Job 18
Second Speech of Bildad
1) He rebukes Job (Job 18:1-4)
2) He describes the fate of the wicked (Job 18:5-21)
Bildad begins his second speech. It is best remembered that he is a traditionalist. He will use commonly know sayings and proverbs of the day to convey his thoughts. It is very clear that all he says is pointed at Job.
Job 18:1-4
Job and the three friends appear to be in a standoff. Bildad here utters similar words to Job as Job has uttered to the other speechmakers. Both sides see the other as the one wasting air and words. Both
sides hold to the idea that they have the true answers and if only the
other side would heed the advice and change things would improve. In this condition neither side is truly hearing the intent behind the words of the other.
Bildad charges Job to change the mode or style of his speaking. As far as Bildad is concerned Job’s speeches have been just mere words. He instructs Job to gain understanding, to speak distinctly and to use words that are not words of complaint or argument. Bildad is almost accusing Job of not understanding the problem and of using words to cloud the issue. The issue of course is very clear in Bildad’s mind.
Bildad wonders why Job has treated them with such reproach. He does not believe that they. The friends deserve such treatment. He questions why Job has not given their remarks the proper attention they deserve.
The phrase “reputed vile” implies the extent to which Bildad believed Job regarded the words of the friends. This phrase carries the idea that the words were unclean or polluted. Words that were thought of in this manner would not even be considered worthy of contemplation.
Again it must be noted that Job felt the very same way in regards to the three friends. He felt that their treatment of his words was exactly the same. J. Vernon McGee says that the best thing that could happen would be for both sides to be quiet and to listen to God. But neither is ready for that at this point. (McGee, Vol. 2 p 618)
Bildad addresses the passion and rage that he feels Job is expressing. He addresses Job directly and calls him a madman. Bildad sees Job’s display of emotions as unreasonable. Bildad’s statement is condescending, almost as if he is speaking with a spoiled child. Does Job believe that the world needs to stop just so that he can have his way? It is almost like he asks Job who he thinks he is.
Because Bildad is a traditionalist, he rests on the past. He sees no reason why things should not always be as they have been. This is the basis for his comments to Job. Is Job so special that all the laws of God need to be ignored so that Job will not suffer his just punishment. Remember, it is settled in Bildad’s mind that Job is a grievous sinner and is suffering justly.
Bildad conveys with his words that he does not see anything special or worthy in Job. He is amazed that Job would even consider hope in escaping what punishment is rightly his. It matters not that these were not Job’s feelings Bildad has ascribed to Job the feelings and thoughts of a man too proud to bend to God’s hand.
Job 18:5-21
What follows is Bildad’s speech on the fate of the wicked. He
does not present anything knew but he does point for the reader a good
picture of the conviction of man at this time concerning the fate of
the wicked.
The concept of light here is connected to a person’s prosperity. Bildad asserts that it is with certainty the prosperity of the wicked will fade or be put out. Because of Job’s reversal of fortune, Bildad is making the connection that Job must therefore be wicked.
In ancient times the fire was a symbol of Arabian hospitality. This simply symbol was their national glory, their boast that no one was ever refused. The idea is that the wicked would try to show hospitality but the means would be taken away. The wicked man would not be allowed to enjoy the respect that was attached to this act of hospitality. Not being able to have a fire was a sign of the deepest poverty. Food and comfort would be bypassed to keep a fire burning.
The picture of deepest misfortune and poverty is continued by the mention of the lamp. This lamp hung in the middle of the tent. This lamp was used to express a family’s prosperity. Putting out that light or not being able to maintain that light was an image of utter desolation. It was a custom not easily overlooked. Every home, every apartment, every dwelling place burned some type of light at night.
Bildad again uses language that points a picture of the strong becoming weak. The picture is that of a man with strong, vigorous steps losing that strength. The stride becomes shorter, the balance less sure and the confidence less pronounced. The belief is that a person of prosperity can move freely about, unhindered by the things that plaque a wicked man. Prosperity is seen as a symbol of uprightness and desolation is a sign of a person’s wickedness. Combined
with the lack of movement or freedom of movement, Bildad says that the
wicked man’s own thoughts will cause him to fall. Verse 7 is similar to Proverbs 23:7. If man ponders on something long enough he will conform to that thought pattern.
The evilness of the wicked heart will trip itself up. Bildad is saying that the very schemes being plotted for another will be the downfall of the wicked. (Psalms 9:16) No one will trick the wicked man; he will do this to himself.
The gin or snare was a method used to catch wild animals. Bildad pictures the wicked man as being trapped by his own hand in the many ways that hunter would capture a wild beast. The heel or foot is the most likely part of a body to become caught in a trap.
The robber shows the quickness of the wicked man’s fall. Though the wicked man may be able to maintain an outward appearance, his destruction will come suddenly, without any warning. There is no doubt that Bildad had Job in mind when he spoke this illustration.
Using the common practice of the hunters of the day, Bildad continues to draw a picture of the wicked man’s state. Here the snare is hidden, concealed from the hunted beast. It is not to be missed that Bildad likens the wicked man to a wild beast. The word trap means to take or to catch. It is a general term and not to be specifically thought of as a device by which an animal is caught.
