In this brief chapter (only 6 verses) Bildad reminds us that God is righteous, and people cannot be.
” ‘Dominion and fear are with God; he makes peace in his high heaven. Is there any number to his armies? Upon whom does his light not arise? How then can man be in the right before God? How can he who is born of woman be pure? Behold, even the moon is not bright, and the stars are not pure in his eyes; how much less man, who is a maggot, and the son of man, who is a worm!’ ” (v2-6)
According to other passages in scripture, what Bildad says is doctrinally sound: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” (Rom 3:10-12 par. from Psa 14:1-3) In these verses Paul is paraphrasing a psalm of David, and they both agree that people are born into sin, not righteousness.
Praise God, for He has provided a solution to our problem: “And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Cor 1:30) “In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’ ” (Jer 23:6)
I’m particularly fond of that passage in Jeremiah, where he prophesies regarding Jesus’ coming – he doesn’t even know the name “Jesus”, so he calls Him “The Lord is Our Righteousness.” That’s a fantastic name for Jesus, because this was the main reason Jesus came to earth: to accept the punishment for our sin, blot out our sin from the record book, and impute His righteousness upon us.
I encourage us to live in this truth: we who accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior are made righteous in the eyes of God. We can live renewed lives, dedicated to His service, because we are free from the bondage of sin and death. We are co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17), able to enjoy the riches and presence of God. Let’s take advantage of this gift we have been given, and proclaim this amazing news to those around us.
Father God, our Righteous and Holy Lord, great and mighty is Your name. Father we confess we have sinned, and we became unrighteous, even from birth. Yet, You sent Your one and only Son to pay the penalty for our sin, so we could receive His righteousness in return. Jesus, thank you for such a generous, gracious and merciful gift. Holy Spirit, please guide us to use this gift wisely, and share it with all those around us, for this is a gift that keeps on giving, and it is limitless. All honor, glory, praise, and worship be to You, our Lord God Almighty, forever and ever, amen.
~ Conqueror in Training