Job 25:1-6; 27:1-6

Bildad Speaks: How Can a Mortal Be Righteous Before God?

25:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

2 “Dominion and fear are with God;

he makes peace in his high heaven.

3 Is there any number to his armies?

Upon whom does his light not arise?

4 How then can a mortal be righteous before God?

How can one born of woman be pure?

5 If even the moon is not bright

and the stars are not pure in his sight,

6 how much less a mortal, who is a maggot,

and a human being, who is a worm!” (Job 25:1-6, NRSV)

Job Maintains His Integrity

27:1 Job again took up his discourse and said:

2 “As God lives, who has taken away my right,

and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter,

3 as long as my breath is in me

and the spirit of God is in my nostrils,

4 my lips will not speak falsehood,

and my tongue will not utter deceit.

5 Far be it from me to say that you are right;

until I die I will not put away my integrity from me.

6 I hold fast my righteousness, and will not let it go;

my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. (Job 27:1-6, NRSV)

The following comments are repeated here from September 10, 2006 (the Sunday closest to September 7, Year Two):

Bildad’s third speech (Job 25:1-6) is very short, and apparently, Zophar does not speak in the third cycle. According to Marvin H. Pope, Job 24:18-20, 22-25 are “corrupt and obscure lines [which] as far as they are at all intelligible, present the view of Job’s opponents, that the wicked always suffer eventually and that suffering is of itself proof that the victim deserved it” (Job, The Anchor Bible, vol. 15, 3^rd ed., 1973, p. 173 on those verses). He rejects attempts to overcome this difficulty “by translating in the optative mood, as attempted by the versions” and the view “that Job is parroting the views of his opponents in order to ridicule or refute them” (pp. 173-174). He reconstitutes the “third speech of Zophar” as Job 27:8-23; 24:18-20, 22-25 (cf. his translated text, pp. 168-170, introduced by the words, in square brackets, “Zophar the Naamathite answered.” Others have difficulties in these chapters as well. James L Crenshaw, for example, says, “It has been surmised that the author never actually completed the third cycle of speeches but merely provided provisional notes for future reference” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2001, p. 344 on Job 25:1-6). But he rejects that view in favor of the view that “the probable cause of the present disarray is textual transposition.” But in the present reading, Bildad concludes with characteristic views. God is exalted, for “Dominion and fear are with God; / he makes peace in his high heaven” (Job. 25:2). His power is great. “Is there any number to his armies?” (v. 3a). His light arises upon all (v. 3b). Zophar repeats Job’s question, “How then can a mortal be righteous before God?” (v. 4a; cf 9:2b), but Bildad is certain that the answer is, “One cannot.” He repeats the question: “How can one born of woman be pure?” (25:4b). If the heavenly lights are not pure (v. 5), how much less possible is it for human beings, who are maggots and worms, according to Bildad (v. 6).

According to Pope, Bildad’s speech continues in 26:5-14 (cf. his translated text, pp. 163-164, and Seow on 26:5-14). There is no introduction of Bildad again at 26:5, but there is a somewhat different resumption formula for Job in 27:1, “Job again took up his discourse and said.” Perhaps this implies that his beginning in 26:1-4 was interrupted by Bildad. In any case, after Job responds directly to Bildad: “How you [singular] have helped (T!r4z1f!, ‘āzārtā) one who has no power! / How you [singular] have assisted the arm that has no strength!” (Job 26:2), the continuation in chapter 27 is about the injustice of God’s treatment of him. He begins with an oath formula: “As God lives,” says Job, “who has taken away my right, / and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter” (27:2). “There is bitter irony,” says Leong Seow, “in the fact that Job swears by the God who has denied him justice and embittered him” (NOAB, 3^rd ed. on v. 2). But Job continues, “as long as my breath is in me / and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, / my lips will not speak falsehood, / and my tongue will not utter deceit” (vv. 3-4). He staunchly maintains his position in regard to his righteousness. “Far be it from me to say that you [plural, i.e., his accusing ‘friends’] are right; / until I die I will not put away my integrity from me” (v. 5). There is no giving in to their accusations. “I hold fast my righteousness,” he says, “and will not let it go; / my heart does not reproach me for any of my days” (v. 6).

