Job 9:01 says, Then Job answered and said,  Job again waited until Bildad was finished speaking before responding, just as he had with Eliphaz..  It is too bad that we often do not seem to have that same ability.  Verse two adds, I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God?  He acknowledged that God could not enter into a relationship with evil people, but asked how anyone of their own ability could make themselves just with God.  We know that the answer is that we cannot.  If people were able to justify themselves before God, then the death of Jesus would have been unnecessary.  Verse three continues, If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.  Job said that if God were to ask us a thousand questions, we wouldn't be able to answer even one.  I don't believe that he meant asking us something trivial but asking us questions that show we know anything that would make us on par with God.  As Paul would say, we see through a glass darkly.  If we begin to define God by our understanding, we will always fail.  Verse four states, He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered?  True wisdom comes only from God.  His wisdom comes from His heart, His very being.  Since God is all wise and all powerful, Job asks who can stand against God and prosper.  It might look temporarily like the evil prosper, but God sees things from an eternal perspective.  Our limited strength and knowledge will never stand against God.  Verse five adds, Which removeth the mountains, and they know not: which overturneth them in his anger.  Job continued to speak of the power of God, Who not only created the mountains, but could remove them as well.  Even the mountains could not stand against God's anger, so what hope did man have of doing so.  Verse six continues, Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble.  We need to remember that God sustains not just the earth but the universe in the proper orbit.  It is not from some freak accident, but by the will of God that there is order in the universe.  In the next three verses, Job continues to speak of the power of God.  Verse seven states, Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not; and sealeth up the stars.  Verse eight adds, Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea.  Verse nine continue, Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south.  As I had just stated, God not only sustains the earth, but also the sun, stars, and all the heavenly bodies.  We either believe that God is Who He says He is and has this power, or we deny Him.  God cannot be less than He says He is.  Job acknowledged God to be Who He said He was, and so must we.  Verse ten says, Which doeth great things past finding out; yea, and wonders without number.  Job said that we can never know all the great things and wonders that God does.  What we can know is that God loves all people enough to send His Son to die to redeem everyone who will believe in Jesus Christ.  Verse eleven adds, Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: he passeth on also, but I perceive him not.  Job said that when God passed by him at this point that he was unable to feel God's presence.  We know as followers of Christ that if we ever feel that somehow God has forsaken us, we only need to look to the Holy Spirit for assurance that God is with us, no matter what.  Verse twelve continues, Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? who will say unto him, What doest thou?  I believe that Job was asking who had the power to stand against God or the wisdom to question Him.  Even if our life seems to be overwhelming us and we cannot understand why, we need to simply continue living by faith.  We do not have to understand everything in life, only that God redeems us forever through Christ.  Verse thirteen concludes, If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.  Though God has a right to be angry with those who sin against Him, through Christ His anger is withdrawn.  The only way we can stand before God and not face His anger is through faith in Christ as Savior and Lord.  For Job, this was faith in the coming Messiah, or Redeemer.

Job 8:8 says, For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:  Bildad asked Job to not just take Eliphaz and his word for the fact that what they were saying was true, but to look to what those who had come before them had to say.  This is what we do when we look to the Bible, but we must never look to the Bible simply to prove our point.  Gilead was looking to the believers who had come before to prove his point and not simply to prove the nature of God.  Verse nine adds, (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)  Bildad confessed that his friends and he had not lived long enough to know all the truth of God, but that they could look to those who had come before them to verify that truth.  We should never use the Bible and its record of those who came before us as a tool to support our beliefs.  We must align our beliefs with the teachings of the Bible instead.  Verse ten continues, Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, and utter words out of their heart?  Bildad was asking Job if he could not learn from what his ancestors had taught.  We may indeed learn from our ancestors, but they are not the ultimate truth.  Only through the gospel can we truly begin to understand God.  Verse eleven states, Can the rush grow up without mire? can the flag grow without water?  Bildad was now turning to nature to prove his point.  I believe that he was comparing the mire that the rush grew out of with hypocrisy.  Verse twelve adds, Whilst it is yet in his greenness, and not cut down, it withereth before any other herb.  Gilead said the rush, or reed, might look great, but it would wither away before those herbs that were rooted in good soil.  Verse thirteen continues, So are the paths of all that forget God; and the hypocrite’s hope shall perish: I believe that Bildad was telling Job that Job had been a hypocrite and had forgotten the path of God, and like a reed growing in the mire he had been cut down.  Verse fourteen says, Whose hope shall be cut off, and whose trust shall be a spider’s web.  