Job 18:1-21

Bildad takes up the chance to speak once again and makes it clear that he considers Job’s circumstances to be proof that he is wicked. He never comes right out and says that he believes Job to be wicked but in describing the plight of the wicked he describes Job’s life very accurately.  He is offended that Job has not been convinced by their words and by Job’s criticism of their counsel. He feels like Job is calling them stupid and Job feels like they are calling him wicked.  One thing that is interesting to observe in this back and forth argument is that Job is constantly asking the Lord “why?” while his friends are constantly striving to explain what God is doing.  It is a dangerous game to try to claim understanding of the motives of God.  We must be honest and humble enough to admit that we do not always know what God is doing nor why He is doing what He is doing.  Bildad tries to convince Job of his wickedness by pointing out two “truths” about the wicked that happen to describe Job’s circumstance.

THE WICKED ARE FEARFUL: Bildad describes the wicked as those who live in fear.  They walk in the darkness and cannot see the traps that are set all around them.  Just when they think that they are secure they are caught and cannot escape the consequences of their evil ways.  Their lives are surrounded by fear and the live in constant insecurity because of the consequences of their actions.  All of this may be an accurate description of some wicked men or even most wicked men.  However, it also describes Job who is not a wicked man.  The truth is that fearful things happen to godly people.  Pain and suffering are not limited to the wicked; they are realities that are also true of the godly.  The key to overcoming fear is faith.

THE WICKED ARE FORGOTTEN: Bildad also describes the wicked as those whose lives are forgotten after they die.  They are forgotten because their lives are wasted and then ignored by society and they are forgotten because part of the punishment for their wickedness is the death of their children.  Try to imagine having to deal with the simultaneous death of ten of your children and then have your best friends come to you and say that, in effect, you killed them because of your wickedness.  Certainly, time has honored the memory of Job while Bildad is not exactly a known name in the world today.  By his own definition Bildad would have to be the wicked one.  While it is true that godliness has eternal consequences, we must be careful not to judge those who are bereaved of children as being wicked.  Some of the most remembered people are those who suffered greatly, not because they were wicked but because they were righteous.