seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Job 8:1 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 seek God earnestly
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 prosperous state.
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous will your future be.
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 seek God earnestly
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 prosperous state.
7 Your beginnings will seem humble,
so prosperous will your future be.
8 “Ask the former generation
and find out what their ancestors 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 they trust in is fragile[a];
what they rely on is a spider’s web.
15 They lean on the web, but it gives way;
they cling to it, but it does not hold.
16 They are 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(b) from the soil other plants grow.
and find out what their ancestors 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 they trust in is fragile[a];
what they rely on is a spider’s web.
15 They lean on the web, but it gives way;
they cling to it, but it does not hold.
16 They are 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(b) from the soil other plants grow.
20 “Surely God does not reject one who is blameless
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.”
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.”
a. Job 8:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
b. Job 8:19 Or Surely all the joy it has / is that
I really think this guy is saying that the reason all this has happened..... Job didn't make his kids go to Temple. Job made daily sacrifices at the Temple. He covered his kids with prayer and made sacrifices on the alter for them. He knew they were drunks who liked to party.
This is from the easy English site.
Eliphaz heard Job’s reply. But Eliphaz chose not to answer. Instead, Bildad spoke.
Eliphaz had talked about his strange experience with a spirit. His ideas were new ideas. But Bildad’s ideas were traditional ideas. A new idea is not always right. And a traditional idea is not always right.
Job’s words upset Bildad greatly. Job seemed to have no hope. Bildad understood Job’s words. But Bildad was sorry that Job had even spoken. Bildad would prefer to listen to something that had no meaning, like the sound of the wind.
Verse 3 is right. We all should agree with this verse. But verse 3 leads to an awful idea in verse 4. These are terrible words to say to a man whose children have recently died. We might expect Job to complain about such words. But in fact, Job agreed with Bildad. Job knew about his children’s behaviour. And perhaps Job realised that we all deserve to die because of our evil deeds (Romans 6:2-3). We are alive because God is kind and patient (2 Peter 3:9). And God wants to forgive us (John 3:16).
Bildad advised Job to pray. This is always good advice (1 Thessalonians 5:17). And Bildad was right to say that God helps sincere people (Matthew 5:1-10). But this does not mean that every Christian should be wealthy. Many people who serve God have many troubles during their lives. But God will reward them greatly in heaven (see Matthew 5:12).
Later, the three friends spoke very cruel words to Job. They accused him of many evil deeds. They thought that Job was suffering as a punishment for his evil deeds. But in chapter 8, Bildad was not yet thinking such things. Bildad still thought that Job was a good man.
Ancient advice can be good. But it can sometimes be wrong. Job was not suffering for any evil deed. And Job’s problem was not that he failed to pray. Job was suffering because the devil opposed him.
Bildad explained his ideas with three stories.
· The first story is about plants that grow near the river (verses 11-13). Without water, such plants die quickly. Such plants are like people who do not obey God. Without God, such people are hopeless. They forget that their lives are God’s gift (John 1:4).
· The second story is about a spider’s web (verses 14-15). (A spider is like an insect. A spider makes a net, called a web, from silk.) A web might seem to be strong. But really, it is weak. People who forget God may seem to be strong. But they have no security. So their lives are weak. Jesus said that such people’s lives are like buildings without a proper base (Matthew 7:24-27).
· The last story is about a plant in a garden (verses 16-19). This plant has everything that it needs. So it grows well. Then the gardener removes the plant. He leaves the plant to die. This story was rather like Job’s life. Formerly Job had been successful. But now, like the plant, Job was dying. Bildad told this story because he did not want Job’s life to be like that plant. The plant was like a man who does not obey God. Job’s prayer (Job 7:12-2) caused Bildad to think that Job was turning away from God. So Bildad warned his friend.
Bildad was sure that God is fair. So he was sure that God would help Job. Bildad’s advice was simple. Job should do the right things. God would rescue Job. But Bildad’s answer was simply words. It was not a solution to Job’s problem. Job was still suffering greatly.
Back in the days of Bildad and Job..... there was not social media. If someone was going to spend time around other people.... they actually had to get up and go out..... to the city gate or to the Temple or to the other person's house. I would like to say in these days of social media..... the kids would have been using their phones and computers instead of just drinking together...... So social media has made wiping out an entire family in one swoop a little more difficult. I know more about what my family and friends are doing these days than I would have ever known back in the days before PCs or Macs. Now that we have phones we can carry around with us.... we know exactly where they are and what they are doing every single minute.... if they fart it gets a hashtag. Job was a good guy..... he prayed all the time.... he had a one on one relationship with God. He followed all the rules....not because they were rules.... but because he enjoyed being a good man. His kids worried him. Our kids worry us. I don't know how parents can pack their kids up and send them to school these days..... When my kids were in school..... the worst threat was the bully in the hall or the teacher at PES who smacked my kid. Neither of them would have imagined packing heat instead of books in their backpack or purse. I pray that God will keep His protective hand on my children. If something happens to them.... well God must have lifted His protective hand..... and I would have to ask why......
That's where Job is at..... for some reason God lifted His protective hand from Job's children..... Job doesn't understand why.... it's more than his kids were drunks...... Job made sacrifices to cover those times.... Job had a deal with God.... and it looks like God broke the deal.
Just think.... sitting in the dirt was the social media of Job's day..... compiling the Bible books and hand copying them and distributing them.... was the social media of the medieval day..... and now.... we've got TV, Smart Phones, laptops and tablets..... they are the social media of the day..... something goes wrong... put a hashtag on it.....
I wonder..... where does prayer fit in to the social media today.....
