Bildad speaks and Job responds

The Book of Job Chapters 7 & 8

In Chapter 7, Job is still speaking to Eliphaz who thinks that Job has done something wrong to incur God's wrath.

Job says a person's life is long and hard and like a hired hand he has been assigned months of futility, nights of misery and when he goes to bed he waits for the morning. But in the morning his skin is filled with worms and scabs and his flesh breaks open, full of pus.

Job continues to say, his days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle flying back and forth, but they end without hope. O God, he prays, remember that my life is but a breath and I will never have pleasure again. Your eyes will be on me, but I will be dead. He further says that he cannot help from speaking and expressing his anguish. His sleep is shattered with terrifying visions and he would rather die than go on like this. He hates his life. He asks God if he is a mere mortal, why test him? Why not leave him alone, because he has not sinned. He asks God to pardon him and take away his guilt.

In Chapter 8, Bildad the Shuhite, Job's friend speaks and asks Job how long he will go on blustering like the wind? Does God twist justice, he asks? Your children obviously sinned, so God's punishment was deserved. But still you (Job) seek the favor of the Almighty. If you are pure, he says, you will live with integrity and God will restore your happy home and if you started with little, you will end up with much.

Bildad says to ask the former generation. Pay attention to the experience of the ancestors. We were born but yesterday and know so little. He asks Job, can papyrus reeds grow without a marsh? Can bulrushes flourish without water? Such if the fate of those who forget God. The hope of the Godless comes to nothing. They cling to their homes for security, but it won't last. He likens the godless to a lush plant that looks good on the surface, but underneath has roots that grow on rocks.
Bildad gives Job some hope by saying that God will not reject a person of integrity and he will yet fill Job's mouth with laughter and make him shout with joy.

BIBLE NOTES SHOW: In chapter seven, Job stopped talking to Eliphaz and began to talk to God. Job felt deep anguish and bitterness and spoke honestly to God about his frustrations. This helped him express his feelings to God without exploding in harsh words. Job refers to God as a watcher of humanity. He expressed feelings that God seemed like an enemy to him- watching him squirm in his misery. He came dangerously close to suggesting that God didn't care about him.

In chapter eight, Bildad was upset because Job still claimed he was innocent and questioned God's justice. He believed that God could not be unjust and would not punish a just man. Therefore, he believed that Job must unjust. He felt there were no exceptions to this rule. He showed no compassion by suggesting that Job's children all died because of their wickedness and he wrongly assumed that Job was trusting in something other than God for security.

HOW DO THESE CHAPTERS RELATE TO US TODAY? Job spoke honestly to God. Next time we feel strong emotions threaten to overwhelm us, express them openly to God in prayer. This will help you gain perspective on the situation and help you deal with it constructively. It should be pointed out that we remember Satan was behind Job's suffering, and he is behind many attempts to get us to turn away from God, even in today's world.
Bildad was a friend who assumed Job was not trusting in God. Only God can give us lasting security. Even today, well-meaning friends can reach the wrong assumptions.
Job spoke of God as if God was a watcher or observer of humanity. In a way, he is just that. But he watches over everything that happens to us and we must never forget he sees us with compassion, not critical scrutiny. His eyes are eyes of love.

Yours in Christ,
Mary

Prayer Requests are needed for:
HEALTH:
Update on my niece Suzanne, she is healing but her leg was crushed and will take many months of doctoring. She is in a nursing home for rehab care. Pray for her healing. Also Gabe, Wanda, Pray for Janice Long’s parents, especially her mother who faces another round of chemotherapy and her father with Alzheimer’s and now her mother in law also with Alzheimer’s. Their family is feeling the strain both emotionally and financially. Pray for them. Update on this family: Her mother-in-law is being taken to Oklahoma to live with an aunt who will care for her.
Pray for Arlene’s nephew David and for my neighbor Al who is nearing the end of his life.
Pray for Carolyn’s brother Ronald who has cancer.
Pray for our friend Michelle who was diagnosed with MS.
Pray for Cyndi Sullivan who made it six years with cancer but may now go home with hospice in her final days.
Pray for my cousin Diane who had total mastectomy surgery for breast cancer.
UPDATE on Barb who went in for back surgery and had a heart attack and stroke, she has her speech back and is home , but continues to have a problem with one arm and hand. Thanks to your prayers, she is able to hobble without a cane and has been granted disability. She still has surgery scheduled on her hand, but I saw her recently and her attitude is fantastic.
Pray for Robert Sargent who is quite ill with lung cancer.
Pray for Judy’s husband who was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer. Pray for her too, that she can deal with the side effects of his illness.
Pray too for Charly’s husband Robert who is undergoing chemo for his prostate cancer.
Pray for John’s recovery from a heart attack and for the doctors who have difficulty diagnosing his other symptoms.
Pray for James’s sister Cynthia whose chemo has lost its effect as the cancer grows powerful.
Pray for another friend named Carolyn whose faith remains strong, but is lost and confused about where and how to spend her elder years.
SPIRITUAL UPLIFTING: Gail, Mary
RESTORATION OF FAITH: Al, John
LOVE AND SUPPORT: Claire, Hunter, Brian
SUPPORT: Haiti, Chile, survivors of Japan’s earthquake, survivors of the devastating tornadoes in our southernmost states and Joplin, Missouri. Pray too, for our country’s leaders and our military people who die each day for our freedom.