Sunday, July 17, 2011
THE FIRST WORD FROM BILDAD
Job 8
Today we come back to Job. You might be thinking, “How can we come back to Job? After considering the precious words of our Lord from the cross, after emphasizing how important it is to seek Jesus as our treasure, how can we plunge back into the dark chapters of Job? Surely there is no comparison between Job and Jesus. So why are we doing this?”
I think those are legitimate questions. I’ve wrestled with them myself. Before we begin in the eighth chapter of Job, please allow me to address those concerns for a moment. First of all, we must understand that such considerations are always a matter of degree. In reality, nothing can compare with the Lord Jesus, who is indeed the center of the entire Bible. He is the key that allows us to make sense of all the rest. Since that is so, why would we want to take time to look at David, a man who said that he was shapen in iniquity and conceived in sin? Why look at Moses, who is as inferior to Jesus as the old covenant is to the new? Why even both to consider the apostles, who forsook the Lord in His time of need?
We can’t help but notice that God has blessed us with 66 books in our Bibles. And we read these words from 2 Tim 3:16-17, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Literally, all scripture is breathed by God. And Jesus, quoting from Deuteronomy, refuted the devil with these words: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Now when Timothy said that all scripture is breathed by God, he wasn’t referring to the gospel according to John or to the letter to the Hebrews. When Timothy wrote, those works had not yet been completed and circulated among believers. Timothy was referring primarily to the Old Testament. Nevertheless, he said that all of that scripture is profitable for us.
When we look at David, we see a man who committed terrible sins, the last of which caused the death of 70,000 of God’ people (II Sam. 24:15). Some of you thought David’s sins ended with the Bathsheba/Uriah incident, but that is not the case. So why look at such a sinful man? Because we learn things from the life of David that demonstrate the mercy of our God and bring Him glory. Not only is David said to be a man after God’s own heart, but it is David who gave us the words, “Blessed is he who transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile” (Ps. 32:1-2). But how can there be a blessing after a man has committed adultery and murder? It is here that we see the glory of the cross of Jesus Christ. That glory is seen best against the dark background of sin and iniquity. Even a man who committed adultery and murder can find forgiveness through Christ. I am glad we have the record of this man who said, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me… Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation… The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise” (Ps. 51:10,12,17).
Our great need is to learn how to relate the characters and the stories of the Bible to the glory of God and His Son. We look at Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5 to see the deadliness of hypocrisy. We look at Judas and see that outward identification with Jesus isn’t enough. We look at the thieves on the cross to see that our eternal destination is determined by how we respond to Jesus. We could go on and on. Every portion of the Word of God is breathed by God and is profitable for us, as it points us to Jesus and demonstrates the glory of God.
So what about Job? How can Job point us to Jesus? We have already seen some of that. That is why we were looking at what Jesus said from the cross. We were rejoicing in the fact that when Jesus was faced with suffering far greater than Job could have imagined, we see in Him the glory of God, that the Christ who was victorious even over the cross lives within His true followers. As we continue to explore Job, we must always keep in mind that Jesus is the center of the Bible, and that what we learn from the Word will ultimately aid us in bringing glory to God.
Now let’s come to Job. But while you are turning to Job 8, let me read you a little Proverb. "He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, it is folly and shame unto him" (Prov. 18:13). The Proverbs advise us to weigh a matter before we come to our conclusions. Have you ever jumped to a conclusion, only to find out that you were dead wrong? But you were so sure you were right. Have you ever listened to a dispute and quickly come to a conclusion about who was right and wrong, only to discover that you hadn’t heard the whole story? Most of us have at least some experience along those lines.
Now let’s come back to Job’s experience. At the end of chapter 2, we were introduced to his three friends -- Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. You will remember that they were so overwhelmed by Job’s appearance and suffering that they sat with him in silence for seven days. After Job broke the silence in chapter 3, Eliphaz offered a not-so-kind response in chapters 4-5. When he finished speaking, Job took his turn in chapters 6-7. As Bildad takes the opportunity to get in on the conversation in chapter 8, I get the impression that he can’t wait to speak. He was chomping at the bit to air his own opinion about the whole matter. We get an earful in this brief chapter. Though he didn’t say as much as Eliphaz, Bildad was even more to the point in what he said. He would have done well to think on Prov. 18:13. Chapters 9-10 contain Job’s response.
