{"id":7511,"date":"2023-12-03T00:01:08","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T08:01:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/?p=7511"},"modified":"2026-06-01T15:04:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T22:04:21","slug":"job-81-3-then-bildad-the-shuhite-answered-and-said-how-long-will-you-speak-these-things-and-the-words-of-your-mouth-be-like-a-strong-wind-does-god-subvert-judgment-or-does-the-almigh","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/?p=7511","title":{"rendered":"Job 8:1\u20133: “Then Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: ‘How long will you [Job] speak these things, \/ And the words of your mouth be like a strong wind? \/ Does God subvert judgment? \/ Or does the Almighty pervert justice?'”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Job’s second friend-accuser, Bildad, also tried to convince Job that his suffering was the result of sin in his life. He called Job a windbag, saying he was full of hot air and was accusing God of not judging him rightly. Bildad’s advice was short and dry: repent and everything will be fine. People still use these arguments today as they try to be helpful, but their counsel and comfort just ends up bringing confusion and condemnation to their victims<\/em>. Of course Job believed God was just. He wasn’t struggling with whether or not God could<\/em> help him, but whether or not God wanted<\/em> to help him. All believers at one time or another have had these very same thoughts and questions. Does God really want to rescue us; does He truly have our best interest in mind? Satan, the accuser, has been planting these doubts about God’s character and goodness since Eden.<\/p>\n

Even the apostles struggled with this while they were crossing a tempestuous sea. Jesus was sleeping in the stern of their boat, and when the disciples woke Him, they said, “Teacher, don\u2019t you care if we drown?” (Mark 4:38). Jesus knew the disciples’ faith was small and He cared enough about them to not let it stay small. So He calmed the storm and pointed out that they weren’t walking in faith. The problem for us as earth-bound travelers is that we often can’t see beyond the immediate pain and crisis at hand. But God has stated over and over in the Bible that He is concerned with our welfare, that He is actively pursing a relationship with us. In order for our faith to grow, we have to be in circumstances where we are pressed and can’t see any way out; only then do we reach a point where we are forced to rely more and more on Him. Then as He sustains and delivers us, we see how great and trustworthy He is and our faith expands.<\/p>\n

Missionary Hudson Taylor learned to completely trust in God’s faithfulness. He wrote in his journal:<\/p>\n

\n

Our heavenly Father is a very experienced One. He knows very well that His children wake up with a good appetite every morning . . . He sustained 3 million Israelites in the wilderness for 40 years. We do not expect He will send 3 million missionaries to China; but if He did, He would have ample means to sustain them all . . . Depend on it, God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

“LORD, we choose to trust You today . . . help our unbelief.”<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n

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Job 8<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup>\u00a0Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,\u00a02<\/sup>\u00a0How long wilt thou speak these\u00a0things\u00a0<\/em>? and\u00a0how long shall\u00a0<\/em>the words of thy mouth\u00a0be like\u00a0<\/em>a strong wind?\u00a03<\/sup>\u00a0Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?\u00a04<\/sup>\u00a0If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;\u00a0\u00a05<\/sup>\u00a0If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty;\u00a06<\/sup>\u00a0If thou\u00a0wert\u00a0<\/em>pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.\u00a07<\/sup>\u00a0Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. 8<\/sup>\u00a0For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:\u00a09<\/sup>\u00a0(For we\u00a0are but of\u00a0<\/em>yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>a shadow:)\u00a0\u00a010<\/sup>\u00a0Shall not they teach thee,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?\u00a011<\/sup>\u00a0Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?\u00a012<\/sup>\u00a0Whilst it\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>yet in his greenness,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>not cut down, it withereth before any\u00a0other\u00a0<\/em>herb.\u00a013<\/sup>\u00a0So\u00a0are\u00a0<\/em>the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite\u2019s hope shall perish:\u00a014<\/sup>\u00a0Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust\u00a0shall be\u00a0<\/em>a spider\u2019s web.\u00a0\u00a015<\/sup>\u00a0He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.\u00a016<\/sup>\u00a0He\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.\u00a017<\/sup>\u00a0His roots are wrapped about the heap,\u00a0and\u00a0<\/em>seeth the place of stones.\u00a018<\/sup>\u00a0If he destroy him from his place, then\u00a0it\u00a0<\/em>shall deny him,\u00a0saying\u00a0<\/em>, I have not seen thee.\u00a019<\/sup>\u00a0Behold, this\u00a0is\u00a0<\/em>the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow. 20<\/sup>\u00a0Behold, God will not cast away a perfect\u00a0man\u00a0<\/em>, neither will he help the evil doers:\u00a0\u00a0\u00a021<\/sup>\u00a0Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.\u00a0\u00a022<\/sup>They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Job’s second friend-accuser, Bildad, also tried to convince Job that his suffering was the result of sin in his life. He called Job a windbag, saying he was full of hot air and was accusing God of not judging him rightly. Bildad’s advice was short and dry: repent and everything will be fine. People still […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7511"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7511"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16441,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7511\/revisions\/16441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/packinghouseredlands.org\/devotional\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}