In the coming week on Monday there will be a reading from the speeches of Elihu, who “waited because they,” that is, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, “were older than he” (32:4). Four days (Tues.-Fri.) will be devoted to Job’s final speeches in reply to his friends (chaps. 29-31). Then four days (Sat.-Tues.) will be devoted to God’s speeches (chaps. 38-41), and one day (Wed.) to the Epilogue (chap. 42).

Revelation 14:1-7, 13

The Lamb and the 144,000

14:1 Then I looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their foreheads. 2 And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps, 3 and they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth. 4 It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, 5 and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless.

The Messages of the Three Angels

6 Then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-to every nation and tribe and language and people. 7 He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.” (Revelation 14:1-7, NRSV)

13 And I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord." "Yes," says the Spirit, "they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them." (Revelation 14:13, NRSV)

On November 8, 2007 (Thursday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), comments were repeated from November 6, (Monday in the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), when comments were combined with revision and supplement from November 1, 2004 (Monday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year Two), from November 3, 2005 (Thursday of the week of the Sunday closest to November 2, Year One), and from September 10, 2006 (the Sunday closest to Sept. 7, Year Two). The combined comments are repeated here with editing and supplement:

Earlier in Revelation, war broke out in heaven, and “the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world–he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him” (Rev. 12:9). This conflict continues in chapters 12 and 13, but encouragement is provided by the visions of chapter fourteen, that Jean-Pierre Ruiz calls “a series of three visions intended to reassure the faithful of ultimate victory and vindication” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Rev. 14:1-20; cf. Bruce M. Metzger, NOAB, 2^nd ed., 1994, on Rev. 14:1-20). John “looked, and there was the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion! And with him were one hundred forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father’s name written on their forehead” (Rev. 14:1). We observe that it is the Father’s name, not the mark of the beast (13:16-17; 14:9), that they bear on their foreheads. David E. Aune explains “Mount Zion, i.e., Jerusalem as the center of God’s eschatological action (Ps. 2:6; Isa. 24:23; 40:9-11; 2 Esd. 13:35-40; Heb. 12:22-24)” (HarperCollins Study Bible, rev. ed., 2006, on Rev. 14:1; cf. Ruiz, on v. 1). As part of the vision, John hears “a voice from heaven like the sound of many waters and like the sound of loud thunder [which would overpower one with decibels–or so one would think]; the voice I heard was like the sound of harpists playing on their harps [a gentle, melodious and harmonious aspect] ” (v. 2). In the vision of the Son of Man in Revelation, chapter one, John says “his voice [i.e., that of the Son of Man] was like the sound of many waters” (1:15). Ruiz calls the phrase “sound of many waters, a frequent accompaniment of divine appearance; see Ps. 29:3; 93:4; Ezek. 1:24; 43:2; cf. Dan. 10:6” (op. cit., on Rev. 1:15). In a “preparatory heavenly scene” (Aune, on Rev. 14:2-3), “they sing a new song before the throne and before the four living creatures and before the elders” (14:3a). The singers here are “the one hundred forty-four thousand” (Ruiz, on 14:3). The references to the “throne” and the “four living creatures” remind us of the vision of the heavenly throne room in chapter four. John tells us that “no one could learn that song except the one hundred forty-four thousand who have been redeemed from the earth” (v. 3b). And he describes these for us. “It is these who have not defiled themselves with women, for they are virgins; these follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They have been redeemed from humankind as first fruits (ajparchv, aparchē) for God and the Lamb, and in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless” (vv. 4-5). “They are virgins,” explains Metzger, “that is, chaste, in contrast to the devotees of the pagan cults (2:20-22)” (op. cit., on v. 4). For Ruiz, this is “a characterization of the 144,000 that should be understood metaphorically in terms of the sexual abstinence required before contact with the divine (Ex. 19:15; Deut. 23:10-14) and of warriors before battle (1 Sam. 21:5; 2 Sam. 11:9-13)” (op. cit., on v. 4). “Follow the Lamb,” says Aune, is “a metaphor for discipleship and martyrdom (see Mt. 19:28; Lk. 9:5;7-58; Jn. 12:26)” (op. cit., on v. 4; cf. Ruiz, loc. cit.). Aune adds that “the word translated first fruits [ajparchv, aparchē] actually means ‘servants devoted to God’ and has nothing to do with first fruits as a sacrificial harvest metaphor. Here the term is applied to martyrs as sacrificial victims (cf. Jer. 2:3; Rom. 16:5; 1 Cor. 15:20, 23)” (ibid.). But the connotations of the harvest metaphor need not be excluded. The sense of the word as a “cultic technical term [for] first fruits, first portion of any kind (including animals, both domesticated and wild  . . .), which were holy to the divinity and were consecrated before the rest could be put to secular use” (Bauer-Danker-Arndt-Gingrich [BDAG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 3^rd ed., 2000, s.v. ajparchv, aparchē, meaning no. (1) ), can also be used in a figurative sense, as Paul does in reference to “Epaenetus, who was the first convert (ajparchv, aparchē) in Asia” (Rom. 16:5). In Revelation 14:4, “the emphasis is less on chronological sequence than on quality” (BDAG, meaning no. (1) (b). John concludes the description of the 144,000, adding, “in their mouth no lie was found; they are blameless” (Rev. 14:5; cf. the later exclusion of liars from the holy city (21:8, 27).

