WHERE NO ONE SHOULD WANT TO LIVE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:

“When will you end these speeches? Be sensible, and then we can talk. Why are we regarded as cattle and considered stupid in your sight? You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger, is the earth to be abandoned for your sake? Or must the rocks be moved from their place?”

“The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out; the flame of his fire stops burning. The light in his tent becomes dark; the lamp beside him goes out. The vigor of his step is weakened; his own schemes throw him down. His feet thrust him into a net; he wanders into its mesh. A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare holds him fast. A noose is hidden for him on the ground; a trap lies in his path. Terrors startle him on every side and dog his every step. Calamity is hungry for him; disaster is ready for him when he falls. It eats away parts of his skin; death’s firstborn devours his limbs. He is torn from the security of his tent and marched off to the king of terrors. Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling. His roots dry up below and his branches wither above. The memory of him perishes from the earth; he has no name in the land. He is driven from light into the realm of darkness and is banished from the world. He has no offspring or descendants among his people, no survivor where once he lived. People of the west are appalled at his fate; those of the east are seized with horror. Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man; such is the place of one who does not know God.”

 Job 18:1-21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Eliphaz, one of Job’s friends, and Job himself have each exchanged words for the second time. As Chapter 18 opens, we find Bilhad now speaking again.

Like Eliphaz, Bilhad begins by taking a shot at Job who has continued to be bitter about his present circumstances and the suffering they brought him. The exchanges with Job had turned into a war of words that seemed like it would have no end with each person speaking trying to one up the one who had just spoken. Such is the problem of the tongue and man’s inability to control it.

But Bilhad comes off of his harsh words for Job rather quickly and begins to  talk about what awaits the person who is wicked…”the dwelling of an evil man…the place of one who does not know God (verse 21).”

So what about the evil, wicked, godless people of the world? What can they expect?

Breaking down God’s word in the chapter, we find the following:

- “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out; the flame of his fire stops burning. The light in his tent becomes dark; the lamp beside him goes out.”

- “The vigor of his step is weakened; his own schemes throw him down. His feet thrust him into a net; he wanders into its mesh. A trap seizes him by the heel; a snare holds him fast. A noose is hidden for him on the ground; a trap lies in his path.”

- “Terrors startle him on every side and dog his every step.”

- “Calamity is hungry for him; disaster is ready for him when he falls. It eats away parts of his skin; death’s firstborn devours his limbs. He is torn from the security of his tent and marched off to the king of terrors. Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.”

- “His roots dry up below and his branches wither above. The memory of him perishes from the earth; he has no name in the land.”

- “He is driven from light into the realm of darkness and is banished from the world. He has no offspring or descendants among his people, no survivor where once he lived.”

What awaits the godless…or in other words, anyone who decides to reject God in life?

In sum, darkness, weakness, wicked schemes defeated, entrapment, terror, calamity and disaster, and extinction. Doesn’t sound like a life anyone should want to commit to.

Indeed, a life without God isn’t somewhere anyone should want to live.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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