BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

In today’s reading, the second of Job’s friends, Bildad, enters the ring for his own theological wrestling match. Bildad’s logic follows Eliphaz’s: God is just and runs the world on the simple principle of justice. He agrees with the idea that righteous people will experience blessing, and sinful people will suffer.

Where Eliphaz tried to spin this logic into a message of encouragement, Bildad’s approach is less diplomatic. He argues that Job’s children must have died because they deserved it. “Does God pervert justice?” Bildad uses the tragic fate of Job’s children to offer a warning to their father. Job’s sons and daughters all received the death penalty, but Job is (for now) still alive. IfJob is innocent, thenGod will restore him. But this condition comes with a warning. Job needs to do some intense soul-searching to make sure he’s not guilty of any of his children’s crimes.

Job refuses to budge from his claim of innocence. He knows “divine justice” cannot be the answer to his suffering. The situation is too complex. Job laments—what’s the point of pleading his case with a God who’s already decided to condemn him?

Even though Job has given up hope of a fair hearing, he continues to pour out his complaints to God in prayer. “Your hands shaped me and made me. Will you now turn and destroy me?”

Reflection Questions

• Look closely at the imagery in Bildad’s speech. Can you think of any other passages that contrast the righteous and the wicked using imagery of well-watered plants and withered husks that blow away with the wind? (Turn to Psalm 1 if you need a hint.) What does this hyperlink show you about Bildad’s argument?
• Meditate on Job 10:8-9. Where else in the Bible have you seen the imagery of God molding human beings like clay? (Turn to Genesis 2 for a hint.) How does this hyperlink help you understand the way Job talks about life and death in today’s reading?