Does God pervert justice?
Or does the Almighty pervert the right?
If your children have sinned against him,
he has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.
The above lines are from the words of one of Job’s friends, Bildad. We should be careful describing him as a “friend” of Job. That is how God’s Word describes him in chapter two of the book, so we should honor it. But, as the saying goes, “if this is Job’s friend I would hate to meet his enemies.” Remember, Job has lost everything. He is sitting on the road scrapping sores on his body. He has lost all his property, all his servants, all his children. Again, ALL HIS CHILDREN. Note, with that in mind, what Bildad says to him in the above lines: “If you children have sinned agains him (God), he (God) has delivered them into the hand of their transgression.” Think about this scene and this moment for Job. This would be like walking into the hospital room of a survivor of a car accident that took that person’s family and saying, “Well, looks like the kids got what they deserved.”
When understanding this we have to remember that Job was declared righteous by
God in chapter one of this book. Bildad does not know this. Bildad is making a mistake almost everyone makes about people who are in deep suffering. We simply blame it on their life choices and make similar assumptions to Bildad’s thoughts. Bildad has no room in his mind for the “suffering of the innocent.” His point that sinful people suffer is not off base. That is a true statement. Romans 3:23 tells us that the “wages of sin is death.” So, he is not wrong theologically in his argument. What he is wrong on is two points:
1. Biblical truth can’t simply be applied without contextual meaning. Job’s family was innocent. In fact, Job was declared righteous by God. This whole situation is between God and Satan and Job is just the pawn Satan is using to test God’s love for Job and Job’s love for God. Both God and Job will be vindicated in the end.
2. Bildad’s approach to present truth (like a counselor) has totally missed the mark. It is not only the truth you say, it is the way and timing of how you say it. Bildad being blunt might make him feel good. But it does little to console and/or inspire Job. In fact his first words to this accusation by Bildad about God’s justice is:
Job 9:2
Truly I know that it is so: But how can a man be in the right before God?
Job knows the truth of this. Bildad is not being the person who delivers truth to a heathen. He is simply being unkind and extremely lacks empathy. Note what Solomon stated about talking to people and giving them instruction or knowledge or even a blessing:
Proverbs 27:14 (ESV)
Whoever blesses his neighbor with a loud voice, rising early in the morning,
will be counted as cursing.
We are not to even “bless” someone in a way that might be more harm than good. It is not just what we say but how we say it. Again, note:
Proverbs 27:9 (ESV)
Oil and perfume make the heart glad,
and the sweetness of a friend comes from his earnest counsel.
Our counsel to others ought to be stated like providing oil and perfume. We can still speak truth, but even truth should be delivered in love:
Ephesians 4:15 (ESV)
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
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