Overview:
Selections from Job 8–10
Next in the “tag team match” of philosophers was a man named Bildad. If you think Eliphaz was offensive, just wait until you meet Bildad. Talk about a human porcupine! His blunt approach came across like a lecture on theology. He waxed on about the character of God, the wisdom of the past, and the evidence of nature. But none of it gave practical comfort to meet Job’s immediate needs. As with Eliphaz, Job responded first to Bildad, then to God. Job longed for an arbitrator, who would argue his case before God. His friends clearly weren’t taking his side. And God remained silent.
Message Summary:
In “Continuing the Verbal Fistfight,” Pastor Chuck Swindoll introduces the second “philosopher” in the tag-team match against Job: a man named Bildad. Focusing on Job 8–10, the message describes Bildad as a “human porcupine”—a blunt, offensive traditionalist whose lecture on theology lacked any trace of practical comfort. While Bildad waxed eloquent about the character of God and the wisdom of the past, his words failed to meet Job’s desperate, immediate needs.
The message explores the intensifying conflict as Job is forced to defend himself against those who should have been his comforters. Following the pattern of his previous response, Job first addresses the stinging remarks of Bildad before turning his heart back toward God. In the midst of this “verbal fistfight,” we see Job’s growing longing for an arbitrator—someone to bridge the gap and argue his case before a God who, at this stage, remained silent.
Message Key Facts:
-
The “Human Porcupine”: Bildad is characterized by his prickly, blunt, and offensive approach to counseling, prioritizing rigid traditionalism over empathetic support.
-
The Appeal to Tradition: Bildad’s arguments rely heavily on “the wisdom of the past,” suggesting that truth is only found in ancestral heritage rather than current revelation or experience.
-
Lack of Practical Comfort: Despite his theological accuracy regarding God’s justice, Bildad’s words are deemed “useless” because they offer no help for the sufferer’s present reality.
-
The Cry for a Mediator: This message highlights Job 9:33, where Job expresses the universal human need for a “daysman” or umpire to stand between a holy God and sinful humanity.
Message References:
Scripture: Selections from Job 8–10
-
Job 8:8–10: Bildad’s appeal to tradition: “Please inquire of past generations, and consider the things searched out by their fathers.”
-
Job 8:20: Bildad’s black-and-white premise: “Lo, God will not reject a man of integrity, nor will He support the evildoers.”
-
Job 9:32–33: Job’s plea for an arbitrator: “For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him… There is no umpire between us, who may lay his hand upon us both.”
-
Job 10:1–2: Job’s raw honesty with God: “I will give full vent to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. I will say to God, ‘Do not condemn me; let me know why You contend with me.'”
Core Principles for Life
-
Avoid “Porcupine” Counseling: Truth delivered without empathy is often received as an attack. When helping those in pain, ensure your bluntness doesn’t overshadow your “brotherliness.”
-
Tradition is Not the Only Teacher: While we should respect the wisdom of those who came before us, we must realize that God is often doing a “new thing” in our trials that traditional formulas cannot explain.
-
Acknowledge the Need for Christ: Job’s longing for an “umpire” points directly to our need for Jesus. We cannot bridge the gap to God on our own; we need the Mediator who has “laid His hand upon us both.”
-
Venting is Not Sinning: Job teaches us that it is okay to give “full vent” to our complaints before God. He is big enough to handle our bitterness and our “Why?” questions.
