In Job chapter 25, Bildad, one of Job's three friends, so-called acquaintances, that came to comfort him in the midst of his suffering, speaks for the final time. Having spoken twice already with many words, and having brought no comfort to Job whatsoever but mere accusation and condemnation, having accused Job of being a sinner, or his children of being sinners, and declaring with great firmness that all that came upon Job was because of his own doing, his own rebellion, his own sin and he was suffering because of his own deeds. Finally Bildad speaks for the last time and finally with much fewer words. Throughout the book of Job in the speeches of these three men and Job's words in response.

We see the gospel contrasted with the wisdom of men regarding God. We see law contrasted with grace. We see works contrasted with faith. We see man's idea of how God is as a great almighty being that judges the good and the wicked. Man's idea that God rewards the good and condemns the wicked with the truth and the reality. that though God is just, and though God is righteous, and though sin shall be condemned, God makes himself known in his Son as the Saviour of sinners.

God declares himself as gracious, as long-suffering, as merciful, as having loved his own with an everlasting love. God declares himself as delighting in showing mercy. God gave himself in the person of his son Jesus Christ. He gave himself to deliver a people from their sins. And it's in this God this Redeemer, this Saviour, that Job finds his hope in the midst of his suffering.

And yet his friends see nothing but justice and condemnation. Bildad speaks here with few words But still, he simply sees God in legal terms. Dominion and fear are with him. He maketh peace in his high places. Is there any number of his armies? And upon whom doth not his light arise? How then can man be justified with God? Or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? Behold even to the moon, and it shine if not. Yea, the stars are not pure in his sight. How much less man that is a worm, and the son of man which is a worm.

Few words, and finally Bildad's speech comes to an end. And in the midst of this, he asks what Job has already asked. We read in chapter 9, when Job said, I know it is so of a truth, but how should man be just with God? Here Bildad comes to the same question. How then can man be justified with God or how can he be clean that is born of a woman? He comes to the same question. And as such, these are the wisest words that Bildad's uttered.

But behind them, Bildad's view of God is very different from Job's. For Bildad, the question is hopeless. How can man be justified with God when man is just a worm? He's nothing before a holy God. In the light of God, the moon is dark. The stars are not pure in his sight. There's no light in them. How much less man? We're nothing, we're dust. We're made of the clay, we're but worms before a mighty God, before a great sovereign creator.

How can we possibly be justified before him? How can you, Job, stand righteous before this God? We're all sinners, Job, we're all lost and condemned. This great God can't see any good in us. We're nothing, we're lost. How can man be justified with God? For Bildad, really the question's hopeless, and he's using it to condemn Job, to say, you can't stand Job before this God.

The slightest of sins that you may have done, hidden sins, sins that you're not even aware of, Job, they'll cast you down into hell. We can't stand, we're but worms. Yet when Job asked the question, Job had a hope that there was a way, that wretched sinners, that nothings could be justified, could be just before God.

He looked beyond His wretchedness. He looked beyond his sin. He knew he deserved God's condemnation. He knew by nature he was a sinner. But he looked in hope to God in Christ. He looked to a Redeemer. And he said, this is how we can be just. The question is hopeless on the surface. But God answers it. God answers it. He gave his son as a sacrifice for sinners like Job, for the wretched, the wicked.

Bildad is right to ask the question. But he can only see God in legal terms. as an all-powerful Creator, this all-powerful, eternal, mighty God that made all things. He just sees Him as this great, authoritative figure before whom He cannot come with but worms before Him. He sees Him as it were as a great head teacher, a monstrous, cold, harsh figure that rules over all creatures, before whom He cannot approach, How can then I be just with this God when I'm but a worm? To build that the question has no hope, no hope.

It's good if we're brought as he was to ask this question. This is the question to ask, isn't it? Have you been brought to ask? We all need to know the answer. How can I be just before God? How can I be saved? How can I be delivered? I'm nothing. It's a good thing Bildad was brought to ask it. It would be a wonderful thing if in the end he was brought to know the answer. It would be a wonderful thing if you and I were brought to know the answer.