A spider web is almost invisible but can easily trap its victims.  Bildad said the lies of the hypocrite was the same way, trapping the unsuspecting, but unable to stand in the strength of God's truth.  Verse fifteen adds, He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: he shall hold it fast, but it shall not endure.  I believe Bildad was saying that the hypocrite may attempt to find rest, or peace, in the things he has acquired, but he will not be able to.  If we are not living by the truth of God, there is no place we can go to find real peace.  Verses sixteen continues, He is green before the sun, and his branch shooteth forth in his garden.   Verse seventeen concludes, His roots are wrapped about the heap, and seeth the place of stones.  I believe that Bildad was comparing a hypocrite to a plant rooted in stones.  They might grow up pretty and green, but they would wilt in a strong sun, just as the hypocrite would wilt when adversity comes.  Though this may be true, it does not mean that every time adversity comes to a follower of God that it means they are a hypocrite.  Verse eighteen states, If he destroy him from his place, then it shall deny him, saying, I have not seen thee.  Bildad said that if the hypocrite is destroyed, it is like God saying He had never even seen him, much less having had a relationship with him.  Verse nineteen adds, Behold, this is the joy of his way, and out of the earth shall others grow.  I believe that Bildad was saying that Job's descendants would be cut off, but plenty of other people were there to serve God faithfully.  God does find joy in the fact there are many people who can choose to serve Him, but that does not mean that He cuts off entire families because of the sin of one, as Bildad seemed to imply about Job.  Verse twenty continues, Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he help the evil doers:  Bildad was again saying that prosperity was a sign of being in a right relationship with God and that suffering was a sign of God's punishment of evil people.  We know that God indeed does nor cast away a perfect man, but there are none except Christ.  God will allow His followers to be tested in their faith, but will never cast anyone away because of anything but their own rejection of Christ as Savior and Lord.  Verse twenty-one says, Till he fill thy mouth with laughing, and thy lips with rejoicing.   Bildad was telling Job that when he repented and made things right with God that Job would once more rejoice in life.  Verse twenty-two adds, They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; and the dwelling place of the wicked shall come to nought.  Bildad was again stating that those who are faithful to God will prosper materially, but we know that this is not what God's word teaches us.

Job 8:1 says, Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said,  Another of Job's friends who had come to comfort him, Bildad the Shuhite, now begins to tell Job what he believes to be Job's problem.  There was not a shouting match between Job and his friends, but they spoke in order and allowed Job an opportunity to respond.  I believe that today we have too often lost this ability to reason together.  We want to shout down the other person's point of view without listening and responding respectfully.  Verse two adds, How long wilt thou speak these things? and how long shall the words of thy mouth be like a strong wind?  Bildad had not been convinced by Job's reply to Eliphaz.  He had listened, but now he was saying that Job was just speaking empty words.  We today might say that in our opinion, Job was just blowing hot air.  Bildad was convinced that he knew that Job was being punished because of some great sin in Job's life, but like Eliphaz, he was wrong.  Just because more than one person attempts to judge our relationship to God, it doesn't mean that they are right.  Verse three continues, Doth God pervert judgment? or doth the Almighty pervert justice?  Bildad was asking if God would punish the innocent, which would be a perversion of justice.  We must remember that God was not punishing Job but was holding him up as a truly righteous man.  Being a follower of Christ does not exempt us from suffering in life, and actually may lead to just the opposite.  We are called to follow God, and we can be certain that when we do, that suffering does not come from God.  Verse four states, If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;  Bildad said that Job's children had died due to transgression on their part.  Though they were guilty of transgression, or sin, as we all are, this was not what caused their death.  We can also be certain that they did not die without an opportunity to make things right between themselves and God. Verse five adds, If thou wouldest seek unto God betimes, and make thy supplication to the Almighty; Bildad, though starting his statements with an if, I believe really meant them as statements of fact.  He believed that Job wasn't really seeking God and asking Him for forgiveness or restoration.  We must never assume that we know another person's relationship with God, especially based on material factors.  Verse six continues, If thou wert pure and upright; surely now he would awake for thee, and make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous.  Bildad was equating serving God with being blessed materially.  He believed that Job was suffering because of some unconfessed sin and that if he would confess and ask God for restoration that he would be blessed materially once more.  We can never allow the idea that if we serve God we are going to be made rich to become a part of the gospel.  Verse seven concludes, Though thy beginning was small, yet thy latter end should greatly increase. I believe that Bildad was telling Job that when Job confessed and made things right with God that he would be even richer than he was before.  I believe that if we only repent in the hope of being blessed materially that it isn't really repenting.  Repentance can have no conditions attached.  We simply place our lives in God's hands and commit to being faithful to Him no matter what happens in life.

