ARC · Chapter 25/42
1Então respondeu Bildad o suhita, e disse:
2Com elle estão dominio e temor; elle faz paz nas suas alturas.
3Porventura teem numero as suas tropas? e sobre quem não surge a sua luz?
4Como pois seria justo o homem para com Deus? e como seria puro aquelle que nasce da mulher?
5Olha, até a lua não resplandece, e as estrellas não são puras aos seus olhos.
6E quanto menos o homem, que é um verme, e o filho do homem, que é um bicho.
Bildad offers his third and shortest speech, poetically reaffirming that God holds total dominion and power, and that no human being can be considered righteous or pure before Him, comparing humanity to a mere worm.
This is the briefest speech in the entire cycle of debates, perhaps suggesting that the friends' arguments are running out as Job persists in defending his innocence. The comparison of humanity to "a worm" and "a maggot" (verse 6) pushes the doctrine of human unworthiness before divine holiness to its extreme — a true theological theme, but one that, applied without nuance to Job's specific situation, again fails to address the real question of why he suffers. Application for today: recognizing God's greatness and human smallness before Him is important, but this truth should not be used to avoid grappling with specific, legitimate questions about justice and suffering.