Verses 8 –10 are Bildad’s argument that Job has brought this upon himself and it has been sudden. These verses are also a good illustration of the methods used for hunting by ancient man.
The wicked man’s condition will be such that every little thing will terrorize him. He will never be or feel secure. The impression is of a person always looking over his shoulder for someone to attack him. This idea is virtually the same as the one Eliphaz put forth in Job 15:21,22. These fears will cause him to lose his composer and to run aimlessly about. The idea is that of grain being scattered. There is no pointed place to run, just anywhere will do.
Because of lost prosperity, the wicked will be hungry. Hunger will bring on loss of stamina and exhaustion. Bildad uses picturesque language here of destruction. Destruction becomes the companion of the wicked. The Hebrew carries the idea that destruction becomes fitted to the wicked man’s side, almost an attachment. Bildad probably means that heavy judgments, enough to crush a man have now become that man’s companion.
The body of the wicked will fall apart. The correct translation of the Hebrew here is the word bar. Bar means branches or staves, more literally limbs. From this the reader can move to bones, the bones suspend the skin. The destruction of the skin is an illustration of total exhaustion.
The firstborn is used to denote vigor and strength. An example is Genesis 49:3. Jacob declares that Reuben, as his firstborn is the beginning of his strength. The firstborn of death is the most fearful and dreadful of all evils.
Verse 14 is a picture of a disrupted life. The wicked man will not find peace or security at home. The home is the symbol of a safe haven and the wicked man will loose even this.
The last half of this verse has been the subject of much debate. Translating the Hebrew text has opened the door for many interpretations. There are those who do not believe the text supports that Bildad is speaking of death. They feel that he is just stating terror and evil will follow the wicked man as a king on a campaign. The Latin Vulgate renders this portion this way … “destruction shall tread upon him as a king.” The Septuagint renders it … “and distress will lay hold on him with the authority of a king.” Others though feel that Bildad is definitely speaking of death. Death is compared to the fearful monarch. It is a monarch all dread and fear, one who we would run from or avoid at all cost. Because of the wicked man’s sinful nature this is not an option.
The terror that the wicked man wishes to avoid is now dwelling in his tent. The peace, the joy and the comfort a person would seek in their home are no longer present. They have been replaced by terror. Terror almost becomes as a haunted spirit as it takes over. It is even implied that the wicked man no longer dwells there due to his fall and reversal of fortunes.
The words that Bildad chooses to use are painting quite a picture. By using brimstone he is painting a thought picture of complete desolation. A place covered with brimstone could be considered dead as nothing will grow there.
Bildad falls back on an earlier argument, the image of a dried up tree. It is the image of desolation, of death. This image was used previously in Job 8:12,13; 15:30. The reference to the branch was about his children. This was a pointed jab at Job and Job would not have missed Bildad’s intent.
Every person desires a good reputation, but Bildad says that the wicked man’s name will fade from off the face of the earth. He will not be remembered and his name will no longer be spoken. Compare Proverbs 10:7. The wicked man’s death will not be looked upon as a loss. He will not be missed. People will not stop to talk about his passing on the street.
The cruelty of Bildad’s words to Job should not be missed. Job is at his lowest point yet and Bildad is placing more salt in the wound. There is no hope for Job in anything that Bildad has said. There is no room for improvement, no room for compassion, and no room for encouragement.
Bildad is saying here that when dealing with the wicked there should be only quickest actions taken. The wicked should be driven from their comfortable homes and sense of security to their just punishments. At the death of the wicked, there should be no mourning, no proper respect for the dead, just a hasty burial in the ground. The remains should just be carted off as we would an animal. The living would be glad to be rid of him so they could get on with life.
Knowing the circumstances that have brought Job to where he is, it cannot be doubted that Bildad was pointedly speaking of Job. He uses the loss of Job’s children as a support of his argument that Job is wicked and must repent. Bildad’s purpose is to produce shame in Job.
The study of verse 20 brings some interesting thoughts to light. Later versions use the words East and West to explain the scope that the news of Job’s demise would have. The King James Version speaks of those who went before Job and after Job. An understanding of how the ancient people thought would help explain this passage. The Hebrew Word in the phrase “that come after him” means to be after or behind, to stay behind to delay or remain. As we consider the direction of North as the top, the Orientals considered the East as the starting point or point of origin. Therefore the direction West would be considered behind them. Thus one could see that those living in the West would be those that come after or behind him. Those living in the East would be those that went before.
Bildad is saying that as the news of Job’s calamity and demise is heard abroad, it would be treated with horror and disbelief. Those abroad would find it hard to comprehend Job’s fall. Job’s punishment would be so sudden and complete, it would hold the world mute with amazement.
This is Bildad’s conclusion. It is his summing up of his speech. It is a reasonable conclusion that the wicked would fail. Job could not but realize that Bildad was not speaking in generalities but to him specifically. Compare Job 20:29
Job feels keenly Bildad’s words. The following chapter is Job’s response to Bildad’s cruel words. Had
Bildad truly wanted to aid Job in his recovery and turn him back to a
pious life he would have delivered his words with some sweetness. Bildad is convinced beyond any doubt that he has Job figured out, that he has the situation in the right perspective. On the outward appearance he is right but there is much he does not know.