Job 25 is short and full of nonsense from Bildad:

“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!” (Job 25.2 – 6, NKJV)

“How can he who is born of woman be pure?…man, who is a maggot…” In other words, “Job, you can’t be pure. No one is pure.” HOWEVER, remember what God himself said about Job:

And the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” (Job 1.8, NKJV)

Evangelicals get this wrong sometimes, also. We overemphasize Romans 3.10, “There is none righteous…”, for example, while forgetting that God wants us to live righteously. “Be perfect,” Jesus said.

Growth occurs. That’s the whole point of this parable:

And he said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. (Mark 4.26 – 28, ESV)

Growth takes time, but growth occurs over time. It’s a cop-out to say, “Well, I can’t be perfect. That’s why Jesus died for my sins.” I was watching my friend Jim teach an adult Sunday School class once, and when he challenged them to do something (I don’t remember what), someone said, “Oh, Jim. You know we can’t do this stuff! Leave us alone.” Wrong. Jim was only following the Apostle Paul’s example:

Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. (Colossians 1.28, ESV)

Everyone mature.

Yesterday we looked at Pleading Our Case from Job 23. There’s another gem in Job 23, one I would not have associated with Job:

But He knows the way that I take; When He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot has held fast to His steps; I have kept His way and not turned aside. I have not departed from the commandment of His lips; I have treasured the words of His mouth More than my necessary food. (Job 23.10 – 12, NKJV)

“I have treasured the words of His mouth more than my necessary food.” Compare Matthew 4.4:

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (NIV)

Also Jeremiah 15.16:

Your words were found, and I ate them, And Your word was to me the joy and rejoicing of my heart; For I am called by Your name, O LORD God of hosts. (Jeremiah 15.16, NKJV)

That’s the attitude we should all have. I don’t miss meals! I ought not to miss time with God in the Word either.

My friend and Navigator colleague Bill Mowry has just posted a wonderful essay on God’s wonderful Word: WOW! Happens As We Hold the Bible. It’s worth the read in its entirety. Here’s a sample. After opening with the awe people feel at a total eclipse, he writes:

Wonder is the WOW factor. When we look up at the Sistine Chapel ceiling, savor a meal at a five-star restaurant, or sit enraptured at a Mozart symphony, our mouths form a wordless WOW. We stand in wonder at that which is beautiful and magnificent…

He continues:

The Bible brings God’s wonder, a sense of awe, into our lives. How is the Bible a wonder-full  and awe-full book? Here are some examples:

• Wonder is when, after years of life in the Bible, you still find new things when you read, hear, study, memorize or meditate on it. The wonder of discovery keeps drawing you back.
• Wonder is when you reflect on how you have changed over the years and how the Bible has been the impetus for change.
• Wonder is when you see new believers “hold” the Bible and change long-held values and behaviors as they read it. What a miracle!

The things that bring wonder to our lives also bring delight. – Bill Mowry, March 27, 2025

When Moses finished reciting all these words to all Israel, he said to them, “Take to heart all the words I have solemnly declared to you this day, so that you may command your children to obey carefully all the words of this law. They are not just idle words for you—they are your life. By them you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to possess.” (Deuteronomy 32.45 – 47, NIV)

My friend and Navigator colleague Henry Clay is one of the best pray-ers I know. I remember when he was called on at a conference to lead us in prayer for one of our leaders who had cancer. Henry paced back and forth across the front of the room saying something like:

Lord, we ask that you would heal our brother. We don’t know what you want, but this is what we want: Sam is a leader, and he’s making a great contribution to advancing the Kingdom. He has many years of service left in him. Please heal him. – Henry Clay, praying for Sam Hershey

That was more than 10 years ago, and Sam is doing fine.

I asked Henry in private what his prayer secret was. He quoted Job:

Oh, that I knew where I might find Him, That I might come to His seat! I would present my case before Him, And fill my mouth with arguments. (Job 23.3, 4, NKJV)

My first response was, “We don’t often get good instruction from the book of Job!” Henry said, “Maybe, but every time in the Bible that someone makes a case, argues with God, God seems to appreciate it.” Abraham bargained with God in Genesis 18. Moses interceded for the Israelites in Numbers 14, making a case based on God’s reputation among the nations.

Then I read a familiar text in a new way:

Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. (Philippians 4.6, NIV)

“Present your requests to God.” I read that as making a case. And I’ve been known to write long letters making a case for some action. So I can do this!

This is not to say that every time we make a case to God or some other authority, we get what we want. I was lobbying for a particular decision in the Air Force once, and after about the third letter, the colonel said, “Bob. NO. Give it a rest.” I tried it during my prostate siege. “Lord, I have people I’ve had to cancel, people who want to meet with me. Here are their names. Shouldn’t I get well faster so I can do what you’ve called me to do?”

Instead, it dragged on, and I got this text from a friend:

I really appreciated how you consistently related your prostate issue to the Psalms. It was all faith all the way and never a lack of confidence. It really inspired me as a model for things I’m anxious about. I often think of a phrase I heard in church “Let go and let God” and it was useful for me to see you do this over months.

So maybe that’s one reason for the delay.

That said, I’m trying to remind myself to “make my case,” “present my requests.”

But I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God. (Job 13.3, NKJV)