In the biblical times, a man named Job was going through very difficult times in his life. He had just lost everything he owned, including his children.
Then Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar, three friends of Job, decided to visit their grieving friend to sympathize with him. Whilst at Job’s place, Bildad made the following observation recorded in Job 8: 11-13 "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."
In that verse Bildad posed the following questions. Can a papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh? And can reeds thrive without water? He went on to answer these questions by saying that, the papyrus and the reed will definitely wither without water. Then he exposed that the fate of the papyrus and the reed without water is comparable to the destiny of them that forget God.
Bildad's’ observation still stand tall today, where we have two groups of people, the papyrus and reed men, and the grass kind of men, grass may represent any other plant.
A quick study shows us that papyrus and reed are very fragile plants or bushes that remain in water or in a marshy condition constantly to continue growing and to remain fresh, which compares to a person who decides to live in the Will and the Way of God and surely finds fruitfulness and fulfillment.
Unlike grass which can survive a little longer without water, the papyrus and the reed, both of which are very tender plants in comparison to grass cannot survive at all where there is no water.
The grass type of men is the group who try to do it without God. Such is the life of a man who hopes or tries to survive on earth without God. They hustle to make it look as if all is going well with them without God then suddenly the grass begins to wither and die off because of one necessity water.
While the grass men is still of much interest to us, the papyrus man is of greater interest because he decided to forget all about God. At this point just as papyrus and reed cannot survive without water or they will surely wither which brings difficulties to the plant, so exactly would a man who forgets God also face uncertainties because they are out of the destiny of God and so have they missed the divine destination charted for them by God.
There is no argument about the fact that men cannot live without water and air, these two are very necessary for the survival of humankind. God has ensured they are readily available to mankind no matter what. So you ask yourself, why the papyrus man and the grass man would choose to ignore the one who created the air and water ; that they need very much for their survival.
That was the message Bildad simply relayed in that analysis, what men need far above a critical commodity like water was God who created water.
Today many hold the things God created dearly above God himself.
I wish you all a happy Easter, remember Jesus is risen and so can you also rise up above everything that holds you down being affliction, situations or whatever it may be, call on the name of Jesus for a destiny change and remain risen like our Lord Jesus. God bless you.
