Job 18:3-4

3 Wherefore are we counted [chashab] as beasts [bahemah], and reputed vile [tamah] in your sight [`ayin]?

4 He teareth [taraph] himself [nephesh] in his anger ['aph]: shall the earth ['erets] be forsaken [`azab] for thee? and shall the rock [tsuwr] be removed [`athaq] out of his place [maqowm]? KJV-Interlinear

3 'Why are we regarded as beasts, As stupid in your eyes? 4 'O you who tear yourself in your anger- For your sake is the earth to be abandoned, Or the rock to be moved from its place? NASB

Job has described the attacks of his friends. He has described them as mockers, as unwise, as unkind, lacking in both reason and wisdom and compassion. Job has described the environment as that of the jungle, where the predators ruthlessly pursue their prey and pounce and tear apart their victim with animal indifference and lusts.

Now Bildad is angered at Jobs description. Bildad is offended. And so it is with people who lack understanding. You know by now what lack of understanding means. Lack of truth, lack of orientation to life, lack of everything worthwhile in fact, in life.

People who lack these things are easily offended. They are sensitive and make themselves out to be far more important, in their own eyes, than they really are. How important is dust? How important are the contents of the maggots working in the grave? Somehow, people seem to forget about sticks and stones.

And so Bildad interprets Jobs words as him, being called nothing better than a beast. Today we have female dog expressions, or perhaps some other more colorful expressions for lower class, or ignorant, or na ve folks.

Rather than accepting the insults, and Bildad is interpreting Jobs words as insulting, Bildad will take Jobs words and turn them against Job. Or so he thinks.

Remember that in chapter sixteen, Job was speaking to God, not his friends. Bildad is simply not listening. Then again, spiritually immature people think that all negative things are being said against then, that, that is the highest form of insult, and that they can insult others but they cannot be insulted.

And so, spiritually immature people elevate themselves to a much higher position in society, than they really occupy. They take themselves too seriously.

They cannot take the truth and so, rather than considering their own error, they will spend their time thinking up counter arguments, believing that if they can put down their victim, then they will win the argument, or the contest, or the competition.

In their minds, life is a continuous string of competitions. In order to get ahead, they need to out think, out hustle, out yell whomever they have established as their opponent. They win by intimidation, by bullying, by boasting, by name dropping, or by being stubborn. Their life is really a lie, but they pursue it with vigor anyway.

They do not rely on the resources of truth, but instead rely on the resources of the jungle environment.

Spiritually immature people have no real resources with which to face life, and as we will see, spiritually immature people are running scarred all of their life in pursuit of their frantic search for happiness and fulfillment, and they will end life with nothing.

They make themselves the center of attention as they fake their wisdom with impassioned self-delusion towards truth.

They ascribe their own error attributes toward their victim. Job is charged with trying to make history and providence change just for his sake. But the will of God, the rules of truth, the dispensations of history, the rise and fall of nations and peoples do not change for any one person.

Bildad accuses Job of wanting these changes because of his suffering, because of his obvious hidden sins, but life does not change for anyone unless that change is in accordance with Gods will. And of that will, none of us can know all of the intricate details of history. We can only observe from hindsight and guess as to the whole picture.

Our destiny is given to us all openly. The minute by minute advance of history leaves us all guessing from time to time.

Since sins apply to all people, and since providence and human history are all in Gods hands, then no one can sit on the sidelines and narrate its activities. And yet Bildad is attempting this.

So what he is accusing Job of, he, Bildad, is guilty of himself.

The rock is the large unmovable object inside of which we can seek shelter, because God controls the rock. But no person, no group, no nation, no empire can change or alter the course of history in any way.

Our best bet in life is to recognize the history in which we live and adapt to it as best we can. Some folks grew up during the depression, some lived through a world war, some live in hostile neighborhoods, some have life pretty easy.

Your circumstances in life are all irrelevant. Your choices are always the same. Pursue Bible doctrine everyday of your life and let God guide you through your life, which He has assigned for you, or complain, or be apathetic, or be controversial, or whatever, and try to get through life on your own.

Good luck!

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