Job's friend, Bildad continued comparing Job to the wicked who will be destroyed. “The light of the wicked indeed goes out, and the flame of his fire does not shine. The light is dark in his tent, and his lamp beside him is put out. The steps of his strength are shortened, and his own counsel casts him down. For he is cast into a net by his own feet, and he walks into a snare. The net takes him by the heel, and a snare lays hold of him. A noose is hidden for him on the ground, and a trap for him in the road. Terrors frighten him on every side, and drive him to his feet. His strength is starved, and destruction is ready at his side. It devours patches of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his limbs. He is uprooted from the shelter of his tent, and they parade him before the king of terrors. They dwell in his tent who are none of his; brimstone is scattered on his dwelling. His roots are dried out below, and his branch withers above. (Job 18:4-16)
"The memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name among the renowned. He is driven from light into darkness, and chased out of the world. He has neither son nor posterity among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. Those in the west are astonished at his day, as those in the east are frightened. Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God.” (Job 18:17-21) Basically, everything that Bildad described is what happened to Job, so his assumption is that Job must also be wicked because of what's happened.
Then Job answered and said: “How long will you torment my soul, and break me in pieces with words? These ten times you have reproached me; you are not ashamed that you have wronged me. And if indeed I have erred, my error remains with me. If indeed you exalt yourselves against me, and plead my disgrace against me, know then that God has wronged me, and has surrounded me with His net. (Job 19:1-6) Job countered with the fact that it was God Who had brought him to his current condition, and not because of anything he had done.
“If I cry out concerning wrong, I am not heard. If I cry aloud, there is no justice. He has fenced up my way, so that I cannot pass; and He has set darkness in my paths. He has stripped me of my glory, and taken the crown from my head. He breaks me down on every side, and I am gone; my hope He has uprooted like a tree. He has also kindled His wrath against me, and He counts me as one of His enemies. His troops come together and build up their road against me; they encamp all around my tent. (Job 19:7-12)
“He has removed my brothers far from me, and my acquaintances are completely estranged from me. My relatives have failed, and my close friends have forgotten me. Those who dwell in my house, and my maidservants, count me as a stranger; I am an alien in their sight. I call my servant, but he gives no answer; I beg him with my mouth. My breath is offensive to my wife, and I am repulsive to the children of my own body. Even young children despise me; I arise, and they speak against me. All my close friends abhor me, and those whom I love have turned against me. My bone clings to my skin and to my flesh, and I have escaped by the skin of my teeth. (Job 19:13-20)
“Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has struck me! Why do you persecute me as God does, and are not satisfied with my flesh? (Job 19:21-22) Yet again, Job pleaded with his friends to be a comfort to him, not accusatory. It was difficult enough for him to understand why God was allowing him to go through so much suffering, the last thing he needed was his friends to add to it. Let that be a lesson to us, when someone is suffering, don't try to figure out why it happened; whether we know why or not, let's try to comfort and console them. ...comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. (II Corinthians 2:7)
“Oh, that my words were written! Oh, that they were inscribed in a book! That they were engraved on a rock with an iron pen and lead, forever! For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; and after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! If you should say, ‘How shall we persecute him?’— since the root of the matter is found in me, be afraid of the sword for yourselves; for wrath brings the punishment of the sword, that you may know there is a judgment.” (Job 19:23-29)
How powerful these verses are! Job warns his friends that judgement day is coming for all of them, and each will receive punishment for themselves. So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:12) But when will that Day be? After our physical death, after my skin is destroyed. We all will see for ourselves that our Redeemer, Christ Jesus does live, for "This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.” (Acts 1:11)
Christ Jesus will return to the earth, For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words. (I Thessalonians 4:16-18)
Exactly how our skin will be destroyed, but in our flesh we shall see God, Whom we shall see for ourselves, we don't quite understand. We know that our flesh bodies, the dust will return to the earth as it was, And the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7) But our souls, our spiritual bodies will spend eternity either in the presence of God and His Son, or in hell. Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. (I John 3:2)
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