Job 8:1 Then Bildad the Shuhite answered,
2 “How long will you speak these things?
Shall the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
3 Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert righteousness?
4 If your children have sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the hand of their disobedience.
5 If you want to seek God diligently,
make your supplication to the Almighty.
6 If you were pure and upright,
surely now he would awaken for you,
and make the habitation of your righteousness prosperous.
7 Though your beginning was small,
yet your latter end would greatly increase.
8 “Please inquire of past generations.
Find out about the learning of their fathers.
9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing,
because our days on earth are a shadow.)
10 Shall they not teach you, tell you,
and utter words out of their heart?
11 “Can the papyrus grow up without mire?
Can the rushes grow without water?
12 While it is yet in its greenness, not cut down,
it withers before any other reed.
13 So are the paths of all who forget God.
The hope of the godless man will perish,
14 Whose confidence will break apart,
Whose trust is a spider’s web.
15 He will lean on his house, but it will not stand.
He will cling to it, but it will not endure.
16 He is green before the sun.
His shoots go out along his garden.
17 His roots are wrapped around the rock pile.
He sees the place of stones.
18 If he is destroyed from his place,
then it will deny him, saying, ‘I have not seen you.’
19 Behold, this is the joy of his way:
out of the earth, others will spring.
20 “Behold, God will not cast away a blameless man, neither will God uphold the evildoers.
21 He will still fill your mouth with laughter,
your lips with shouting.
22 Those who hate you will be clothed with shame.
The tent of the wicked will be no more.”
Bildad piggybacks on Eliphaz’ tried and true formula coming at it from a different angle.
He begins by reminding Job of two things that everyone should know.
First, God would never pervert justice.
Second, God would never pervert righteousness. v.3
The fact that Job is suffering and the fact that Job’s children died is all the proof that is needed to establish Job’s disobedience v.4 to God.
How does he know this?
Simple. Our traditions from the past teach us this.
Please inquire of past generations.
Find out about the learning of their fathers. v.8
There is nothing inherently bad about tradition. In fact each generation begins with the moral foundation passed down by their ancestors.
God…established the Law in Israel which he commanded our ancestors to teach to their children so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born, and they in turn would tell their children. Psalm 78:5-6
However, when passing on traditions it is of utmost importance to make sure the traditions are grounded in God’s Word. It is always a bad idea to speak for God, representing him with false preconceived convictions.
Jesus warned his contemporaries who, like Bildad, considered themselves the infallible guardians of tradition:
Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? Matthew 15:3
You invalidate the Word of God for the sake of your tradition. Matthew 15:6
They were very religious, sincere, earnest, and diligent about adhering to traditions but their traditions were contrary to the Word of God. Similarly, as we know, because we are privy to the council of God in the opening chapter, the ironclad tradition espoused by Bildad was not completely ironclad. Sometimes the innocent do suffer.
Do you remember the formula?
If you are innocent you will not suffer:
you are suffering, therefore you are not innocent. However, this formula does not cover all suffering.
Bildad restates it like this:
God will not cast away a blameless man. v.20 But since Bildad can clearly see that Job has been cast away, he knows that Job is not a blameless man.
God will not uphold the evildoers. v.20 Again, Job has not been upheld, therefore he is by definition, an evildoer.
Bildad is making the argument that if Job would stop being stubborn and simply confess his sin God would not cast him away. And, in fact, God would instead fill your mouth with laughter, your lips with shouting. v.21
What is the final authority in your life? Is your final authority the traditions of men or the Word of God?
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. [Jesus] continued, you have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions. Mark 7:8-9
It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. (Voltaire, The Age of Louis XIV)
It is often much easier to go along with the accepted traditions of men than it is to hold fast to the Word of God. Voltaire was correct: it is very dangerous to live by the truth when those in charge have rejected the truth.