By nature many have a view of God where all they can see is this great being that does what he wants. and they look around at their suffering, they look around at the trials they're brought into, they look around at the hopelessness and sorrow in this world, the tears, the disease, the misery, the wars, the calamities, and they blame God for them. And they look not to their own sin and rebellion that has brought all this to pass. But we view God as a monster that does with us what he likes. Until God opens our eyes to see him as he is. As a great and a mighty saviour. As one who gave himself to deliver wretched sinners from their sins. As one who is light. as one who is love, as one who delights in showing mercy.

Bildad considers the darkness of the moon and the stars in contrast to the light of God. Yes, God is light, and God is love, and God is righteous. And if we're brought to see ourselves as we are, we will see ourselves as Bildad saw himself here. As the moon in the light of the sun is but darkness. As the stars pale in the sun's light into darkness. So we, as dust, as clay of the earth, as mere worms, As wretched, rebellious sinners, so we are darker yet.

So great is God's love, it magnifies our sin. So great is God's mercy, it demonstrates our unforgiving, our harsh, our rebellious hearts. So great is God's love, how deep our hatred is in contrast. We hate our fellow men. We hate those that cross our paths and prevent us having what we will. And we hate God for not giving us everything we desire, though we reject him, though we close our ears to him, though we've run afar off.

But Bildad's right that man is nothing before a holy God. He speaks of man as being a worm. How much less man that is a worm and the son of man which is a worm. He sees us as nothing before this God. And how can a worm be just with God? How can he be righteous? What can he expect from God's hands? Well if Bildad knew what Job knew, if Bildad had been brought to hear the truth, if God had revealed himself to Bildad in the way he'd revealed himself to Job, he'd know that despite his sin, despite his rebellion, despite his worthlessness, despite how small he is, That God is merciful towards those who are wretched.

That God delights in saving the worst of sinners. That God delivers the worm. He delivers the dust and makes him to be righteous in Christ. He takes the worst and sets him upon a throne. He puts a crown upon the head of rebellious sinners. He loves those that hated him.

Oh, if Bildad knew what Job knew, he would know that salvation cannot be by our works and it cannot be through any merit in us and it cannot be wrought or obtained by our will or our decision it must be by grace it must be by grace it must be that God would stoop down and make himself known and set His love upon us. It must be that God would take our sin and take it away, that God must find a way to be just and blot out the sins of His people. take their sins away, pay the just price of those sins, pay the penalty of those sins and make them to be righteous. God must have a means of making dead lost sinners righteous. Because by themselves the situation's hopeless. But why did Bildad not know?

Here he is all this time sat beside Job. Watching Job in his suffering. Hearing Job's answers. And all the time God is speaking. God has set forth in figure His Son Jesus Christ in Job before Bildad. God is preaching His Gospel to him all this time. He's setting forth the Saviour in his sufferings who gave himself for sinners. He's saying to Bildad, consider my servant Job, consider my son. and Bildad doesn't hear. All the time Job has answered, he's replied to Bildad's accusations, he's replied to the accusations of the others, he's spoken, he's declared his hope in his Redeemer. He's declared faith in a saviour. And Bildad never hears.

What of you? Do you say if God would but speak to me, if God would make himself known, if God would appear, if I was there on the earth when Christ was alive and saw him, and saw him crucified and know these things happened because I saw them with my own eyes, then I would believe. If God would just make these things real to me, then I'd believe. And yet all the time, God has set forth Christ before you. And God has spoken. All this time God has preached His Gospel. God has preached Christ unto us.

