Enduring Word Biblical Commentary Hiob Kapitel 8 (2023)

A. Bildade corrige Good.

1. (1-7) If Job were righteous, God would bless and defend him.

Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said:
“How long are you going to say these things?Things,
And the words from your mouthbe likea strong wind?
Does God Impair Judgment?
Or does the Almighty pervert justice?
If his children have sinned against him,
He cast them out because of their transgression.
If you are serious about seeking God
And beg the Almighty
If youguerrapure and straight
Surely he would wake up to you now
And prosper your rightful place of residence.
Though your beginnings were small
But his ultimate end would increase abundantly.”

A.How long are you going to say these things: Bildad (whom some think descended from Shuah, Abraham's son by Keturah, as in Genesis 25:1-2) speaks now. He rebuked Job for Job's rebuke of Eliphaz, who had already corrected Job. Bildad rejected Job's defense as recorded in Job 6-7a strong wind.

I. "He does not begin as politely as Eliphaz, but bluntly accuses Job of being a loudmouth, fierce but empty." (Andersen) "There is not a word of apology, not a hint of friendly sympathy. There is no attempt to soothe and calm the sufferer.” (Bradley)

ii. "If Eliphaz strikes us as the most cultured member of this group, comparatively supple and sophisticated, then Bildad the Shuhita strikes us as the stick-steady traditionalist, one who sees all problems in black and white and who prides himself on his - Nonsense, nonsensical approach." Mason)

iii. Bildad was quick to rebuke Job for his strong words, but he didn't stop to think about it.BecauseJob said so. He heard Job's words, but he didn't think about his pain.

B.The Almighty perverts justice: Bildad trusts in the justice of God; in the idea that Job could only receive such calamities from God as punishment for a sin.

I. Bildad was bold enough to throw the death of Job's sons in the face (If your children sinned against Him, He cast them out for their transgression). "There is not only a steely indifference to Job's plight, but also an arrogant certainty that Job's children got exactly what they deserved and that Job was on his way to the same fate." (Smick)

ii. "JobsKindermust have sinned. This gets close to the bone; for Job was concerned on this very point, and even provided for his hidden sins by means of sacrifices. ”(Andersen)

C.If you were sincerely seeking God... If you were pure and sincere, surely He would be waking up to you right now.: Bildad, like everyone else in this drama, was unable to see the backstage drama in the celestial realm. Therefore, his only way to interpret Job's situation was to apply the principle of cause and effect and ask Job to repent.

I. This encouragement toseek seriously godcomes right after the condemnation of Job's children. "He cutsshe outin their sins, but sparedyou; and this is proof that he is waiting to be kind to you.” (Clark)

ii. To Job, this was empty advice to "look on the bright side." “The 'Gospel of Temperaments' works very well when you are just suffering from mental neuralgia, so to speak, and all you need is a cup of tea; but if you have a really deep grievance, the tentative “chin up” order is an insult. What good is it to say to a woman who has lost her husband and children in the war, "Cheer up and look on the bright side"? ThereANDno bright side, it is utter darkness, and unless God can come to her aid, she is really in a sorry state.” (Chambers)

iii. Note, however, that Blidad said:If you were pure and sincere, surely He would awaken for you now.. "Then Bildad spoke and indicated that Job was not pure and upright, since God did not appear to deliver him." (Meier)

D.Though its beginning was small, its last end would grow bountifully.: When Bildad said this, he was both right and wrong.

I. He was wrong in assuming that since Job was not currently in prosperity and abundance, it proved that Job had done nothing.appealand it wasn'tpure and straight. "He wanted to prove that Job could not be a just man, for if he were, he here asserts that his prosperity would continually increase." (Spurgeon)

ii. He was right about this job, in the end he got itincrease profusely. “It is true, as indeed the facts of the book of Job prove: for Job grew greatly in his last end. His beginning was small: he was cast into misery! Down to the shards and the dung heap he had many graves, but no children; he had a lot of losses, now he had nothing to lose; and yet God aroused to him; his righteousness emerged from the darkness that darkened it; he shone in sevenfold prosperity, so that Bildad's words were prophetic, though he knew not; God put language in his mouth, and it came true.” (Spurgeon)

2. (8-10) Job should respect ancient wisdom.

"Please ask about previous age,
And consider the things discovered by your parents;
For ushe was bornyesterday and I don't know anything
Because our days on earthThey area shadow.
They won't teach you and tell you
And speak words from your heart?

A.Please inquire about previous age: Bildad asked Job to consult the wisdom of the ages and consider what they should doto teachEto sayTo work.