In the present chapter these verses (14:1-5) set the scene for three visions introduced by three angels. Introducing the first, John says, “then I saw another angel flying in midheaven, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth-to every nation and tribe and language and people” (v. 6). Ruiz compares the flight of the eagle “in midheaven,” crying “Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth” (8:13; op. cit., on 14:6). But in the present context, the angel has “an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth–to every nation and tribe and language and people” (14:7). According to Aune, the “eternal gospel” here is “not the saving message of Jesus’ death and resurrection, but the message referred to in v. 7” (op. cit., on v. 6). “He [the angel] said in a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give him glory, for the hour of his judgment has come; and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water’ ” (v. 7). According to Ruiz, “worship” here “acknowledges God’s cosmic sovereignty as Creator” (op. cit., on v. 7).

In the verses passed over by the present reading, the second angel announces the fall of Babylon (v. 8). The third angel warns against worshiping “the beast” or receiving his “mark” (v. 9), for if they do, “they will also drink the wine of God's wrath, poured unmixed into the cup of his anger, and they will be tormented with fire and sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever” (vv. 10-11a). In the midst of judgment, “the wine of God’s wrath” (v. 10), there is “a call for the endurance of the saints” who “keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus” (v. 12), and the labors, for their deeds follow them” (v. 13).

After the interval today’s reading concludes with a blessing on “the dead who from now on die in the Lord”: “And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them’ ” (v. 13). At this point, Ruiz notes the “promise assured by the Spirit” and recalls the blessing of 1:3 (ibid., on 14:13): “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy, and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written in it; for the time is near” (1:3). In the midst of preparation for further judgment (chaps. 15-20), we find assurance for those who are faithful to Christ.

Matthew 5:13-20

Salt and Light (Mk 9.50; Lk 14.34-35)

13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything, but is thrown out and trampled under foot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

The Law and the Prophets

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:13-20, NRSV)

The following comments are based on earlier comments, from September 10, 2006 (the Sunday closest to September 7, Year Two), when comments were included from September 17, 2005 (Saturday of the week of the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Year One) and from May 9 and 10, 2006 (Tuesday and Wednesday of the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two). They are also based on relevant comments on Matthew 5:11-16 from April 15, 2008 (Tuesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two), and comments on Matthew 5:17-20 from April 16, 2008 (Wednesday in the week of the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year Two). The comments of April 15 and 16, 2008, were repeated respectively from comments of September 21, 2007 (Friday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 14, Year One), and of September 22, 2007 (Saturday in the week of the Sunday closest to September 14, Year One).

Parallel texts for sayings in today’s reading may be compared in the following tables:

Salt is a well-known preservative and Jesus’ saying about salt (Mt. 5:13; cf. Mk. 9:49-50; Lk. 14:34-35) suggests that Christian’s who are characterized by the beatitudes and related teaching of Jesus serve as a preservative within human society. We don’t want to be like salt that “has lost its taste.”

In John, Jesus claims to be “the light of the world” (Jn. 8:12). His followers will “have the light of life.” When he says, “You are the light of the world” (Mt. 5:14), he refers to a reflected, or perhaps refracted, light. We, as someone said, are “the only Christ some people will meet.” Hopefully, the light of Christ that they see in and through us will be clear, not distorted. “Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven” (v. 16).

The following table presents the passage from Matthew on the Law and the Prophets in parallel columns with related texts from Mark and Luke. This distribution fits in well with the commonly held “Two Source Theory” of the origins of the Synoptic Gospels. On this view, Matthew 5:17-20 and Luke 16:16-17 would be based on the “Q” source, with adaptations by one or both of these evangelists, and the saying, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Mk. 13:31; Mt. 24:35; Lk. 21:33), would be based on Mark as a source used by Matthew and Luke, each independently of the other.

