Terrors frighten him on every side,
and chase him at his heels.
His strength is famished,
and calamity is ready for his stumbling.
It consumes the parts of his skin;
the firstborn of death consumes his limbs.
He is torn from the tent in which he trusted
and is brought to the king of terrors.
In his tent dwells that which is none of his;
sulfur is scattered over his habitation.
The above speech is the “counseling” theme or advice of one of Job’s friends named, Bildad. Job is in pain and suffering. He is looking for answers. Note what he will say in response to Bildad’’s speech and you will see how desperate Job is for answers and good “counsel.”
Job 19:7-8 (ESV)
Behold, I cry out, ‘Violence!’ but I am not answered;
I call for help, but there is no justice.
He has walled up my way, so that I cannot pass,
and he has set darkness upon my paths.
Can you hear the pain in Job’s heart? Bildad has a chance to bring comfort to Job. Bildad, along with his other friends traveled a long distance just to bring Job comfort:
Job 2:11 (ESV)
Now when Job’s three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him.
So, if Bildad came to comfort Job and Job is crying out for comfort and understanding, why does Bildad tell Job what is stated in the above passage? Why does Bildad tell job about the plight of the wicked? That is who the above passage is referring to in Bildad’s counsel and/or advice to Job. He is telling Job that the wicked deserve the punishment they get. Bildad is telling Job that the pain he is experiencing is just like what happens to the wicked, therefore, Job, you must be, also, wicked. Bildad fails to understand two very important truths that the Bible teaches and Job’s story gives to us as examples of these truths:
1. God’s plan for our lives allows for the suffering of the innocent due the simple fact that sin and Satan are in the world. Job was innocent, as we know from chapters one and two of the story. But Bildad and his friends had no concept that in this sinful world we will have the suffering of the innocent that is not due to any sin of their own. Sin and Satan just cause havoc in the world because that is what they do. Sin does impact the wicked. But it also impacts the righteous and the innocent. It has not discrimination between the two.
2. Correlation is not causation. There is a fallacy of reasoning that is based upon the fact that two events happen simultaneously and that one, therefore, caused the other. Because the wicked often suffer and because Job is suffering, Bildad and his friends drew a correlation between the two and therefore believes Job’s wickedness caused his suffering. However, especially true in the Bible, correlation does not make something the causation of the other.
When we see others suffer we ought to be wise enough and cautious enough to not always think their struggle is due to one thing we have in our mind. Bildad and his friends lost their focus. Instead of comforting their friend they brought judgment to their friend under faulty reasoning. That is not Godly wisdom.
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