Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part VI
Posted By Joe on August 28, 2009
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part I
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part II
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part III
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part IV
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part V
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part VI
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part VII
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part VIII
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part IX
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part X
- Job: Tragedy, Repentance & Restoration – Part XI
At the end Job's first reply to Eliphaz, he's starting to show signs of breaking down.
Who could blame him? His first friend, Eliphaz, was of no help to him at all. In spite of being the "voice of experience," his experiences only served to make Job more miserable!
Now it's Bildad's turn. Bildad is the "voice of tradition." Bildad goes back in time to make judgments on what is happening now. He is more crude than Eliphaz but just as unhelpful.
The Book of Job - Part VI: Bildad's first speech to Job
Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, "How long will you say these things, and the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?" --Job 8:1-2.
What a way to start a conversation with a hurting friend. "Job, you're nothing but a lot of hot air. How much longer are you going to keep this up?" Terrible!
As a reminder, Bildad is a Shuhite. He's a descendant of Shuah, the son of Abraham and Keturah; an Arab.
"Does God pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?" --Job 8:3.
Translation: "Job, you're getting what's coming to you." Bildad was saying that Job is suffering all this because of his sin.
"If your sons sinned against Him, then He delivered them into the power of their transgression." --Job 8:4.
This statement is absolutely untrue. First, God is not the one who destroyed Job's children, Satan is. Secondly, Bildad had no way of really knowing if Job's childrens' sin is what caused their demise. Naturally, we know this because we saw how everything went down in chapters 1 and 2.
"If you would seek God and implore the compassion of the Almighty, if you are pure and upright, surely now He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate." --Job 8:5-6.
Here again, Bildad is like a doctor giving a complete misdiagnoses. He has no clue as to why everything happened the way it did. His position, still, is that "Job something obviously isn't right in your life."
"Though your beginning was insignificant, yet your end will increase greatly." --Job 8:7.
Although Bildad is wrong on most counts, here he gives a prophetic word, though there is no way he could have known it the moment he uttered it. This will ultimately be fulfilled in Job 42:10.
"Please inquire of past generations, and consider the things searched out by their fathers." --Job 8:8.
Here is Bildad's foundation for his suppositions: the past; tradition.
"For we are only of yesterday and know nothing, because our days on earth are as a shadow. Will they not teach you and tell you, and bring forth words from their minds?" --Job 8:9-10.
All of Bildad's authority is based on the teachings of his predecessors and he expects Job to listen to and hear them.
"Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the rushes grow without water? While it is still green and not cut down, yet it withers before any other plant." --Job 8:11-12.
Another one of those statements that attempts to come off as some sort of uttered brilliance. In reality, who doesn't know that if you don't water a plant, it's going to wither and die?
"So are the paths of all who forget God; and the hope of the godless will perish, whose confidence is fragile, and whose trust a spider's web. He trusts in his house, but it does not stand; he holds fast to it, but it does not endure." --Job 8:13-15.
Bildad accuses Job of being godless, whose faith was as weak as a spider's web. How could this have possibly helped Job?
"He thrives before the sun, and his shoots spread out over his garden. His roots wrap around a rock pile, he grasps a house of stones. If he is removed from his place, then it will deny him, saying, 'I never saw you.' Behold, this is the joy of His way; and out of the dust others will spring. Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He support the evildoers." --Job 8:16-20.
Bildad continues with the spider web analogy. This year, for some reason, we have had more spiders and spider webs around the outside of our house. I love nothing more than to get rid of them, spiders and webs, especially with having a toddler running around the outside of the house now. Sweeping away the webs doesn't take much effort, and once they're gone, I don't seem them anymore. Bildad is likening Job's faith to that of these webs that you can just sweep away and never see them. How wrong he is about Job!
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting. Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the tent of the wicked will be no more." --Job 8:21-22.
Bildad concludes his speech by telling Job that he has been reduced to nothing but ashes and boils because he is a sinner. The problem is that Bildad does not know God, and in spite of being called Job's friend, he doesn't even know Job. Appealing to his traditions and past experience do nothing to help Job at all.
Job will answer Bildad in the next installment.
May He Increase!
About the author
Good work Joe! Have you ever had friends like these? I was unchurched and wiring churches. One of the groups heard i was going for an operation and wanted to come to my house to pray with me. I was so happy for fellowship! Things went well untill they started to dig for the hidden sin that caused my cancer. My cancer was caused by not using sun-screen!! I guessed they never read Job.
Will, that's a travesty. But unfortunately, it seems so prevalent. I'll never forget the one time my former nephew-in-law was giving a message at a Bible study one time. He and I were both young in the faith at the time. I clearly remember him saying "Christians don't need to accept sickness." I thought to myself, "gee, you know, I really don't like getting sick. He is saying that I can choose not be be sick?"
Shortly thereafter I heard a message on Job that addressed this heresy. It's really part of the "health and wealth" gospel which is bunk. I would love to see one of these pastors travel back in time and be Job's fourth friend and try that out on Job. I think he'd punch them in the mouth. Just a thought.
Thanks for stopping by brother!
This brings back memories in the early 70's when my wife went through a period of depression. She had to go to the hospital for a while. I can still hear some of our church family ask what sin is in her life that she is not confessing, and some even suggested demon possession. Now.. that brought her right out of that depression.....actually, it made me depressed!
I'm curious to know what Biblical basis someone has to take that position. Certainly, sin can manifest itself in different ways, but to immediately go down that road and assume it's sin in someone's life--especially someone in great pain--is short-sighted and unloving.
[...] friend Bildad, the "voice of tradition," accused Job of being a sinner and that is why he is suffering so. We looked at this last [...]