I. “If Job took the trouble to look into ancient traditions, he would find that God only does what is right. Sinners are justly punished and good people are blessed with health and prosperity.” (Smick)

ii. Bildad quoted the ancients, but even in ancient biblical history they could see that there is no easily discernible correlation between righteousness and blessing. Abel was righteous from the beginning of time, but he was rewarded with the murder of his brother Cain.

iii. “The greatest blessing one man can find in another is not in his words, but in insinuating, 'I don't know the answer to your problem, all I can say is that only God should know; let's go to him'... The greatest thing you can do for those who are suffering is not to talk platitudes, not to ask questions, but to get in touch with God, and the 'greater works' are accomplished through prayer. “(chambers)

B.Because we were born yesterday and we don't know anything: Bildad furnished Job with an elegant excuse for what he believed to be his former stupidity. It was simply because Job did not consider and consult ancient wisdom.

EU.Our days on earth are a shadow: “I saw this beautiful motto on a sundial: Unbrae sumus! “We are shadows!” … Like the timeAND, these areOf; so fleeting, so ephemeral, so insubstantial. Thatin shadelost,TempoHe is lost;Tempolost,Almalost! Attention readers!” (Clark)

ii. “We can certainly learn from the past today, but the past should be an oar that guides us into the future, not an anchor that holds us back. The fact that something was said years ago does not guarantee that it is correct. The past contains as much madness as wisdom.” (Wiersbe, quoted in Lawson)

B. Bildad applies his common sense to Job's situation.

1. (11-18) The rule of cause and effect applied to Job's situation.

“Can papyrus grow without a swamp?
Can reeds thrive without water?
While heANDbut greenEdo not shorten
He withers before allOthersAttachment.
ThenThey arethe ways of all who forget God;
And the hypocrite's hope will perish
Whose trust is severed
And whose trustANDa spider's web.
He leans against her house, but she doesn't resist.
It holds tight, but it doesn't last.
Grows green in the sun
And its branches spread out in your garden.
Its roots twine around the cairn,
Efind a place on the rocks.
If it is destroyed from its place,
ThenEswill deny himSaying,'I did not see you.'"

A.Can papyrus grow without a swamp?: Bildad used the example of cultivationPapyrusto illustrate two things. First, it shows the principle of cause and effect, because water makes it grow. Second, it is fragile growthwithers before all other plants.

I. Thatcanathey are like the hypocrite or one who gives only a semblance of faith without true trust in God. Spurgeon used Bildad's illustration of the papyrus reed in Job 8:11-18 to describe the hypocrite.

· Like reeds, hypocrites grow quickly.

· Like the pipe, hypocrites are hollow and without substance.

· Like the reed, hypocrites are easily bent.

· Like the reed, hypocrites can bow their heads in false humility.

· Like the reed, hypocrites bear no fruit.

ii.It withers before all other plants.: “Long before the Lord comes to cast down the hypocrite, it often happens that he withers for want of dirt to live on. The excitement, the encouragement, the example, the gain, the honesty, the prosperity with which he lived fail him, and fail him too." (Spurgeon)

B.Such are the ways of all who forget God: Just as papyrus quickly withers and dies, so will all who turn their backs on God. It may prosper for a time, but it will eventually perish.

EU. "a spider's web; which, though fashioned with great art and industry, and capable of doing much harm to others, is very lean and weak, and easily knocked down or torn to pieces, and unable to defend the spider that made it. (pool)

ii. Bildad used powerful and vivid images of nature, but misapplied them to Job as if he were a sinful and shallow hypocrite. "If you take an example from nature and apply it to someone's moral or spiritual life, it will not be true to the facts because natural law does not work in the spiritual world... God says: 'And I will restore him in years, who ate the locust...'; this is not a law of nature, but it happens in the spiritual world.” (Kammers)

iii. “Again, we must say that Bildad was right in his statements of truth and completely wrong in his intended conclusions with regard to Job.” (Morgan)

2. (19-22) God's promise of blessings to the innocent.

"Behold, this is the joy of your way,
And from the earth others will grow.
Behold, God will not reject the blameless,
He will not support ill-wishers either.
He will fill your mouth with laughter
And your lips with joy.
Those who hate you will be clothed in shame
And the abode of the wicked will be brought to nothing.”

A.This is the joy of His way... God will not reject the innocent: Bildad's message was more forceful and less diplomatic than Eliphaz's, but his basic message was the same. Job could reach a place once moreHappinessERirif he would turn to God again.

I. "In his simple theology everything can be explained in terms of two types of people - the innocent (for this, Job 8:20a; used by Job in 1:1) and the secretly wicked (Hanep, Job 8:13b). Outwardly alike, God distinguishes them as prospering the one and destroying the other.” (Andersen)

B.Those who hate you will be clothed in shame: Job's frustration increased because of these contentious conversations with his friends. After the harsh words between Eliphaz and Job (Job 4-5 and 6-7), Bildad challenged Job to find justification through repentance.

I. Bildad had its wisdom of the ancients and its own belief system, both of which were consistent and seemed unshakable. What he really didn't have wasthe god himself. Bildad and Job's other advisors talk a lot, but what they don't do isto pray. Bildad seems to have had very little real experience of God; however, Job was being prepared to experience God so intimately that he could say:now my eyes see you(Job 42:5).

©2019 David Guzik – No distribution beyond personal use without permission