Job Chapter 8 Review

 Chapter 8

Job 8:1 KJV  Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,

The second of Job’s ‘friends’ to speak.

Job 8:2 KJV  How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?

Job, in chapters 6 and 7, has spoken for a total of 51 verses.  This is a man who has lost all 10 of his children, all of his huge varied wealth, and his health has been taken from him.  We can easily read those chapters in 10-15 minutes.  It might have taken Job 30 minutes to speak those words, and Bildad the Shuhite has the gall to ask him. “How long will you speak?”  If I had been in Job’s position, it would have been hard for me not to leave, or to tell my ‘friends’ to leave in disgust.  We can only measure by what is recorded. . . Their friendship is of a very poor quality. . . as the saying goes. . . with friends like these. . . 

Job 8:3 KJV  Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?

Bildad implies here that Job has accused God of being less than righteous, but Job has not come out and directly said such a thing.  He has admitted that he is speaking from the depths of his despair.

Job 7:11 KJV  Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.

Who among us has not said things in extremis that we would have trouble defending, or even denied meaning in quieter times?  Rather than to recognize this as a good friend should, Bildad attempts to use Job’s words to convict him of blasphemy.

Job 8:4 KJV  If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;

What a horrific thing to say to someone who has lost all their children. . . “They were sinful.  They deserved to die.”  I lost my son.  I cannot imagine the feelings that would arise if my friend said those words to me in the raw days after his death. . . 

We must never fall into this trap.  Jesus spoke on this:

Luke 13:1-4 KJV  There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things?  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?  I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

It is tempting for all of us to correlate disasters and misfortune with sin, but Jesus clearly rejected that idea.

Job 8:5 KJV  If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;

Bildad makes the assumption here, as did Eliphaz before him that Job had not cried out to God.  Are we not also prone to do this?  When someone is in a trial, suggesting that they pray, and call out to God, as if they haven’t been doing that already.

Job 8:6 KJV  If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.

Again suggesting that Job is not pure and upright. . .and also suggesting that God will bestow blessings upon us for our goodness.  Therefore if we are not prosperous, then we must be sinful.  All wrong ideas. God does not hate the poor, or especially love the materially rich.

Job 8:7 KJV  Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase.

Here Bildad correctly prophesies, giving an example of a broken clock being correct twice a day.

Job 8:8 KJV  For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:

Study the teachings of our ancestors, confirm for yourself their research.

Job 8:9 KJV  (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)

In comparison to our long lived ancestors, we are of short lives.  They had centuries to gain knowledge, we have a small portion of their time to study and gain knowledge.

Job 8:10 KJV  Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?

The well reasoned wisdom of the ancestors will sincerely guide you.

Job 8:11 KJV  Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water? Job 8:12 KJV  Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.

Here references to Egyptian plants, Strong’s H1573 translated ‘rush’, meaning papyrus, and ‘flag’ Strong’s H260 bulrushes which grow along the Nile River.

These plants which grow at the water’s edge, have no depth of root, and whither if their source of moisture is withdrawn.

Job 8:13 KJV  So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite's hope shall perish: 

We read the word ‘hypocrite’ and we probably think of one who is acting one way in public, and another way in private, but this is not the sense of the Hebrew word, Strong's H2611, soiled with sin, impious.

Bildad continues to blame Job for his actions leading to his troubles. . . ALL who forget God have this happen.

Job 8:14 KJV  Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider's web.

Strong’s H1004 translated as:

contain ( 1 ) court ( 1 ) 

daughter ( 1 ) door ( 1 ) 

dungeon ( 2 ) families ( 4 )

family ( 1 ) hangings ( 1 )

home ( 25 ) homeborn ( 1 ) 

house ( 1669 ) household ( 47 )

households ( 7 ) houses ( 110 ) 

inward ( 7 ) palace ( 1 ) 

place ( 7 ) places ( 9 ) 

prison ( 16 ) storehouse ( 1 ) 

tablets ( 1 ) temple ( 11 ) 

ward ( 1 ) web ( 1 ) 

which ( 1 ) winterhouse ( 1 ) 

within ( 7 )

The commentaries have no consensus as to the meaning of the second half of this verse.  The Hebrew is not clear.  The NLT renders it:

Job 8:14 NLT  Their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider’s web.

I don’t know.  The original language is not clear.

Job 8:15 KJV  He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.

The sense here seems to be, the ungodly person, those who forget God, the hypocrites (v13), look for strength from their place of residence, but it will not endure the stress.  The man will keep hold of it, but it shall prove to be as weak as a spider’s web, and will ultimately fail.

Job 8:16 KJV  He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.

Continuing to speak of the ungodly person. . . They are lush and vigorous, even before the sun rises, it sends out runners to expand its area.

Job 8:17 KJV  His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.

The roots of the ungodly run deep, tapping into a source of water in the rocks below ground.

Job 8:18 KJV  If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.

If God destroys the ungodly, then he completely disappears, as if he had never been there.

Job 8:19 KJV  Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.

This is the outcome of the path of the unrighteous.  He shall be completely replaced by others. 

Job 8:20 KJV  Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:

‘A perfect man’ refers to Job.  Bildad telling Job, that he will not be thrown away, like the ungodly that Bildad spoke about above, but repeating God doesn’t help the ones who sin.

Job 8:21 KJV  Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.

. . . a continuation of verse 20.  You will be restored, and your joy returned.

Job 8:22 KJV  They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.

In Bildad’s concluding remarks, he tries to distance himself, and Job’s other friends from others who hate Job, but he rides the fence, continuing to bring up the wicked, leaving open the possibility that Job may indeed be wicked.  He’s playing both sides of the spectrum with Job.