Bildad: God Punishes the Wicked
“Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: “How long until you end these speeches? Show some sense, and then we can talk. Why are we regarded as cattle, as stupid in your sight? You who tear yourself in anger—should the earth be forsaken on your account, or the rocks be moved from their place?
Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow. The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him goes out. His vigorous stride is shortened, and his own schemes trip him up. For his own feet lead him into a net, and he wanders into its mesh. A trap seizes his heel; a snare grips him. A noose is hidden in the ground, and a trap lies in his path. Terrors frighten him on every side and harass his every step. His strength is depleted, and calamity is ready at his side. It devours patches of his skin; the firstborn of death devours his limbs. He is torn from the shelter of his tent and is marched off to the king of terrors. Fire resides in his tent; brimstone is scattered over his home.
The roots beneath him dry up, and the branches above him wither away. The memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the land. He is driven from light into darkness and is chased from the inhabited world. He has no offspring or posterity among his people, no survivor where he once lived. Those in the west are appalled at his fate, while those in the east tremble in horror. Surely such is the dwelling of the wicked and the place of one who does not know God.”
Well, here’s Bildad back for another round of insults. Bildad is offended! Bildad demands R*E*S*P*E*C*T* and he wants it NOW! ““Then Bildad the Shuhite replied: “How long until you end these speeches? Show some sense, and then we can talk. Why are we regarded as cattle, as stupid in your sight?” We cannot be sure if Bildad is the senior among the delegation, but he certainly has a very high opinion of himself. Not once has Job implied that his accusers are less than human; however, he has attempted to defend himself from their false charges. Evidently, Bildad has come with the idea that no matter how Job has received the others, he will listen to Bildad because Bildad is wiser than the rest of them put together. But Job is not following Bildad’s script and Bildad is incensed!
The rest of this chapter consists of Bildad describing the sufferings of the wicked, including every gory detail he can imagine. You can almost see Bildad drooling at the thought of Job’s downfall. What are Bildad’s key points?
- “Indeed, the lamp of the wicked is extinguished; the flame of his fire does not glow. The light in his tent grows dark, and the lamp beside him goes out. His vigorous stride is shortened, and his own schemes trip him up. For his own feet lead him into a net, and he wanders into its mesh.” Bildad wants to believe that the wicked die of their own wickedness. Too bad that isn’t always true. Many times, God actually prolongs the lives of the wicked to give them time to repent. God is far kinder than Bildad.
- “The roots beneath him dry up, and the branches above him wither away. The memory of him perishes from the earth, and he has no name in the land. He is driven from light into darkness and is chased from the inhabited world. He has no offspring or posterity among his people, no survivor where he once lived.” Again, Bildad is wrong and these statements are particularly vicious because Bildad is implying that God killed Job’s children because of Job’s secret sins. The plain fact is that God is righteous and we are not. Romans 3:23 tells us that “all have sinned and have come short of the glory of God.” If God wiped out people on the basis of sin alone, there would be nobody left on earth.
- “Those in the west are appalled at his fate, while those in the east tremble in horror. Surely such is the dwelling of the wicked and the place of one who does not know God.” Hmm! Once more we suspect that Bildad has been envying Job for years and is gloating over the spoilage of Job’s reputation throughout the Middle East. Perhaps Bildad has actually come in hope of witnessing Job’s death so he can make a wonderful and hypocritical oration at the funeral!
APPLICATION: It begs the question to observe that Bildad is the nastiest of Job’s friends. Sadly, Bildad’s accusations continue to be repeated to grieving families. “This tragedy happened because you weren’t a good enough believer.” “Your child/children/wife/husband died because you didn’t give/pray/work hard enough.” LIES! All of these accusations are LIES!
We are living in a fallen sinful world, a world in which good men and women can make bad choices with terrible consequences. Throughout the world, there are many national economies that are failing. The leaders who have made ill-fated choices may have had the best of motives but the results are obvious. People can build structures in earthquake zones because they have nowhere else to build. People can design roads and bridges that look wonderful but ultimately fail. These days there’s an entire reality TV show devoted to massive engineering disasters; the lesson from this program is that well – educated and experienced people can still make mistakes with deadly consequences. Romans 3:23 still applies. None of us can be justified before God because all of us have sinned and have fallen far short of His glory.
Bildad obviously does not know the God of the universe, although it’s possible that he may have worshiped a number of teraphim, small portable deities. God is not sitting in heaven waiting to zap people with lightning bolts. Despite all Job’s complaints, Job still has a much larger vision of God than do any of his accusers.
Perhaps you find yourself in Job’s position. Something terrible has happened and now “comforters” are crawling out of the woodwork and offering specious advice. Many of these people will claim to be speaking on behalf of God. But God is neither deaf nor mute and He is perfectly capable of speaking for Himself. If someone comes to you, claiming he knows God’s will for your life, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction! While God may use someone to confirm what He is already telling you, He will not send someone to give you directions in the first place. Sometimes such people have good intentions but other times, those people are simply attempting to gain control over you. If you feel that your prayers are only reaching the ceiling, be encouraged! Many fine men and women of God have felt the same way and yet God has heard their prayers and has answered them. God’s answers do not depend on your feelings!
So as we leave Bildad spouting off yet once more, remember that this chapter is not the end of the Book of Job. Hang on, for better things are coming.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are tired and discouraged! We have listened to so much advice that we are totally confused. Speak to our hearts, calm us, give us Your peace, and help us to see the next steps You want us to take. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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