Job 7:11 says, Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul.  Though his friends were telling Job that he should just quietly repent, he said that he would not be silent.  Matthew Henry points out that even in great suffering, we would be better off praising God than complaining about our condition.  We can be sure that Satan will use every bit of pain and suffering in life to attempt to get people to deny God.  Verse twelve adds, Am I a sea, or a whale, that thou settest a watch over me?  I believe Job was asking if he had been so powerful that he had to suffer so greatly to be brought down from his pride.  Job may have felt that he was being punished because he had become too powerful in his eyes, and maybe in the eyes of the world, but he recognized his weakness in the eyes of God.  We will never be so powerful or successful that we are any threat to God, nor so weak that we are still not precious to Him.  Verse thirteen continues, When I say, My bed shall comfort me, my couch shall ease my complaint;  Job said that his bed and couch should have offered comfort, but they didn't.  We look to our bed to bring us restful peace, but often if we are sick it is only a place to toss and turn.  Verse fourteen states, Then thou scarest me with dreams, and terrifiest me through visions:  Even when Job was looking for rest in sleep, his dreams and visions terrified him.  Satan had been given free rein to torment Job, and he didn't give up with just the physical.  He tormented Job even in his sleep.  Hopefully we will never know a full-scale attack from Satan, but if we do, we only have to keep our faith in God to defeat him.  Verse fifteen adds, So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather than my life.  Job was ready, even to his soul, for death to come.  We do know that when this life is over that the spirit lives on, and we should be ready to glorify God for this reason.  No matter how bad things get here, we are assured of an everlasting life with God if we only accept the salvation that He has made available to us through Christ.  Verse sixteen continues, I loathe it; I would not live alway: let me alone; for my days are vanity.  Job said he loathed, or hated his days as they were vanity, or nothing.  All he could do was simply stay alive.  We may have days when we feel the same way, that we are just existing without real purpose, but we need to remember that as followers of Christ, the Holy Spirit is always with us to strengthen and guide us.  Verse seventeen asks, What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him? and that thou shouldest set thine heart upon him?  We might well ask what man is that God sets him in such high regard, but we know the answer is that man is God's creation, created with a purpose to love and serve God.  Verse eighteen adds, And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and try him every moment?  Just like Job, we can be sure that no matter how bad life may seem, if we are truly followers of Christ, God will never abandon us.  He will be with us morning, night and every second of the day.  Verse nineteen continues further, How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?  I believe Job was asking why God wouldn't leave him to die.  Job was seeing his life only from his view, and not God's view.  Verse twenty says, I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark against thee, so that I am a burden to myself?  Job had been declared righteous by God and Job had declared his innocence in relationship to his suffering, but here he declared that he had sinned.  No matter how righteous a person may be, all are sinners who can only be restored to God through faith in Christ.  We cannot save ourselves or make ourselves acceptable to God by our own abilities.  Verse twenty-one adds, And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? for now shall I sleep in the dust; and thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be.  Job asked why God could not just forgive him and let him die.  Hopefully, we will never reach that state in life, but even if we do, we must remember that through Christ we are already forgiven.

