Job 8

Bildad

1 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:


2 "How long will you say such things?
Your words are a blustering wind.


3 Does God pervert justice?
Does the Almighty pervert what is right?


4 When your children sinned against him,
he gave them over to the penalty of their sin.


5 But if you will look to God
and plead with the Almighty,


6 if you are pure and upright,
even now he will rouse himself on your behalf
and restore you to your rightful place.


7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous will your future be.


8 "Ask the former generations
and find out what their fathers learned,


9 for we were born only yesterday and know nothing,
and our days on earth are but a shadow.


10 Will they not instruct you and tell you?
Will they not bring forth words from their understanding?


11 Can papyrus grow tall where there is no marsh?
Can reeds thrive without water?


12 While still growing and uncut,
they wither more quickly than grass.


13 Such is the destiny of all who forget God;
so perishes the hope of the godless.


14 What he trusts in is fragile;
what he relies on is a spider's web.


15 He leans on his web, but it gives way;
he clings to it, but it does not hold.


16 He is like a well-watered plant in the sunshine,
spreading its shoots over the garden;


17 it entwines its roots around a pile of rocks
and looks for a place among the stones.


18 But when it is torn from its spot,
that place disowns it and says, 'I never saw you.'


19 Surely its life withers away,
and from the soil other plants grow.


20 "Surely God does not reject a blameless man
or strengthen the hands of evildoers.


21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughter
and your lips with shouts of joy.


22 Your enemies will be clothed in shame,
and the tents of the wicked will be no more."

Side Notes:

Bildad was upset that Job still claimed innocence while questioning God's justice. The basis of Bildad's argument (the justice of God) was correct, but his idea of God's justice was not. Bildad's argument went like this: God could not be unjust, and God would not punish a just man; therefore Job must be unjust. Bildad felt there were no exceptions to his theory. Like Eliphaz, Bildad wrongly assumed that people suffer only as a result of their sins. Bildad was even less sensitive and compassionate, saying that Job's children died because of their wickedness.

vs 14-15 When Bildad pointed out that "what he trust in is fragile" (meaning that such supports will collapse), he was wrongly assuming that Job was trusting in something other than God for security. One of our basic needs as humans is to feel secure and some will do almost anything to feel that security. Eventually, however, our money, possessions, knowledge, and relationships will fail or be gone. Only God can give lasting security. What have you trusted for your security? How lasting is it? If you have a secure foundation with God, feelings of insecurity will not undermine you.