Big Idea: When Job considers God’s greatness, he realizes how little he himself knows.

Understanding the Text

When Bildad says in Job 25:6 that humans are mere maggots and worms before the transcendent God, Job apparently interrupts him. Although Job agrees with much of Bildad’s lofty view of God, he draws different implications from their shared theology. Bildad claims that God’s greatness means nothing can thwart his justice, so life in God’s world is thoroughly predictable, but Job declares that God’s greatness implies that humans cannot understand all he is doing, so some aspects of life must be left in mystery. In 26:1–4 Job dismisses Bildad’s ability to speak wisely, and in 26:5–14 Job describes God’s activity as surpassing human comprehension. In this final section of the chapter,…