Job 18:21: “Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God.”

December 13th, 2023 by Pastor Ed in devotional

Bildad attacked his friend Job for the second time. His flawed theology was that God did not allow the righteous to suffer, as Job clearly was; therefore, Job could not be innocent. He must be suffering because of hidden sin in his life. This chapter is filled with what Bildad believed would happen in the lives of ungodly people. Most of it is of the “turn or burn” style of preaching, which we have all heard before.

Job knew he was suffering. He also knew he wasn’t wicked. As he struggled to reconcile these two facts, the one thing he knew for certain was that his friends’ take on his situation was incorrect. What Job was coming to understand was that bad things happen to people who love God and have repented of their sins. Jesus said so in Matthew 5:45: “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Job was learning that we live in an imperfect world that is broken by sin. A broken world is not a fair world, but we aren’t left hopeless as the judge of all the earth will someday settle all accounts.

There is an old story about a farmer in the Midwest who had a strong disdain for anything “religious.” As he plowed his field on Sunday mornings, he would shake his fist at church people as they passed by on their way to worship. October came and he had the finest crop he had ever had, the biggest yield of the county. When the harvesting was complete, he bought an entire page of space in the local newspaper, where he belittled believers for their faith in God. Near the end of his rant he wrote: “Faith in God must not mean much if someone like me can prosper.” In the next edition of the town paper, a brief response appeared: “God doesn’t always settle His accounts in October.” How much better for us to throw ourselves, now, on the mercy of Jesus, who died for our sins, while we might still serve Him.

“Thank You, LORD, that You have revealed Yourself to us in Your word. Please guide us this day.”

=============================================================

Job 18 KJV

¹ Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, ² How long will it be ere ye make an end of words? mark, and afterwards we will speak. ³ Wherefore are we counted as beasts, and reputed vile in your sight? ⁴ He teareth himself in his anger: shall the earth be forsaken for thee? and shall the rock be removed out of his place? ⁵ Yea, the light of the wicked shall be put out, and the spark of his fire shall not shine. ⁶ The light shall be dark in his tabernacle, and his candle shall be put out with him.  ⁷ The steps of his strength shall be straitened, and his own counsel shall cast him down. ⁸ For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walketh upon a snare. ⁹The gin shall take him by the heel, and the robber shall prevail against him. ¹⁰ The snare is laid for him in the ground, and a trap for him in the way.  ¹¹ Terrors shall make him afraid on every side, and shall drive him to his feet.  ¹²His strength shall be hungerbitten, and destruction shall be ready at his side. ¹³ It shall devour the strength of his skin: even the firstborn of death shall devour his strength.  ¹⁴ His confidence shall be rooted out of his tabernacle, and it shall bring him to the king of terrors. ¹⁵ It shall dwell in his tabernacle, because it is none of his: brimstone shall be scattered upon his habitation. ¹⁶ His roots shall be dried up beneath, and above shall his branch be cut off. ¹⁷ His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street. ¹⁸ He shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world.  ¹⁹ He shall neither have son nor nephew among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. ²⁰ They that come after him shall be astonied at his day, as they that went before were affrighted.  ²¹ Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him thatknoweth not God.