Greetings members and friends and welcome to another commentary and preview to this Sunday’s study of the Word. This Sunday’s study text is entitled “Bildad Misunderstands God’s Justice” and it is based on Job 8:1-10, 20-22.
When bad things happen to people, some people assume they did something to deserve or bring about what happened to them. This was a common belief in the ancient near east where the biblical account of Job takes place.
After Job’s demise, three of his neighbors and acquaintances the bible calls friends came to see what had happened to Job and talk to and comfort him. The bible said no one said anything for seven days because of the overwhelming amount of suffering and loss they witnessed that had befallen Job.
Job went first and declared he knew of nothing he had done that God would bring such a calamity upon him as this. But each of his three friends disagreed with his assessment and implied and insisted that he must be guilty of something.
Each friend in turn was more critical as each address Job. Bildad was the second to speak and he was harsher and more critical than the first but not quite as harsh as the last. The study text focuses on the first address of Bildad on his assessment of Job’s situation.
His first criticism was of Job claim of innocence and what appeared to him as Job questioning God’s justice. Bildad argument and belief was that God rewards the upright and punishes the sinner.
He, like many of his time and even today, believed earthly reward and punishment was based on human behavior. But this is a wrong assumption. He said that Job’s children were all killed because of their sin. Of course, he was wrong, though they may have sinned that is not why they were killed.
We must remember that everything that happened to Job in this instance was because God allow Satan to have his way with Job and attack him and everything he had including his children. This should be a warning to all of us not to ever be presumptuous in saying why things happen, especially attributing things to God. For none of us know the mind of God nor if or why God commands or allows this or that.
Next Bildad implied Job was not “pure and upright” because if he was then God would have heard his cry and would have done something to restore him. This was another misunderstanding and reading of God.
God does not operate on our time schedule. God did hear and restored all Job lost. But it is not always the case that the loss and suffering of the righteous shall be restored and relieved in this life.
The righteous must be prepared to loose everything in this world as Job was and still believe in and remain faithful to God. This is the core essence of the story of Job.
No matter how faithful, how pious, how holy, how righteous one may be, there is no escape of loss, no escape of suffering, no escape of pain and no escape of sorrow in this world. As the songwriter said, “If there hasn’t been any rain in your life, wait a while”.
Because of the scale and amount of these negative things it can be easy to lose sight of, trust in and belief in God. We must avoid the trap of trying to analyze every action and judging God. There are some things we will not comprehend, nor understand why these things must be and happen.
Where our understanding and comprehension ends, our faith must take over. Like Job, no matter what happens or what we must endure, we must believe that God will reward our faithfulness.
Well, be sure to look over the study again and come prepared to offer your comments, questions and perspective on the meaning of the study. If you can’t attend your own Sunday School class this Sunday, you can join us live and online at 9:00 am at www.fbmbc.org and clicking the online services link.
You can also join us live by dialing 508 924-2890. If you have any comments or questions, be sure to place them in the comment section or you can share them on Sunday. So, let’s all have a great lesson and discussion this Sunday and remember to fear God and keep His commandments.
Pastor Jordan
