Job 8:1-22
1 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,
2 How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?
3 Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?
4 If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away fora their transgression;
5 If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;
6 If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.
7 Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.
8 For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our daysb upon earth are a shadow:)
10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
11 Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?
12 Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.
13 So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish:
14 Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.c
15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.
16 He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.
17 His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.
18 If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.
20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he helpd the evil doers:
21 Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.e
22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.
Bildad's Lecture
I. INTRODUCTION
A. Last week in Job's reply to Eliphaz - we saw a small glimpse of the Job's physical condition:
1. The worms, the sores that would break open in the sleepless nights, and the days that were almost as miserable.
2. And in short, Job told Eliphaz that he should at the very least, have compassion upon him.
3. Job also told Eliphaz that his pain had caused him to say things and act in ways that made him question what the Lord was doing in his life.
a) But, he also told Eliphaz that as friends, they were no help to him at all!
b) Instead of encouraging him in the Lord, they discouraged him by false accusations of secret sin.
(1) Instead of giving him a reason to live, they caused him deeper depression.
(2) Hearing Job's response, to Eliphaz - Bildad, one of the other "friends" decides Job's need "straightening out".
(a) And of course, he's just the "wise counselor" to do it!
(b) Chapter 8 is Bildad's first "lecture" to Job!
B. To help us better understand the speech we need to understand Bildad a little more.
1. Bildad is one of those guys in life that we have all encountered.
2. He is the guy that anytime anyone wants to change things says, "That's not the way we do things around here!" "We have always done them this way and they've" always worked so were not going to change them!"
a) He is a "traditionalist"!
b) He is also a bit of an evolutionist!
(1) In the sense that the evolutionist picks up a rock, tries by human logic to place a date upon the rock.
(2) After he dates the rock, he then fabricates a story about the past and calls it "history" and "fact".
(3) Then he begins to predict the future, based upon his own interpretation of the past - which can't scientifically be validated in the first place!!
(a) Therefore, if his premise is wrong, so will be all the "speculation."
3. Bildad "picks up a lot of rocks" in this Chapter and basis his advice to Job on what he "thinks he knows."
II. TEXT
A. Job 8:1-2 (NKJV) Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
2 "How long will you speak these [things], And the words of your mouth [be] [like] a strong wind?
1. Bildad is even a little less tactful than Eliphaz
2. In effect, he is calling Job a "windbag", and asks him how long they have to listen to his hot air!
B. Job 8:3 (NKJV) Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
1. "Job, God can't be wrong so you must be!"
2. "You must be getting exactly what you deserve, and we all know why."
C. Job 8:4 (NKJV) If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression.
1. If you will remember, early in Job scripture told us that Job's children partied a lot and that Job would offer sacrifices for them in case they had done or said something that they shouldn't have during the course of the evening.
a) BUT, it did not say directly that they had offended the Lord or that they were being judged when they were taken home to be with the Lord!
2. However, Bildad suggest that they were killed for sinning against the Lord.
a) This had to be a tremendous source of encouragement for a man on the verge of mental and physical collapse.
(1) If you are a parent, don't you think that Job has probably "mulled" this over in his mind a million times!!
(2) Or at least blamed himself for not being a better father!
D. Job 8:5-7 (NKJV) If you would earnestly seek God And make your supplication to the Almighty,
6 If you [were] pure and upright, Surely now He would awake for you, And prosper your rightful dwelling place.
7 Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly.
1. "Job if you were really pure and upright like you say that you are, you could simply ask the Lord and He would restore your health and wealth!"
a) Therefore, there must be some "hidden" sin in your life that is preventing Him from doing this.
E. Job 8:8 (NKJV) "For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers;
1. You can almost see Bildad as he takes out his glasses, puts on his collegiate look begins to try and impress with his wisdom of the ages.
2. He start by saying, "Job, lets take a look at history."
3. "Our forefathers have figured out that things have always worked in certain ways. Let me explain a few of those to you."
F. Job 8:9-10 (NKJV) For we [were] [born] yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days on earth [are] a shadow.
10 Will they not teach you and tell you, And utter words from their heart?
1. It's too bad that Bildad doesn't believe his own words.
a) When he says, "For we [were] [born] yesterday, and know nothing", he really doesn't believe that HE knows nothing, only that Job knows nothing!
2. Here is where Bildad kicks in the history lesson by saying, "Job, lets pick up a few rocks and look at then all this will make sense to you."
G. Job 8:11-13 (NKJV) "Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water?
12 While it [is] yet green [and] not cut down, It withers before any [other] plant.
13 So [are] the paths of all who forget God; And the hope of the hypocrite shall perish,
1. "Job, you know that plants can't grow without water.They wither and die."
2. "And by the way, Job, the hypocrite who forgets the Lord is the same way.His life will wither and die also. Sound like anyone you know Job!?!?!?"
a) Once again he is accusing Job of lying and putting up a front to cover his sin.
b) I don't know about you, but so far, I'm not too impressed with Bildad's "scientific" mind?!?!?
H. Job 8:14-18 (NKJV) Whose confidence shall be cut off, And whose trust [is] a spider's web.
15 He leans on his house, but it does not stand. He holds it fast, but it does not endure.
16 He grows green in the sun, And his branches spread out in his garden.
17 His roots wrap around the rock heap, [And] look for a place in the stones.
18 If he is destroyed from his place, Then [it] will deny him, [saying], `I have not seen you.'
1. "The hypocrite looses his confidence, because the Lord is not there to `support' him. There is nothing to lean on."
I. Job 8:20 (NKJV) Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, Nor will He uphold the evildoers.
Job 8:21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, And your lips with rejoicing.
1. This is not exactly true! God died for the "evildoers."And 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that The Lord is... not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
2. And before we get too self-righteous Romans 3:10-12 tells us... "There is none righteous, no, not one;
11 There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.
12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable;
There is none who does good, no, not one."
3. Righteousness, good, and evil are all measured at the cross!
a) It is not measured by how prosperous or healthy, or how educated a man or woman is.
J. Job 8:22 (NKJV) Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing."
1. This is definitely true from the Christian perspective when the Lord reconciles everything, but it is not the case in this world!
a) Sometimes the people closest to you who will "hate" you for simply trying to serve the Lord because they disagreeing on how you should do that!
(1) Matthew 10:34 (NKJV) "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
35 "For I have come to `set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law';
36 "and `a man's enemies will be those of his [own] household.'
b) And right now, in this world, the wicked are prospering, and crime does pay.
(1) Which would you rather do if you didn't have the Lord:
(a) Work for $6 an hour honestly or make $600/hr selling drugs?
III. CONCLUSION
A. Bildad missed it also!
1. Suffering is part of the plan!
2. Job was not hiding sin.
3. God was doing a mighty work in his life.