Slices
Prepare
We will all stand before the judgement seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10). But we rejoice that he will bring everything to a perfect conclusion. Give thanks.
Bible passage
Bildad
18 Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2 ‘When will you end these speeches?
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
3 Why are we regarded as cattle
and considered stupid in your sight?
4 You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?
5 ‘The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;
the flame of his fire stops burning.
6 The light in his tent becomes dark;
the lamp beside him goes out.
7 The vigour of his step is weakened;
his own schemes throw him down.
8 His feet thrust him into a net;
he wanders into its mesh.
9 A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.
10 A noose is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap lies in his path.
11 Terrors startle him on every side
and dog his every step.
12 Calamity is hungry for him;
disaster is ready for him when he falls.
13 It eats away parts of his skin;
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.
14 He is torn from the security of his tent
and marched off to the king of terrors.
15 Fire resides in his tent;
burning sulphur is scattered over his dwelling.
16 His roots dry up below
and his branches wither above.
17 The memory of him perishes from the earth;
he has no name in the land.
18 He is driven from light into the realm of darkness
and is banished from the world.
19 He has no offspring or descendants among his people,
no survivor where once he lived.
20 People of the west are appalled at his fate;
those of the east are seized with horror.
21 Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;
such is the place of one who does not know God.’
Explore
‘All Scottish people are tight-fisted!’ I don’t believe that for a moment, but ideas get embedded in culture and become almost impossible to dislodge! Not entirely wrong, it is far from universally true.* The idea that wicked people never succeed is entrenched in the minds of Job’s friends. It has some basis in the Bible, for example Jesus’ parable of the rich farmer (Luke 12:13–21). But generalised ideas like this do not budge even in the face of contradictory evidence. Bildad trots out the accepted wisdom – wicked people come a cropper. ‘And you, Job, heed my warning. Keep going as you are and you’ll end up snuffed out, ensnared, terrorised, forgotten’ (see vs 5–17). But there are plenty of examples of wicked people who do just fine, and we certainly do not find that God’s people get a free pass – in this life anyway.
Are there harmful, partial truths in our heads? How about the way we think about God’s judgement of us? He will look at Jesus and declare us ‘not guilty’ (Romans 3:23,24). Yes! Why then is it that whenever the New Testament envisages judgement it talks about our works being assessed (eg Matthew 25:31–46; 2 Corinthians 5:10)? Both are true; both need to inform our life.
*https://www.moneydashboard.com/blog/are-scots-really-tighter-than-their-southern-neighbours
Respond
Here is a challenge to have minds continually renewed and refined. What are your means for that to happen?
Deeper Bible study
‘… as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.’1
Bildad is enraged by Job’s arguments and what he sees as his self-justification. If he had his way, he would silence Job completely (v 2). This inability to listen to those who disagree with us is concerning. It reflects a basic insecurity with our own position. It underlies the book burning and restrictions on internet usage that so often mark totalitarian states. As Christians we should not be afraid to let others express views contrary to our own. We should share our faith ‘with gentleness and respect’.2
Bildad, however, returns to his simple world view. Wicked people suffer. Good people prosper. Job is suffering, so why is he so self-centred and irrational? Why doesn’t Job stop being so stubborn? Bildad’s indignation is remarkable given that he is not the one who is suffering. We can lose sight of what really matters when our theological ideas become unhitched from compassion. Bildad lacked emotional intelligence and had no eyes to see Job’s pain. He was locked into a simplistic system that he felt explained all of life, but ignored the evidence in Job’s story because it challenged his presumptions. His main priority was his own reputation (v 3) rather than comforting poor Job. Worse is to come.
Job is even accused of torturing himself (v 4). There follows a long poem (vs 5–21) in which Bildad blames Job for causing his own skin disease (v 13), bringing about drought (v 16) and destroying his own family (v 19). After his rant Bildad might have felt some relief, but Job must have been badly stung. His use of east and west to describe Job’s infamy is in stark contrast to God’s mercy in Psalm 103. Bildad’s world view is void of grace.
Let the words of the hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ comfort your heart today. Choose grace as your key to understanding God’s ways. Ask for grace to be sensitive to the suffering of others.
1 Ps 103:12 2 1 Pet 3:15
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Job 31,32; Psalms 86,87
Pray for Scripture Union
Some videos produced in schools before lockdown will be used for the Guardians of Ancora holiday clubs. Pray that through them children will engage with the Bible stories in life-changing ways.