And our heads are buried in the sand. And we hear and see nothing. By nature we are so superficial. we're so superficial we will not hear oh we'll go off and we will watch this and listen to that and say if this came about if I had a sign if if God just made himself known to me just like this if he just appeared then I'd believe we're superficial We'll watch the television, we'll watch videos, we'll listen to those that speak. We're superficial and we want God to meet us in a superficial way. And all the time God has spoken and recorded his speech in a book, in the Bible. and we leave it on the shelf gathering dust and will not read all the time the answers to every question, every contention, every complaint, every accusation, all our unbelief, every answer is there in the Bible, ready to be read, ready to be heard, and we will not read. We turn our backs, we go another way.

Bildad is here sat beside Job at this hour, a great figure of Christ in the gospel. He sees him, he hears him, and nothing enters in. Oh Bildad, have you not read? Have you never picked up the book? Pick up the word of God and read and know. Job in chapter 19 cried out. Oh that my words were written. Oh that they were printed in a book. Oh that they were engraven in a rock forever. well they were written and they were printed in a book and they are engraven in the rock forever they are, they're there and yet we never pick up the book to read and we cast our complaints before God and say how can I be justified with this God, how can man be saved And we blame God for all our unbelief, though God has come in the gospel and made himself known in Christ and recorded and written it down in the book. Have you never read? Have you never heard? Here before Bildad in type and figure was the answer to his very question. How then can man be justified with God? Through another. Through a Saviour.

Who took upon Himself the suffering, the judgment that you deserved, Bildad. Who took your sins and bore them. You need one that would take your sins and bear them. Here's a Saviour that bore the sins of Job. Here's a Saviour that bore the sins of His people. Here's one that was cast down alone, wretched, broken, bruised. Here in Job we see a picture of Him. Here, Bildad, you see in Job the Saviour. You see His suffering, you hear His suffering. You see how alone he is, how wretched he is, how broken he is. You hear his cries. You see the hand of the Lord outstretched against him. And yet you don't hear.

Hear before Bildad, before you and I, before you and me as we read this. Is the answer, how can man be just with God in Christ, in His sufferings, through His death? Have you been brought to see Him? That is the only way we may be justified before God, through Christ and His death. Our works cannot save us. We are, as Bildad says, as sinners before a holy God, we are but worms, we're dust, we're clay of the earth. But if one comes in our stead and takes our sin, takes our depravity, takes our guilt, and bears it, and bears it, and suffers the judgment of God against it, and takes it out of sight and delivers us, and clothes us in righteousness, then we may be just.

Yes, Job pictures Christ in his sufferings, in his death, and only in Christ can we be saved. by Him taking our place, taking our sin, taking our judgment, suffering our death in our place. Here in Job, God preaches to Bildad and says, Behold my Son, the Saviour. Behold His sufferings. Behold the man of sorrows. Is any sorrow like unto my sorrow, he says?

Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? Do you close your eyes? Do you close your ears? Do you turn aside to your own wisdom, your own judgment? Are you hopeless like Bildad? seeing nothing but judgment. Has God not brought you to see his love in giving his son? Bildad was brought in the end to few words. That's where we need to be brought. All our accusations stopped. All our arguments brought to nothing. All our contentions silenced. All our wisdom shown to be foolishness.

We need to be brought to ask just one question. How might I be just before a holy God? How can I be saved? We need to be brought to see what we are. But a worm before a righteous God. But we need to be brought to see the God that delivers the worst of sinners. We need to be brought to see Christ. Yes, Bildad describes man as a worm. But there's one, there's one who was made a worm to deliver worms from their sins. In Psalm 22, David writes, in the words of Jesus Christ, in prophecy, we hear the words of Christ upon the cross, as he hung in the darkness, bearing the sins of his people, bearing the wrath of God for their rebellion and unbelief. We read, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou hearest not, and in the night season, and am not silent. But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel. Our fathers trusted in thee, they trusted and thou didst deliver them. They cried unto thee and were delivered, they trusted in thee and were not confounded. But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despise of the people. All they that see me laugh me to scorn, they shoot out the lip, they shake the head saying, he trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him. Let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him. For thou art he that took me out of the womb. Thou didst make me hope when I was upon my mother's breast. I was cast upon thee from the womb. Thou art my God from my mother's belly.

