Job 26

“But Job answered and said: ‘How have you helped him who is without power? How have you saved the arm that has no strength? How have you counseled one who has no wisdom? And how have you declared sound advice to many? To whom have you uttered words? And whose spirit came from you? The dead tremble, those under the waters and those inhabiting them. Sheol is naked before Him, And Destruction has no covering.’” Job 26:1-6 (NKJV)

After Bildad’s scathing “How can humans be righteous with God?” rebuke, Job snaps back with the response, “With friends like you, who needs enemies?”  

Speaking of “enemies,” Job pinpoints the source of Bildad’s argument as Satan. This information is not new to us. It was Elifaz who first revealed the enemy’s counsel.

“For a word was stealthily brought to me, my ear caught only a whisper of it. In passing thoughts flashing through visions at night, when sleep lies heavy on people, a shiver of horror came over me; it made all my bones tremble. A spirit passed in front of my face; the hair on my flesh stood on end. It stood still, but I couldn’t make out its appearance; yet the form stayed there before my eyes. Then I heard a subdued voice, ‘Can a human be seen by God as righteous? Can a mortal be pure before his maker? God doesn’t trust His own servants, He finds fault even with His angels; much more those living in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust.’” Job 4:12-19 (CJB)

Now that Job has established that he is aware of who is actually speaking to him, he goes on the offensive - not just against Bildad but also against the demon counseling him. Job recalls how God judged demonic influence in the days of Noah through the flood. How, then, could such counsel override God’s Word? Demons had already been proven subject to God’s power. Job’s insight should remind us of the true source of the Worldly, non-Biblical counsel we are often subjected to. Not only is it demonic, but more importantly, its demonic source has already been judged and sentenced to an ultimate Hellish end!

The concept that Job brings up, that “the ghosts of the dead tremble beneath the water with its living creatures,” was the source of a superstition prevalent in Jesus’ day. Many people held that demons lived at the bottom of large bodies of water. The idea behind the superstition was that since spirits are eternal, they must still live at the bottom of the seas, held over from when Noah’s flood subsided. This is most likely the source of the disciples’ exclamation upon seeing Jesus walking in the water in the midst of the storm.

“Around three in the morning, He came toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified. ‘It’s a ghost!’ they said, and cried out in fear. Immediately Jesus spoke to them. ‘Have courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.’” Matthew 14:25-27 (HCSB)