“If anyone thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Cor 8:2).
As soon as Bildad the Shuhite begins speaking, one thing is obvious: he hasn’t been listening to Job’s lament. Of course, there’s no need to listen when you’re always right. Can you imagine telling a grieving father, “If your sons have sinned against Him, He has cast them away for their transgression” (Job 8:4)? He believes he is expressing the wisdom “of the former age” (vv 8-10), truisms agreed on by the ancients. This is a solemn warning to us all. Prejudice is pre-judging. Bildad thinks he has the whole thing figured out. If we’re going to be used by the Lord to help people in need, a little humility—and some actual listening—will go a long way. This is especially true when people are ill. We should never assume that their sickness was caused by personal sin. James writes, “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord” (Jas 5:14). The elders don’t take the initiative here; the sick one does. It has been well said that when “He makes me lie down” (Ps 23:2), it helps me to look up. In my distress, I may discover I’m being chastened by the Lord, and so seek the elders’ help. The oil illustrates restoration to fellowship in the Spirit. Bildad accuses Job of charging God with wrong (Job 8:2-3), something we are told he didn’t do (1:22). He says that the way to get God’s help is to be “pure and upright” (vv 5-6). Later he adds, “God will not cast away the blameless, nor will He uphold the evildoers” (v 20). This was the flawed thinking in Jesus’ day. He made it clear: “I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Lk 5:32). You say you don’t deserve His mercy? You’ve simply described what mercy is—God’s undeserved favor!