Be not far from me, for trouble is near, for there is none to help. When Christ hung in the darkness, upon the cross, nailed by hands and feet to that tree, cast out by all men. He knew. He was despised of all the people. I am a worm and no man a reproach of man. Trouble is near. There's none to help.

Many bulls have compassed me, strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths as a ravening and a roaring lion. I am poured out like water and all my bones are out a joint. My heart is like wax, it is melted in the midst of my bowels. My strength is dried up like a potsherd and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws and now has brought me into the dust of death.

For dogs have compassed me. The assembly of the wicked have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them and cast lots upon my vesture. But be not thou far from me, O Lord. O my strength, haste to help me. Deliver my soul from thy sword. My darling, from the power of the dog, save me from the lion's mouth, for thou hast heard me from the horns of the unicorns.

How prophetic of Christ's death. At the cross they pierced his hands and his feet, as David wrote. years before. They parted his garments and cast lots for them. They despised him, they rejected him, they circled him, they cast their accusations in his teeth like these men did of Job. They treated him as vile, as guilty, as wretched. Get rid of this man, crucify him, crucify him.

Just as you've done, just as I've done in our hearts, we've looked upon Christ as nothing. Every time we turn away from the gospel, every time we shut our ears to it, every time we go our way unbelieving, we've passed him by as though he's nothing. We've treated him as a worm and no man. We've treated him with reproach. We've despised him.

And yet in that hour, when we hated him most, when our sins pierced him to the tree, when our rebellion and unbelief set him there and cast him out into outer darkness, when he died because of sin and the rejection of man, In that hour, when we hated him most, he loved his own to the end. He loved his own to the end.

He took their sins and took them away. He blotted them all out. He blotted them all out. And the judgment of God was satisfied. He cried out unto his God, my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? But his God heard him. His faith was honored. His hope was rewarded. He arose with that people. From the grave, Job arose in Christ his Saviour. He rose and ascended victorious. He entered into heaven's courts of glory, victorious from the battlefield. All his people entered with him. and looked upon Him, and cast their crowns before Him, and rejoiced in Christ their Saviour.

He cried out upon the cross, It is finished, victorious! He cast death into the abyss. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? He conquered sin, He conquered death, He conquered hell, He took away the enemies of all God's people, he took away their sin, he took away the judgment, he took away the wrath of God, and he brought in everlasting righteousness.

How can man be just with God in Christ through his death, through the victory he wrought upon the tree? Oh, Bildad was right to ask the question. You'd be right to ask the question, but oh how God needs to open our eyes and give us faith to look and to behold and to hear and to see Christ crucified in our place upon the tree. To hear the gospel. To hear the words of Job written in this book. to believe in his saviour in whom he trusted that saviour Christ alone that saviour who by faith justified his people all sinners who were lost in sin lost in judgment who trust in him alone all who are brought to see their Job their suffering Saviour, their Lord, their Christ Jesus, in the darkness, alone, dying, suffering for them, that He might justify, that He who was made a worm might take worms and make them righteous. make them princes, make them to reign in him.

Has God brought you there? Has God brought you there? Has God taken away the legal perception, the fear of a mighty God who will damn us and given us faith in Christ our Saviour, a loving God, a merciful, a gracious God, a long-suffering God, who's long-suffering with sinners like you and I, long-suffering with our unbelief, long-suffering with our contentions and rebellion, long-suffering with our foolish answers. Has He suffered long with them all, and answered every one in Christ, and brought us to see Him, and brought us to cry out in praise, O Lord, Thou art my Saviour. thou art worthy to be praised how can man be just with god in christ by grace through faith alone oh may lord may the lord bring us there where he brought job to know that my redeemer liveth amen