself as he
reports the greatness of God. God has dominion and fear. He has limitless
resources wherein He can establish order in the heights of heaven (25:2). He
commands all the hosts of heaven; His celestial armies which are many in number
(Isa 40:26). His light illuminates the whole world. Nothing escapes His view
(2:3).
What has Bildad added to the discussion? Nothing. Job would
not disagree with such expressions. So what is Bildad's point?
25:4-6 Man's impotence
His point is that God is so great, so majestic, so mighty,
that no man can presume to be righteous before Him. Bildad has returned to one
of the earlier conclusions made by Eliphaz (4:17 - later reinforced in
15:14-15). The point is valid except that Bildad has placed God in such an
unapproachable majesty as to suggest that man counts for absolutely nothing in
God's mind. By inferring this, Bildad is contradicting the theory of exact
retribution wherein God is compelled to respond in accordance with an
established formula.
In Bildad's reckoning, man is completely and utterly despised.
Man (enosh) is a worm (rimmah - 25:6a). In using
rimmah, Bildad is latching onto a word that is used on four
earlier occasions, always by Job (7:5, 17:14, 21:26, 24:20). It is like Job has
a fixation with worms and if the symptoms of Job's skin complaint are recorded
literally then it is little wonder. Rimmah refers to the "maggot,
worm of decay" (TWOT) and always in the context of decay and corruption. Weak,
mortal man is no better than the maggots that infested the sores on Job's
ravaged body.
Not content with that allusion, Bildad introduces another word
from his thesaurus as he concludes his speech with "the son of man
(adam), a worm (tolea)" (AV rendering without the
italicised words). Weak, mortal men (enosh) are maggots before
God. In fact, all mankind (adam) is like the coccus worm
(tolea) whose body is crushed to make scarlet dye (see G S
Cansdale "Animals of Bible Lands" Paternoster Press, 1970, p236-237).
Tolea is used to symbolise the weakness and
insignificance of man (Psa 22:6; Isa 41:14) as well as being the Hebrew word for
an especially destructive and repugnant creature (Deut 28:39; Isa 14:11, 66:24;
Jonah 4:7). How could Job possibly assert his innocence before Almighty God?
How could anybody, including Bildad, perceive themselves to be anything more
than the most disgusting of God's creation?
On this cheery note, Bildad ends his speaking and the speaking
of his two companions. In this, his final hurrah, Bildad has dramatically
overstated his case and placed himself within such narrow strictures that he has
left himself no room to manoeuvre. The stage is now solely Job's to
dominate.