This morning we are going to work our way through chapter 8. We will hear Bildad speak to Job. Next week, Lord willing, we will examine Job’s response in chapter 9. If you want to give this message a title, it might be “Bildad’s Harsh Words for Job.”
Let’s read Job 8.
1 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? 3 Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice? 4 If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression. 5 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. 8 "For inquire, please, of the former age, And consider the things discovered by their fathers; 9 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? 11 "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, 14 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.' 19 "Behold, this is the joy of His way, And out of the earth others will grow. 20 Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, Nor will He uphold the evildoers.21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, And your lips with rejoicing. 22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.
I. The Plan of God: The Righteous Prosper; The Wicked Do Not (1-7)
Before plunging into his argument, Bildad attacks Job rather bluntly: “How long are you going to talk like this? Your words are like a great wind.” In English we use similar language, when we say that someone is full of hot air, or that a person is a windbag. Bildad is obviously accusing Job of not knowing what he is talking about. To what words is Bildad referring? Most likely, he is pointing to what Job has just said in chapters 6 and 7. However, he may still have some reference to what Job said back in chapter 3.
In verse 3, Bildad comes straight to the point by asking a couple of blunt questions: “Does God subvert judgment? Or does the Almighty pervert justice?” These two questions are very similar. “Judgment,” especially in this context, speaks primarily of a decision that is rendered. In other words, does God ever render an unjust verdict in dealing with men? “Justice” denotes the righteous character of a person. Is the Almighty ever unfair in the way He treats people? Of course, Bildad phrases these questions in such a way that the answer is obvious, “No, God the Judge never makes a mistake. He is always right and fair.” I am reminded of the words of Ps. 119:75, “I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me.”
In verse 4 Bildad gets personal. “If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression.” The “if” isn’t intended to suggest a possibility. It is used in the same sense that we sometimes use it in English -- to mean “since.” Simply this, “Because your children sinned against God, He has cast them away (slain them) for their sins.” Bildad was not just saying that Job’s children had committed sins, as all men do, but he was accusing them of committing such serious sins that God killed them as result. For Bildad, it was a matter of God’s justice. Just as Eliphaz operated on this principle, so did Bildad. The principle was simple: “The righteous prosper; the wicked do not.” He clearly classed Job’s children among the wicked.
Now come to verses 5-7, “If you would earnestly seek God and make your supplication (prayer) to the Almighty, if you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you and prosper your rightful dwelling place. Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.” Eliphaz had already accused Job of great sin, concluding that it was such terrible sins that led to his present suffering. At this point, Bildad does not reassert the same accusation, but simply assumes the seriousness of Job’s hidden sin. As we read between the lines, the idea is something like this: “Job, if you would earnestly seek God, which you are not doing now; if you would plead with Him in prayer, which you are not doing now; if you were pure and upright, which is not the case now… then God would act on your behalf.” Bildad is calling on Job to repent and shape up.
Notice that Bildad makes great promises to Job, if he will heed his advice. He says in verse 6 that God would then awake for Job, that God would stir Himself up on Job’s behalf, and prosper him. The ESV reads at the end of verse 6, “And restore your rightful habitation.” The KJV reads, “And make the habitation of your righteousness prosperous.” The “habitation of his righteousness” could be referring to Job’s body. In other words, God would restore his physical health. Or, it could be speaking in a spiritual sense, by which God would restore his fellowship with the Lord. It seems most likely that it is very literal, referring to Job’s literal house and household. In other words, if Job will heed Bildad’s words, he will again have his wealth restored. This interpretation is confirmed by what we read in verse 7, “Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.” Bildad is clearly saying that if Job will heed his counsel, he will have even more than he did before. Though Bildad didn’t realize it, he was prophesying ultimate truth. But the way he got there was anything but true. If God could use the words of a donkey, He could use the words of Bildad.
So keep it foremost in your mind that both Eliphaz and Bildad have concluded that Job’s troubles are due to his great sin, but if he will confess that sin, repent, and seek the Lord, he will find prosperity again.
II. The Authority of Bildad (8-10)
So upon what does Bildad base his belief in this principle? You will recall that Eliphaz had a basis for his authority. Do you remember what it was? Eliphaz appealed to his own mystical experience in Job 4:12-16…
Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14. Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying…
Bildad relies upon a different authority. Listen to his basis for authority in verses 8-10…
For inquire, 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 days upon earth are a shadow:) 10. Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?
