Reading 5: The First Speech of Bildad Job 8:1-22

 8Then Bildad the Shuhite answered:

Natural conversations do not normally take such regimented form, so it appears that Job has been written in a deliberate and likely accepted way of the time. And yet, this does not read like a philosophy discourse. There is an emotional component behind the words that are spoken, and emotional points of view that can be distinguished between the speakers.

² ‘How long will you say these things,
   and the words of your mouth be a great wind?

Eliphaz approached Job with something akin to respect, whereas Bildad seems to be deliberately provocative. The ‘great wind’ reference reminds me of Chicago, ‘The Windy City’. Some claim that it is due to the weather conditions off Lake Michigan. It is more likely a reference to the styles of political speeches in Chicago’s earlier history.

³ Does God pervert justice?
   Or does the Almighty pervert the right?

Again, right to the center of the matter. It is not simply questioning if God can be in error. Using the term ‘pervert’ is deliberately provocative.

⁴ If your children sinned against him,
   he delivered them into the power of their transgression.

Remember two pieces from the beginning of Job. The second is that all the children died together by natural disaster. But the first is that Job would sacrifice on their behalf ‘in case’ they’d done something against God. Bildad seems to indicate that they had, therefore they were killed as punishment.

⁵ If you will seek God
   and make supplication to the Almighty,

Again, the presupposition is that disaster is punishment, therefore the reply is repentance, confession.

⁶ if you are pure and upright,
   surely then he will rouse himself for you
   and restore to you your rightful place.

The blessings of God are implied to being on the proper behavior of those who have faith in God. Right behavior offers right reward.

⁷ Though your beginning was small,
   your latter days will be very great.

The notion seems to be one of incremental forgiveness. What we read at the end of Job defies this as there is a complete and rapid turn around of fortunes from the Lord.

⁸ ‘For inquire now of bygone generations,
   and consider what their ancestors have found;

In other words, this is the way things have always been done.

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

What can be learned in the very brief time that we have on earth?

¹⁰ Will they not teach you and tell you
   and utter words out of their understanding?

What we know of God comes from what we have already been taught by those who have lived before us.

¹¹ ‘Can papyrus grow where there is no marsh?
   Can reeds flourish where there is no water?
¹² While yet in flower and not cut down,
   they wither before any other plant.
¹³ Such are the paths of all who forget God;
   the hope of the godless shall perish.

It says in Psalms, “the grass withers, the flower fades, but God is forever.” The implication is that Job’s fortunes have faded, therefore he is as one who forgets God.

¹⁴ Their confidence is gossamer,
   a spider’s house their trust.
¹⁵ If one leans against its house, it will not stand;
   if one lays hold of it, it will not endure.

The modern cliché might be something like ‘those who live in glass houses should not throw stones’.

¹⁶ The wicked thrive before the sun,
   and their shoots spread over the garden.
¹⁷ Their roots twine around the stoneheap;
   they live among the rocks.
¹⁸ If they are destroyed from their place,
   then it will deny them, saying, “I have never seen you.”

I am reminded of Jesus’ parable of the seeds of faith that are sown. Birds get some, weeds get some, some hit good soil. Some fall among the rocks where they spring up quickly but the sun quickly beats them down for they have no roots. Bildad’s reference to the evil among the rocks is they too quickly wither.

¹⁹ See, these are their happy ways,
   and out of the earth still others will spring.

Is Bildad being ironic? The evil have their ‘happy ways’, where they wither while others, apparently more faithful, will spring from the earth. Or it could be that the evil are simply ignorant of their own destruction by the Lord, thus happy to the end.

²⁰ ‘See, God will not reject a blameless person,
   nor take the hand of evildoers.

In other words, God would not be doing this to you Job if you were blameless and not an evildoer.

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

Thus, if Job repents, confesses his evil, he can still be made right with and blessed by God.

²² Those who hate you will be clothed with shame,
   and the tent of the wicked will be no more.’

So, it is not simply that Job will be restored, but does it seem the enemies who destroyed his stuff will be shamed as the wicked are no more?

 

Eliphaz and Bildad share the same basic message, the presupposition that tragedy is punishment and God only punishes the guilty. Therefore, Job’s tragedy is punishment and the way out is by confessing to the Lord. But Bildad seems a lot more pointed, maybe sarcastic in his response to Job. Neither understands Job’s recalcitrance, that there might be another reason for the tragedies that have befallen. Again, they are more interested in trying to fix his behavior.

Peace,
Pastor Peter