Job 8:13-14 …the hope of the godless will perish. His source of confidence is fragile; what he trusts in is a spider’s web.
He leans on his web, but it doesn’t stand firm.
He grabs it, but it does not hold up. Job 8:14-15 CSB
The picture above is a collapsed spider’s web. The spider has disassembled his meticulous work.
Our key verse, like the spider web above, isn’t what it seems. We need context. Keep reading; you might be surprised where this leads.
I wonder how many believers recognize today’s verse. It’s a lesser-known verse from Job’s friend, Bildad. Bildad initially came to comfort Job, and he was grieved for Job. But after about a week, he changed his tone. He became a know it all, who really knew nothing at all. At least not about this.
Accusations and sinful advice became Job’s nightmare, as his friends began trouble shooting for Job. Bildad was convinced that Job has sinned against God.
The trouble is, Bildad and the other two friends were ignorant of all the facts.
I hope that you will read Job 8. Start paying attention to all that Bildad had to say. It almost sounds right, doesn’t it.
You know, it sounds religious.
But Bildad was wrong. It is so important to understand scripture. Even well-meaning advice or scripture can be harmful if it comes from a sinful heart or is taken out of context.
Think of that. Have you ever accused someone of something and later discovered that you were wrong?
Bildad was absolutely wrong. He had no clue of all that had transpired in Heaven between God and Satan.
Satan was doing to Job what he does to you and me. He accuses believers before God.
When believers accuse someone of something without proof, then they have behaved like our enemy, Satan.
If you will read Job’s response in chapter 19, you will see Job’s faith. He wasn’t a superhero. He still didn’t understand the suffering. He wanted to know. He wanted to talk to God.
Job knew that God was right there with him. Job knew the outcome would be his salvation. He knew that no man was sinless and yet God was totally righteous.
Job knew that everything he had came from God. That was because of God’s goodness. Job never lost faith in God, because he knew that men were not righteous or deserving of grace.
Job 2:10 Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.
Now, go back to the key verse. Bildad described the web as fragile. But do you know that a spider’s web has the strength of steel? The silks come from a tiny part of the spider and may have as many as 8 different types of silk with which to spin his web.
Not only that, did you know that the silk of webs has been studied for use in making bulletproof vests? So, our friend Bildad unwittingly chose a terrible metaphor of fragility.
The web can be disassembled, knocked down by the elements or people, but the resource of the spider comes from within. In this metaphor, the Resource for Job is God Who lived inside his heart. And God is the Rock that will never be destroyed.
I hope you will read the end of the story. Thankfully, Job’s friends saw their sin when God dealt with them. Job prayed for them. (Job 42:7)
The thing to understand is that they have not just sinned against Job. They have sinned against God.
God showed the friends mercy and grace by dealing with their sin and offering them a chance to repent. Look at Job 42:9
And Job testified to God’s goodness.
I know that my Redeemer lives,
and at the end He will stand on the dust.
Even after my skin has been destroyed,
yet I will see God in my flesh.
I will see Him myself.
My eyes will look at Him, and not as a stranger.
My heart longs within me.
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 