(1) В¶ Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, (2) How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind? (3) Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice? (4) If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression; (5) If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; (6) If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. (7) Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. (8) В¶ For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers: (9) (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)
The very ground which Bildad sets out upon was ill founded. Job had never said that GOD did pervert judgment. He had indeed complained in the bitterness of his soul; but not a word to accuse GOD of perverting judgment. He seems to take a new argument to irritate poor Job's mind, by insinuating that the death of Job's children was a judgment from GOD upon them for their iniquity; which, admitting it had been true, was an act of great unkindness to the poor father, in thus reminding him of the source of his affliction. Reader! I pray you, pause and remark. with me, how sharp the exercises of Job were. The messengers which came to him at the first were all treading upon the heels of each other, and all fraught with evil tidings, worse and worse. So here again, his friends, which came under a supposed offer to comfort him, only succeeded one another in sharper reproof. Precious JESUS! how sweet is it in our sorrows, to have thee as a Comforter to fly to.