Job 8:2
“How long will you say these things,
And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
How long will you be a wind bag? That seems to be the question that Bildad is asking Job. How insulting? Job is dead sick and suffering from a tremendous pain. But, Bildad, in his endeavor to 'help" starts with these words. He is calling Job a "wind bag." He is telling Job that he should stop talking and return to the righteousness he had before. Of course, Bildad is missing the point that "no one is righteous." He is also missing the point that when someone is hurting and suffering you don't start with an insult. Bildad is like many "hard counselors" who lack tact but blurt "truth." Paul told us to "speak the truth IN love." Our approach should be that of Jesus with the women caught in adultery. We ought to be just as carful as to how we speak to others as what we speak to others. Bildad was wrong on both accounts. He was crude in his approach and he was wrong in his theology. Job couldn't return to righteousness since he was never righteous. But, if he wanted to make a point with Job, it would have been wiser to "win the soul" rather than abuse the person. The next time you get a chance to counsel with someone use words that are drawing and not driving them away. Speak the truth but do so in Love.
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