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Chapter 18

Bildads second speech

Bildad warns Job not to be angry

v1 Then Bildad, who belonged to the people called Shuhites, replied:

v2 Eliphaz and Zophar, you should answer Job!

Job, be sensible! Then, we will speak. v3 You insult us as if we were stupid animals. But youshould not think that we are evil. v4 You might hurt yourself when you are angry. But theworld will not change because of your troubles. The rocks will not move because of you.

Chapter 18

Verses 1-3

It seems that Job did not speak quietly. He felt strong emotions. Bildad thought that Job wasangry. But Bildad thought that his own opinion was important. He did not want Job to interrupt.So Bildad told Job to be calm.

Verse 4

In other words, Job could not change the world. Bildad thought that Job needed to learn aboutreality.

A wicked man will suffer a terrible death

v5 A wicked man will die. He is like a lamp that is off. Or, he is like a fire that does not burn.v6 His tent will be dark. A candle will not burn there.

v7 If a wicked man is strong, he will become weak. His own schemes will cause his troubles.v8 He is like a man who walks into a net. v9Or, like a man who steps on a hunters trap. v10Or, like a man who falls into a well.

v11 There is danger in every direction for that wicked man. v12 His trouble is like a wild

animal. That animal chases him! That animal is hungry! That animal waits for someone tofall! That animal will attack! v13That animal will eat a mans skin. And that animal will kill theman.

v14 In his tent, the wicked man was safe. But his death will be terrible. v15 His tent will burn.His possessions will become ashes.

v16 That wicked man will be like a dead tree. He will be like a tree with dry roots and deadbranches. v17 Nobody will remember that wicked man. Nobody will record his name. v18 Hemust leave this bright world. He belongs in the darkness of his grave. v19 He will have noson. He will have no grandson. Nobody will live in the place where that wicked man lived.

v20 The wicked mans terrible death will upset everyone. v21 But a wicked man deserves aterrible death. These things ought to happen to a man who does not know God.

Verses 5-21Bildads only idea in this chapter was that a wicked man is never successful. Bildad did notactually say that Job was wicked. But Bildad clearly had this opinion.

Verses 5-6

Bildad was sure that the wicked man could not continue to live. A candle can only burn for a fewhours. Then, there is darkness. Bildad thought that a wicked man would only live for a shorttime. Job expected to die soon (Job 16:22). So Job seemed to be like this wicked man.

Verses 7-10

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The wicked man tries to make trouble for other people. But he himself suffers from his own evilschemes. He is like a stupid hunter who walks into his own trap.

Job said that God caused his troubles. Perhaps Bildad thought that Job caused his owntroubles.

Verses 11-13

Bildad described something terrible that chases the wicked man. Bildad did not actually say thathe was thinking about a wild animal.

So the wild animal is just a description of the wicked mans troubles. His troubles seem to beeverywhere. And the troubles become worse and worse. In the end, the man dies because ofhis troubles. And his death is a terrible death.

Job had terrible skin troubles (Job 2:7). His troubles seemed impossible to escape from (Job16:9-12). And these troubles were getting worse and worse (Job 16:13-14). So Bildad thoughtthat Job must be a wicked man.

Verses 14-15

When Bildad talked about the mans tent, he did not simply mean a home. He also meant themans life. A tent may seem to be a good home. But a tent is temporary. So a wicked mans life

is like a tent. His life cannot last for long. He will soon die.Verse 16

The thought about a tree gave comfort to Job (Job 14:7-9). A tree that seems dead can liveagain. But Bildad thought that Jobs idea was not reality. He reminded Job that a tree can reallydie.

Verses 17-19

Bildad thought that Job was wicked. So Bildad warned Job. Nobody would remember Job afterhis death. Job had no children alive (Job 1:18-19). Job trusted God to prove that Job wasinnocent (Job 16:18-21). But Bildad thought that Jobs situation was hopeless.

Verses 20-21

Job thought that his troubles had some good effects (Job 17:8-9). Bildad did not believe this. A

wicked mans death may upset everyone. But a wicked mans death would not help anybody.Bildad said these things because he wanted to help Job. Bildad wanted Job to confess his evildeeds to God. If Job did this, then God would forgive Job (Job 8:5-6). But Bildad never reallyunderstood that Job was a good man (Job 2:3).