5.20 Job 8-10

Phil Perez

5.20.2020

Job 8-10

Summary

These chapters portray strong courtroom imagery.  Job is responding to each of his friends in turn as they weigh in on his suffering.  Chapters 8-10 Bildad the Shuhite takes on the role of God’s defender in the courtroom (As if God needed a defender).  It’s interesting to note that Genesis 25.1-2 tells of Shuah the son of Abraham and Keturah, which makes it likely that Bildad is a descendant of Abraham and his wife Keturah.  Bildad has concluded that this has happened because Job’s Children have sinned and there is obviously still hope for Job as he was left alive.  Bildad communicates to Job that if he is indeed righteous God will sustain him and once again fill his mouth with laughter and lips with shouts of Joy (8.21).  Job maintains his innocence throughout and desires a court date with God to plead his case in chapters 9-10. 

A Key verse in the chapters is

Job 10.2 “I will say to God: “Do not declare me guilty! Let me know why you prosecute me.”

Job wants to know why – which is the essential question of suffering. Job has prejudged God’s intent here in today’s reading and I find it interesting and a foreshadowing of Christ that in Job 9.33 He is requesting a mediator between him and God.  We of course have that mediator in Jesus Christ.

Job is not given a direct answer to his why but I think he is still on point as in Job 6.29 he correctly identifies that his righteousness is the main issue, however not in the way he or his friends are making sense of it.  The whole thing plays out as if Job is trying to get his day in court. I will go with God more content to trust and obey even when I am struggling to understand.