18:1ffBildad thought he knew how the universe should be run, and he saw Job as an illustration of the consequences of sin. Bildad rejected Job’s side of the story because it did not fit in with his outlook on life. Itis easy to condemn Bildad because his errors are obvious; unfortunately, however, we often act the same way when our ideas are threatened.
Life Application Study BibleJobChapter 18
Job 18
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 808, 809
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18Job 18
Bildad’s Second Response to Job
1Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
2“How long before you stop talking?Speak sense if you want us to answer!
3Do you think we are mere animals?Do you think we are stupid?
4You may tear out your hair in anger,but will that destroy the earth?Will it make the rocks tremble?
5“Surely the light of the wicked will be snuffed out. The sparks of their fire will not glow.
6The light in their tent will grow dark.The lamp hanging above them will be quenched.
7The confident stride of the wicked will be shortened.Their own schemes will be their downfall.
8The wicked walk into a net.They fall into a pit.
9A trap grabs them by the heel.A snare holds them tight.
10A noose lies hidden on the ground.A rope is stretched across their path.
11“Terrors surround the wicked and trouble them at every step. 12Hunger depletes their strength, and calamity waits for them to stumble. 13Disease eats their skin; death devours their limbs. 14They are torn from the security of their homes and are brought down to the king of terrors. 15The homes of the wicked will burn down; burning sulfur rains on their houses. 16Their roots will dry up, and their branches will wither. 17All memory of their existence will fade from the earth, No one will remember their names. 18They will be thrust from light into darkness, driven from the world. 19They will have neither children nor grandchildren, Nor any survivor in the place where they lived. 20People in the west are appalled at their fate; people in the east are horrified. 21They will say, ‘This was the home of a wicked person, the place of one who rejected God.’” Job’s Sixth Speech: A Response to Bildad
Life Application Notes 2 notes
18:14The “king of terrors” is a figure of speech referring to death. Bildad viewed death as a great devourer (18:13), but the Bible teaches that God has the power to devour even death (Psalm 49:15; Isaiah 25:8; 1 Corinthians 15:54-56).
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Study feature · page 809
In his difficulty, Job pointed at the wrong person. It was Satan, not God, who was Job’s enemy, Because they stressed ultimate causes, most Israelites believed that both good and evil came from God; they also thought people were responsible for their own destinies. But the evil power loose in this world accounts for much of the suffering we experience. In verse 7, Job continued to cry out to be heard by God.