Job 7:1 says, Is there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of an hireling?  Job had been wishing that he had never been born, but here acknowledges that man has an allotted time on earth.  I believe that he was saying that he thought his time on earth should have come to an end.  We could interpret this to mean that no matter what we do we are going to live a certain number of days and then die at a previously appointed time.  I personally do not believe that we our time of death is determined even before we are born.  I believe that free will often leads to actions that shorten a person's life.  We can say that God takes these free will actions into account when determining the length of a person's life, but to me that really negates the concept of free to will.  Job also said that a hireling can expect his wages at the end of the day so he can go away to rest.  I believe Job was saying he felt that he deserved rest, even if it came by his death.   Verse two adds, As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as an hireling looketh for the reward of his work:  As just stated, Job felt that those who had worked deserved their reward and rest, so did he.  Verse three continues, So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me.  I believe that Job was saying that although he continued to live, or at least exist, there was no purpose to his life except suffering.  He had no usefulness in the day and could not even rest at night.  Hopefully, we will never reach the point of feeling that life is without purpose and only full of suffering.  If we are followers of Christ, we must put our faith in Him and know that even when we do not understand why certain things are happening in life, He still has a purpose for us.  Verse four states, When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day.  All Job could hope for at night was for it to be over, since he could get no rest anyway.  Job could find no rest from his suffering, and he felt that God was causing it.  I believe this added to his suffering.  If we believe that everything in life is a direct action of God, and we are suffering, then we have to believe that God is punishing us.  If we are sure that we have done nothing to deserve this punishment as a follower of Christ, how much greater the suffering will be.  Verse five adds, My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome.  Job recognized how he looked physically to those around him, but they could not see how he looked spiritually.  We should never judge a person's spiritual condition by their physical condition.  Even then, God had not given up on Job.  Verse six continues, My days are swifter than a weaver’s shuttle, and are spent without hope.  We would think that days of suffering would pass slowly, but Job said his were passing rapidly and without hope.  I believe that Job meant his days left to live were quickly passing since he was in such terrible shape and he saw no hope of recovery.  Still, as long as there is life there should be hope.  Verse seven says, O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good.  Job said that his life was as invisible as the wind to those around him.  His life served no purpose, and he could see no good in it.  If we begin to feel that no one sees us in our struggles and we can see no good in life, we need to simply look to God.  We are always in God's sight.  Verse eight adds, The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not.  Job fully expected to die soon.  Physically, he would cease to exist.  He saw this as his only way to the end of his suffering.  Verse nine adds, As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more.  Job said this physical body shall never return from the grave as it now exists.  We will have a new and glorious body when Christ returns to claim His church, those that believe in Him.  Verse ten continues, He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more.  Job said that once we die, we are not coming back to this world.  We will be in a world without sin, suffering and death.  We may be forgotten by the world, but we will never be forgotten by nor separated from God.

Job 9:14 says, How much less shall I answer him, and choose out my words to reason with him?  After speaking about the power and majesty of God, Job now begins to speak of his own inability to talk to God with any words that could justify himself before God.  If we attempt to claim that we are perfect and God has treated us unfairly, our very words show our hypocrisy.  Job had been accused of being a hypocrite by Bildad, but Job acknowledged his unworthiness to even answer God.  Job was not claiming to be perfect and therefore able to stand before God by his own righteousness, but asked how he could hope to choose the right words to reason with God.  We can never question the wisdom of God because we feel that we are righteous in all that we do.  Verse fifteen adds, Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer, but I would make supplication to my judge.  Job said that even if he could claim righteousness, he could still not make demands on God.  He could only come to God in supplication, asking God to hear Him.  We can never make demands on God but must come to Him as humble servants.  Verse sixteen continues, If I had called, and he had answered me; yet would I not believe that he had hearkened unto my voice.  Job felt that his prayers were so ineffective that even if God did what he was asking it wouldn't be due to his prayers.  I believe Job felt at this point that God was just going to do what He wanted to do when He wanted to do it.  This made God an impersonal God, but we know that is not the case.  God always hears and answers the prayers of His people.  We may not like the answer, nor even the timing of the answer, but we can never believe that God does not hear us.  If we believe that everything is preordained, then we must say as Job did that our prayers do not matter.  Verse seventeen states, For he breaketh me with a tempest, and multiplieth my wounds without cause.  Job stated his reason for believing that God did not hear Him.  Job said God was causing him unbearable suffering without cause.  No matter how much we suffer, we can never blame God nor claim that we are without any guilt in our lives.  Job was now basically saying aloud that God was being unjust with Him.  Verse eighteen adds, He will not suffer me to take my breath, but filleth me with bitterness.  I believe that Job was basically saying that God was responsible for his bitterness.  If we become bitter in our attitude toward God today, we cannot blame it on God.  We cannot even blame it on the devil, because we alone are responsible for our attitude toward God.  Events in this world should never determine our attitude toward God, but we must remain faithful to Him no matter what.  Verse nineteen continues, If I speak of strength, lo, he is strong: and if of judgment, who shall set me a time to plead?  Job acknowledged the power of God.  He felt powerless in God's sight. Our strength and wisdom are indeed powerless in God's sight, but through faith in Him, we are made strong.  Verse twenty says, If I justify myself, mine own mouth shall condemn me: if I say, I am perfect, it shall also prove me perverse.  Job said he could not justify himself with his words, and that if he said he was perfect that even his speech would be perverse.  If a person claims to be able to stand before God today innocent by their own ability, then what they are saying is perverse.  We cannot make ourselves right with God by our own actions but can only do so by faith in God's redeeming act.  Through acknowledgement of our own sins and faith in Christ alone can we be restored to a right relationship with God.  Verse twenty-one adds, Though I were perfect, yet would I not know my soul: I would despise my life.  Job said that even if he had been perfect, in his present condition he would despise his soul.  In his suffering, Job could see no reason for even his soul, the animating force of life, to live on.  Verse twenty-two continues, This is one thing, therefore I said it, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked.  Those that are perfect, though there really is but One, and those that are wicked do all meet the same fate in this life, and that is they all die.  I believe Job was stating this as an indictment against God though.  He was blaming God for evil coming to good people, but we must remember that God is not responsible for the evil in the world.