Bildad urges Job to consider the wisdom of the ages. When he says, “For we are but yesterday and know nothing,” he is not saying that Job and his friends know nothing at all. Obviously, Bildad himself thinks that he knows plenty. Rather, it is a comparison. “Compared to what man has learned down through the ages, we know practically nothing. We have lived only a few years. Yet those who have gone before us have gleaned much wisdom and we need to pay attention to what they tell us. If you listen to them, will they not give you heartfelt wisdom?” We might ask, “How was Job supposed to get such knowledge and wisdom from his forefathers?” We must understand that just because they didn’t have printing presses and computers, they were not ignorant. Down through the ages, truth was preserved through oral tradition and written records. Bildad was urging Job to search the wisdom of the ancients.
So what about it? Was Bildad giving good advice? Was he appealing to a reliable authority? This is where we see once again how difficult it is to get hold of what these men were saying. As with Eliphaz, Bildad conveys much truth. Doesn’t modern man need to hear that he is not the measure of all things, that he can learn a great deal from those who thought and wrote centuries ago? Doesn’t the Bible speak favorably about the aged, implying strongly that they have wisdom which young people have not yet attained? Do we not have the foolish example of Rehoboam, who favored the counsel of his young contemporaries over the wiser men who had served his father, and lost the kingdom as a result. Much of modern American society is cursed with the not-so-subtle belief that there is little we can learn from those who have gone before us. We see it in the context of family. How many children in our society really believe that their grandparents are a treasure of wisdom? Jesus, the Son of God, was filled with wisdom, even as a child (Luke 2:40). Nevertheless, He quoted from the ancient writers of the Old Testament. He had great respect for the wisdom God had given those who went before Him.
So if Bildad has something to teach Job and us at this point, what is the problem? Well, let’s proceed to what he thinks Job should learn from the ancients.
III. The Destruction of Those Who Forget God (11-14)
As we read verses 11-18, understand that this is what Bildad has gleaned from those who have gone before him. He believes that Job will have to acknowledge these things to be true. So let’s read Job 8:11-18…
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, 14 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. 17His 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.' 19 Behold, this is the joy of His way, And out of the earth others will grow.
The questions of verse 11 call for a negative answer. Just as the papyrus (“rush,” KJV) cannot grow where there is no marsh, neither can Job without the wisdom of past generations. As reeds cannot flourish without water, so Job cannot prosper, if he forsakes the learning of the ancients. If such a plant suddenly has no water, it will wither faster than grass and other plants. So it will be with Job.
Now we come to the critical statement of verse 13, “So are the paths of all who forget God; and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish.” Let’s take just a minute to deal with the second part of that verse. The King James, the NKJV, and some older translations have “hypocrite,” while most modern translations render the word as “godless.” These people are all godless, whether there is the hypocritical aspect or not. So for our purposes, we are going to focus on the fact that Bildad emphasizes the hopelessness and destruction of those who forget God. Just as the water-seeking plants of the marsh perish without water, so will those who forget God and place their confidence in anyone or anything else.
In verses 14-19 Bildad gives two further illustrations of the man who forgets God. He is like a person who trusts a spider web. What will happen to a man that leans on a spider’s web for support? He will be disappointed. Yes, the man who forgets God will be a like a green plant that seems to flourish in the sun, spreading its branches generously. But because there is no good soil, the plant wraps its roots around a pile of rocks, looking for nourishment. What will happen to that plant? When it withers and dies, it will be like the ground says, “I have never seen you.” Verse 19 seems to be spoken sarcastically, “This is the joy of his way.” Some joy. This may have overtones of the hypocrisy we alluded to in verse 13. It is destroyed, but other plants will spring out of the soil.
Bildad uses very picturesque language, but we have no trouble getting the idea -- those who forget God will perish without hope. Is that true? Who can deny it? Then is there any problem with what Bildad is saying? Bildad has the same problem as his friend Eliphaz; he concludes that Job has forgotten God, that Job is a godless hypocrite. And how does he reach that conclusion? Since Job is experiencing such terrible suffering, he must therefore be guilty of terrible sin. Everything Eliphaz and Bildad have said is rooted in that assumption. Remember what Bildad said back in verse 6, “If you were pure and upright, surely now He would awake for you and prosper your rightful dwelling place.”
IV. The Hope for Job (19-22)
Bildad wraps up by reaffirming that there is great hope for Job. Let’s read it again in verses 20-22…
20 Behold, God will not cast away the blameless, Nor will He uphold the evildoers.21 He will yet fill your mouth with laughing, And your lips with rejoicing. 22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, And the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.
