Job 8:5

_IF THOU WOULDEST SEEK UNTO GOD BETIMES, AND MAKE THY SUPPLICATION TO THE ALMIGHTY;_ Seek unto God betimes - early. