Then Bildad the Shuhite replied:
“When will you end these speeches?
Be sensible, and then we can talk.
Why are we regarded as cattle
and considered stupid in your sight?
You who tear yourself to pieces in your anger,
is the earth to be abandoned for your sake?
Or must the rocks be moved from their place?
“The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out;
the flame of his fire stops burning.
The light in his tent becomes dark;
the lamp beside him goes out.
The vigor of his step is weakened;
his own schemes throw him down.
His feet thrust him into a net;
he wanders into its mesh.
A trap seizes him by the heel;
a snare holds him fast.
A noose is hidden for him on the ground;
a trap lies in his path.
Terrors startle him on every side
and dog his every step.
Calamity is hungry for him;
disaster is ready for him when he falls.
It eats away parts of his skin;
death’s firstborn devours his limbs.
He is torn from the security of his tent
and marched off to the king of terrors.
Fire resides in his tent;
burning sulfur is scattered over his dwelling.
His roots dry up below
and his branches wither above.
The memory of him perishes from the earth;
he has no name in the land.
He is driven from light into the realm of darkness
and is banished from the world.
He has no offspring or descendants among his people,
no survivor where once he lived.
People of the west are appalled at his fate;
those of the east are seized with horror.
Surely such is the dwelling of an evil man;
such is the place of one who does not know God.” (New International Version)
It only makes sense that Bildad was expecting a sensible discussion with Job.
But it was not going to happen.
Why?
Because grief doesn’t make sense; it’s nonsensical, whimsical, and fractal.
If you’ve ever been in a discussion with someone in which the person speaks illogically, it’s likely that you tried to talk sensibly and logically, pointing out the thought process.
And if you have ever done that, it’s also likely that the person did not change one iota of what they said.
Why?
Because people are not primarily thinking creatures who happen to have emotions. Instead, people are emotional creatures who happen to think.
Why do people ask, “Why?”
Because they’re angry. It’s not a cerebral question; it’s an emotional question.
Bildad, a “friend” of Job, was exasperated with his carrying on about being innocent, contending with God, and expressing anger – which is rather funny, because Bildad himself was angry.
Why?
Because supposedly logical and controlled people have illogical and emotional issues, too.
Welcome to the human race, all of you who pride yourselves on your flawless logic and neatly formed theology.
There is a chunk of people in this world who think that everything either works, or ought to work, according to Cartesian coordinates.
A Cartesian coordinate system describes the position of points in space using perpendicular axis lines that meet at a point called the origin. Any given point’s position can be described based on its distance from the origin along each axis. In other words, Cartesian coordinates allow one to specify the location of a point.
So, why am I talking about Cartesian coordinates?
Because that is what Bildad the Shuhite was trying to do with Job, to fix him on a plane that he could understand.
Because in Bildad’s theological world, the wicked are punished by God with bad circumstances and suffering. In the Cartesian world, as the wickedness increases, so does the pain and suffering.
Hence, one is being punished by God… But does the world really operate according to Bildad’s conception of it?
Hell no! (apparently wicked people say that sort of thing when not in the Cartesian world; they should probably get right with God; and, by the way, sarcastic people are wicked, too)
Bildad went so far as to suggest that perhaps Job doesn’t know God at all.
After all, that’s where one goes in a conversation with someone who doesn’t conform to clear and tidy Cartesian-style theology.
They can preach hellfire and damnation to others, yet when another even uses the word “hell” in a phrase, that is where they’re going to go.
It seems that Bildad isn’t really making sense.
Why?
Because he’s stuck. He cannot imagine life outside of his theological bubble.
The difference between Bildad and Job is that Job will admit that he is stuck, confused, messed-up, angry, and has no decent answer to what is going on in his life.
Whereas Bildad would never admit such a thing, even though he is so far stuck in the mud that it would take a divine miracle to get him out.
In fact, it appears we all need a divine miracle.
But God is silent.
Why?
I don’t know. But I do know that it won’t be for long.
Everyone might want to brace themselves for what’s coming.
Why?
Because we will receive precisely what we’re looking for: A word from God. But it’s probably not going to be what we expect.
After all, we aren’t living in a world of Cartesian coordinates.
O Lord God almighty, Creator of heaven and earth: I admit that these people you created drive me nuts! And I’m one of them! I can barely live with myself, let alone others.
In my wondering and confusion and pain, it’s hard to focus on anything. I don’t know why everything is upside-down and topsy-turvy. Yet, somehow I know, and am convinced, that you are present with me, and that you love me.
How in the world could I accept good from you, and not bad? If you love me, and are present with me, then I believe that whatever happens from this point forward, I shall not be forsaken by you.
Contend with those who contend against me. Help me with today, for tomorrow has enough worries of its own. Amen.
Rev. Tim Ehrhardt 