The hope he gives Job is simply a repetition of that basic principle espoused by both Eliphaz and Bildad: The righteous prosper, but the wicked do not. Here he uses different words to state the same principle from a negative viewpoint: “God will not cast away the blameless, nor will He uphold the evildoers.” The implication is, “Job, if you are blameless, the Lord will not cast you away. On the other hand, if you continue to be an evildoer, He will not uphold you.” Just so there will not be any question, he applies his principle directly to Job in verse 21. The sense is easily seen, “Job, if you will repent of your evildoing and obey God, then even now He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with rejoicing.” In the words of David in Ps. 51:12, Bildad tells Job that the Lord will restore the joy of His salvation.
In order to complete the fulfillment of his basic principle, Bildad then tells Job what will happen to the wicked. “Those who hate you will be clothed with shame, and the dwelling place of the wicked will come to nothing.” He assumes that those who hate Job are the wicked and that the wicked will hate a righteous man, which Job will once again be if he repents and begins to obey God.
So in the end, Bildad does extend hope to Job, but this hope is only valid, if Job will admit that he has greatly offended God and repent. The assumption is still that Job is a great sinner, as evidenced by the great afflictions that have come upon him.
Conclusion
Let’s conclude this morning by considering again this strong emphasis from Bildad. Both he and Eliphaz his friend have stated absolutely that suffering in a man’s life is due to his great sinfulness. The idea is: the greater the sin against God, the greater the suffering God brings on him in this present life. Since Job is experiencing such terrible suffering, that proves that he is a great sinner. His sin is much greater than that of his three friends, as proven by the fact that his three friends are not being afflicted like he is.
That basic principle is stated along with great truth. Is it not true that ultimately the righteous will prosper, while the wicked will not? Paul put it like this: "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 8. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting" (Gal. 6:7-8). So how can Bildad and Eliphaz take this basic truth of the prosperity of the righteous and the destruction of the wicked and conclude that Job is a wicked man? They do it by assuming that God will settle all accounts immediately.
At first, we might get the idea that their conclusion was true for the people in the Old Testament, that things changed only after Jesus came into the world, but that isn’t the case. Even in the Old Testament, we find that God did not always settle accounts with men immediately. In the 73rd Psalm Asaph made this statement: “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (73:3). Asaph’s basic assumption was like that of Eliphaz and Bildad, that the wicked should be greatly afflicted. That is why he could not understand it when the wicked prospered. That still troubles us at times, does it not. But as you go through Psalm 73, you find that Asaph was enlightened when he went into the sanctuary of God. Read 73:17, “Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I understood their end.” In other words, God showed him that the wicked will get their proper reward in the end. By implication, it is the same with the righteous.
Can you name some Old Testament saints who suffered greatly, even though they were godly people? Consider Joseph. We read twice in the Genesis account that God was with him. Nevertheless, the Lord did not immediately deliver him from his troubles. He was in prison for years, due to no fault of his own. Eliphaz and Bildad would have said that Joseph was suffering because of his great sin. The truth is that he was suffering because of the sins of others! And what about David before he became king? Saul was chasing him around the country trying to kill him, though he was far more righteous than Saul. We might sum it up by reading Heb. 11:32-40…
And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: 33. Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. 35. Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: 36. And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: 37. They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; 38. (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. 39. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: 40. God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Do you get it? Why was Daniel delivered from the lion’s den, while others of God’s people were cut in two with a sword? Because that is the way God wanted it. Does it mean that those who were executed were not as righteous as Daniel? Not at all. The great equalizer is that God took them to their heavenly home in the end. Make no mistake about it -- God will reward the righteous and destroy the wicked, but that end may or may not be seen in this life.
So let us make sure that we are among the righteous, that regardless of what we suffer in this life, we will find a home with the Lord in the next. How do we do that? That’s where we leave Job and run to Jesus. There is no hope outside of the Christ who left heaven to come into this sinful world and lived a perfect life that was always pleasing to His Father. And because He was sinless and perfect, He was qualified to die as our substitute. He who had no sins of His own took upon Himself our sins. Yes, He bore the wrath of God, the punishment for our sins. Jesus said we must respond by repenting and believing. We must hate our sin, admit it to him, and long to be done with it. Of course, on our own we don’t have the power to turn from sin. But when we believe on Jesus, when we trust Him completely on the basis of what He did on the cross, then He gives us new life and enables us to live a life that pleases the Father.
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