Job 26
1 But Job answered and said,
2 How hast thou helped him that is without power? how savest thou the arm that hath no strength?
3 How hast thou counseled him that hath no wisdom? and how hast thou plentifully declared the thing as it is?
4 To whom hast thou uttered words? and whose spirit came from thee?
5 Dead things are formed from under the waters, and the inhabitants thereof.
6 Hell is naked before him, and destruction hath no covering.
7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.
8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them.
9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it.
10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end.
11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof.
12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud.
13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.
14 Lo, these are parts of his ways: but how little a portion is heard of him? but the thunder of his power who can understand?
Common Questions About Job 26
How does Job respond to Bildad's brief speech in chapter 26?
Job sarcastically thanks Bildad for his 'help' to the powerless, then goes on to describe God's own vast power over creation, the underworld, the sea, and the heavens, in even greater detail than Bildad did.
What does this show about Job's own view of God?
It shows Job never denied God's greatness; his complaint was never that God lacked power, but that his friends misapplied true theology to wrongly explain his specific suffering.
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Questions to Think About
- How can you affirm someone's core theological point while still challenging how they're misapplying it?
- What does Job's own eloquent praise of God's power reveal about the depth of his faith even in complaint?
Ask the Bible Chat Bot below if you'd like to talk through any of these.