Job 6:15 says, My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, and as the stream of brooks they pass away;  Even though only Eliphaz had spoken, Job felt that all his brethren had dealt deceitfully with him. Those who had been his friends had offered him no comfort, and those who had come to see him offered nothing but silence or judgment so far. We need to be better friends to those who are suffering around us and offer them hope and comfort through God.  Those who had been his friends had deserted him even before these three came to him.  Sometimes in adversity we find out that friends really aren't friends, as they no longer even want to be around us.  Verse sixteen adds, Which are blackish by reason of the ice, and wherein the snow is hid:  Job said the true nature of those who called themselves his friends were like black ice hidden under the snow, a danger without being seen.  Verse seventeen continues, saying, What time they wax warm, they vanish: when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place.  Job said that when things started to get warm that his friends vanished.  If they couldn't stand with him when things were just warm, their friendship was definitely consumed when things got hot.  Verse eighteen states, The paths of their way are turned aside; they go to nothing, and perish.  I believe that Job was saying that his friends not only turned against him, but they left the leadership of God as well.  If we are truly following God, He will never lead us to desert those who are in need, especially our fellow believers.  Verse nineteen adds, The troops of Tema looked, the companies of Sheba waited for them.  I believe that Job was telling us that when we get off the path that God has for us to follow that there are many enemies waiting to destroy us.  Verse twenty continues, They were confounded because they had hoped; they came thither, and were ashamed.  I believe that Job was saying that those who look for hope in the things of this world will always be disappointed in their search.  Verse twenty-one says, For now ye are nothing; ye see my casting down, and are afraid.  Job said his friends were of no comfort to him since they saw how he had fallen so low and were afraid it would affect them as well.  We can never let fear control us as we follow God's will for our lives.  Verse twenty-two adds, Did I say, Bring unto me? or, Give a reward for me of your substance?  Job said he did not send for these three friends, nor did he ask anything of them.  If we willingly go to help a friend in need, we should be there to actually help them and not to judge or condemn them.   Verse twenty-three continues, Or, Deliver me from the enemy’s hand? or, Redeem me from the hand of the mighty?  Job said he didn't ask for their protection or deliverance.  He was actually ready for his life to just be over.  Verse twenty-four states, Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred.  I believe that Job was saying that if his friends actually had something to teach him, to help him understand why he was in such torment, he would listen and not interrupt them.  If we go to those in trouble today, we need to have words that will offer understanding to them, and not condemnation.  Verse twenty-five adds, How forcible are right words! but what doth your arguing reprove?  Job said that words of truth had power, but simply arguing based on faulty logic was worthless.  When we enter into arguments simply to prove our point, and not to teach about God's will for us, our arguments are in vain.  Verse twenty-six continues, Do ye imagine to reprove words, and the speeches of one that is desperate, which are as wind?  Job asked them what they hoped to accomplish with their accusations against Him.  Job continues this question in verse twenty-seven says, Yea, ye overwhelm the fatherless, and ye dig a pit for your friend.  I believe that Job was saying that his friends looked forward to condemning him for his perceived sins.  We need not look for reasons to condemn the less fortunate but to offer them support instead.  Verse twenty-eight adds, Now therefore be content, look upon me; for it is evident unto you if I lie.  Job asked his friends to actually look at him and not his condition.  He said when they did, they would know he wasn't lying.  We should never judge people by their material circumstances but should actually look at who they are under God's guidance.  Verse twenty-nine continues, Return, I pray you, let it not be iniquity; yea, return again, my righteousness is in it.  Job asked his friends to return in righteousness, or I believe under God's guidance.  Verse thirty concludes, Is there iniquity in my tongue? cannot my taste discern perverse things?  Job asked if he had said anything that could be viewed as iniquity, stating that he could still distinguish between what was the truth and what was a lie.  We must always reach out to people with the truth of God and never rely on our own understanding.  Job's friends thought they knew why he was suffering, but they were wrong.