Page 92 - Job

Reading JOB to Know God

Chapter 8 Job Struggles with God

Okay, let’s look then at chapter 8. Here is the thing that is crushing Job.
He really wants to know the answers to life. He is confused about
something deeper. He is not concerned so much about his boils and about
his pain and about his sleeplessness. He is concerned about the mysteries
of God, the riddles of life and the relationship between God and men.
8:1-3,

“Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, ‘How long will you say these
things, and the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? Does God
pervert justice? Or does the Almighty pervert what is right?’ ”
You see, Bildad expresses wonder, almost astonishment. Abhorrence that
Job can utter what he has just uttered in chapter 7. He interprets the
essence of Job’s reply. Verse 3, “Does God pervert justice?” You see,
Bildad has the idea that Job thinks God is perverting justice, that God
rules His world in an unmoral way. Bildad answers in language stronger
than Eliphaz used.
Let me give you a simple outline of what I think the philosophy of Bildad
is. Now I am not trying to be clever and give you alliterations. In the first
seven verses he gives his principles. In other words, this is what Bildad
believes – chapter 8:1–7. Then in verses 8-19 he illustrates his principles.
He gives three illustrations of his principles. Then in chapter 8:20-22, he
restates his principles again.
Actually, this speech of Bildad is very logical, very easy to follow. Let me
try to examine it a little more closely. What is it that Bildad believed? Let
me first state it for you and then try to illustrate it through chapter 8.
Bildad believes that God is discriminately righteous. That is, God
distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked. And because He
distinguishes between the righteous and the wicked, He treats them
different. He does not treat everybody the same way. He punishes the
wicked. He rewards the righteous.

The harsh way in which Bildad drives this home is a lot stronger than
Eliphaz. Eliphaz was kind. But Job really blew his cork in chapter seven

92