Page 94 - Job

In his first illustration verses 12 and 13, his basic idea is this. If you take
water away from the reed it will perish and die. Just so, if you take the
Lord away from a person he will perish and die. The godless are like the
reed without water. In the second illustration in verses 14 and 15, he talks
about a spider’s web. As there is no hope that a spider’s web will bear the
weight of a man (just imagine swinging over a chasm on a spider’s web)
you will be destroyed for sure if you hung on a spider’s web. It cannot
hold you. Just so, there is no hope that a godless man will be saved. A
godless man will be destroyed.
His third illustration is the illustration of a spreading plant. It is in verses
16-19. A luxurious plant that is solidly rooted in the soil, spreading out
every way and entwining itself around the rocks, solidly gripping the soil.
That thriving plant that is basking in the sunshine so secure in the ground
seems so safe. But somebody comes along and grabs the plant and rips it
out of the ground, tears it from its home. You look at verse 18 and 19,
“If he is removed from his place, then it will deny him, saying, ‘I
never saw you.’ Behold, this is the joy of His way; and out of the
dust others will spring.”
If you rip up a plant like that, its place is occupied by another plant and it
leaves no trace. It leaves no memory. It was just as if that plant was never
there. And so he says those who forget God are like those who are torn
from the soil. Ripped out of the sunshine. After a while it is as if they
never were. They just perish.

The fact is, the speech is quite eloquent. Bildad was very learned. Not as
learned as Eliphaz, but I think one of the greatest sections in the whole
book of Job is right there, chapters 4 through 7, in the great speech of
Eliphaz. But Bildad is very wise indeed. He says, Job, the godless are like
the Nile papyrus without water. The godless are like a man clinging on a
spider’s web for safety. The godless are like a plucked up plant, and there
is no hope for their survival. That is his principle. That God is
discriminately righteous. He will reward the righteous; he will punish the
wicked. And he illustrates how the wicked are going to fare when they
forget God. Then he restates his principle in verses 20-22,
“Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He support the
evildoers.” (There is his principle again)
In verse 21, he has reason to believe that Job has hope.

“He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouting.”

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