In Matthew, Jesus claims not to abolish the Mosaic law, but to fulfill it. “Do not think,” he says, “that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt. 5:17). As Jesus explains, “For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter ( ijw:ta, iōta), not one stroke (keraiva, keraia) of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished” (v. 18).  jIw:ta (iōta, i, i ) is the smallest letter of the Greek alphabet, and corresponds to yodh ( y, y) in the Hebrew alphabet. The word keraiva (keraia), literally a “horn,” is defined as “projection, hook as part of a letter . . . [or] of accents and breathings” (Bauer, Arndt, Gingrich, Danker [BADG], A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, 2^nd ed., 1979, s.v. keraiva, keraia). Jesus as much as said, “Not the tiniest part of the law will pass away until all is accomplished.” “For truly I tell you,” he adds, “until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished" (Mt. 5:18).

In contrast with this passage from Matthew, Luke seems to mark a clear break between the period of the law and the prophets and the period of the kingdom of God. Some suggest that this explains why he records the arrest of John the Baptist before he begins the narrative of Jesus’ public ministry (Lk.3:19-20; cf. Mk. 6:17-18; Mt. 14:3-4). According to Luke, Jesus says,

The law and the prophets were in effect until John came; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is proclaimed, and everyone tries to enter it by force. But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, than for one stroke of a letter in the law to be dropped. (Lk. 16:16-17, NRSV)

According to Marion Lloyd Soards, “Here, John the Baptist is presented as the figure through whom the fulfillment of God’s promises began to appear” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Lk. 16:16-17). Apparently, Matthew and Luke write for different audiences, Matthew for a Christian community within close proximity to Judaism and Jewish culture, Luke for a Gentile audience. They both refer to the law and the prophets (i.e. the Hebrew scriptures), but Matthew emphasizes their fulfillment, as he quotes Jesus’ purpose “not to abolish but to fulfill [the law and the prophets]” (Mt. 5:17). Breaking these commandments, “one of the least of these commandments,” is a serious matter, and teaching “others to do the same” is even more serious (v. 19). Our righteousness must exceed “that of the scribes and Pharisees” (v. 20). (Compare Jesus statement, recorded by Matthew, that a scribe “who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven” makes a good Christian, “who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old” (Mt. 13:52). In this way, according to Matthew, Jesus prepares for what follows in chapter 5, as Jesus calls for stricter interpretation of Old Testament commandments and contemporary religious understandings of them.

However, even for Luke, says Eric Franklin, the transition from the time of “the law and the prophets,” which “were in effect until John came,” to the time of the Kingdom of God (v. 17) “does not mean an end of the righteous requirements of the law,” for in his saying about divorce” (v. 18), Jesus “actually intensifies the law’s demands” (The Oxford Bible Commentary, 2004, p. 949, on vv. 16-31). Jesus’ “Free acceptance of sinners did not mean an indifferent acquiescence in their standards. Grace exposed and recreated those who responded to its gentle outreach” (Ibid.). G. W. H. Lampe says, “The Law itself, however, is not repudiated by the preaching of the kingdom. It is not part of the Pharisaic ‘abomination’, but is fulfilled and so stands in its entirety. To repudiate it would be for Jesus to break the covenant or marriage-bond between God and Israel” (Peake’s Commentary on the Bible, 1962, reprint 1972, sec. 730 k, p. 837, on Lk. 16:16-18). This understanding of the “marriage-bond between God and Israel” leads to the final statement about divorce (Lk. 16:18; cf. Mk. 10:11-12; Mt. 19:9), which does not include Matthew’s exception clause, “except for unchastity” (Mt. 19:9; cf. Mt. 5:32).

In Matthew, Jesus rounds off his statement about the continuing validity of the law with a stern warning. “Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven” (Mt. 5:19). He calls for a righteousness that “exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees”: “For I tell you,” he says, “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (v. 20). According to J. Andrew Overman, “Jesus and his followers in Matthew fulfill the law through Jesus’ teaching, though they were accused of neglecting the law (12:2)” (NOAB, 3^rd ed., 2001, on Mt. 5:17-19).

Ronald D. Worden, Ph.D.

rdworden@hgst.edu

deanworden@comcast.net