“The Hope of the Godless”

“Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh? Can reeds flourish where there is no water? While yet in flower and not cut down, they wither before any other plant. Such are the paths of all who forget God; the hope of the godless shall perish.” (Job 8:11-13 ESV)

In this verse from Job, Bildad wrongfully accused Job of forgetting God and losing hope. While Bildad’s words were accusatory and condemning, some of them are true for many today. The first word that catches our eyes is the word “wither.” As this is from the Old Testament, a look at both the Greek and Hebrew concordances tells us:

In the Greek, Strong’s 3583 (a) (ξηραίνω): xérainó (ksay-rah'-ee-no). However, in Greek we find a 3rd-person present passive indicative, meaning it states a fact occurring in actual time, given to us in the he, she, they perspective. As an aorist, it does not focus on time or duration. In Hebrew, yabesh (יָבֵשׁ), Strong's H3001, has essentially the same meaning.

In this case, withering means a slow drying up, shame, and doing things shamefully. Bildad was telling Job that because you have forgotten God and no longer place your hope in Him, you will perish. Mind you, Job was covered in boils from the top of his head to the bottom of his feet; he was rotting away, and he was openly questioning God.

Such is it with those who have either forgotten God or have never known Him; gone is hope, or hope has never been known. For a Christian, hope is found in Christ alone. We, without Christ, live in despair. We try to carry our own burdens and fail. But for those in Christ, He carries our burdens for us.

In Matthew 13, Jesus told the parable of the sower. He said, “Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away.”(vv. 5-6) In His explanation of this parable to the apostles, Jesus said, “As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while, and when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately he falls away.”(vv 20-21)  Again, one can believe there is a Christ, but placing one’s faith in Him alone is a completely different thing. Without hope, we wither away.

This is why, when we see someone suffering in despair, we are to share the gospel with them. We are to give them hope through the Word of God. We are not to be like the Bildad who judged Job, nor are we to think like the apostles first did when the saw the man blind from birth asking, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”(John 9:2). Jesus’s response to the apostles has not changed in response to suffering today, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”(John 9:3) Christians suffer so that the glory of God may be displayed in us.

It was Peter who aptly said, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” (1 Peter 1:24-25) The Word of God remains forever; it is inerrant and unchanging. Just as “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. (Hebrews 13:8) In Christ we find everlasting hope. We continue to grow and mature, blossoming in our Christianity and gaining strength in our sanctification. In our maturity, we have a depth of hope that allows us to welcome the time we go to be with our Savior. Without hope, one struggles and is beaten down in this world. They wither and succumb to the pressures and troubles in which they suffer in despair. This is truly heartbreaking, as they have no one to turn

to who can bear these burdens for them.  

Job professed his innocence before Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, and he was condemned by them just as those of the world condemn us amidst our trials and tribulations. Yet Job never lost his faith and never turned his back on God. Do you know Christ as your Savior? Are you a Christian suffering the trials and tribulations of life, doubting God? Hope resides in Christ. If you do not know Him, seek Him today. If you do know Him, turn to the Scriptures that provide us with the assurances of hope in our salvation by grace through faith, in Christ alone.

Not sure what salvation is or how we receive God's gift? Not sure what scriptures I'm writing about? Reach out to us here at In Messiah Ministries, and we can share the scriptures on salvation through Christ alone and the hope found in Jesus Christ.

Grace and Peace.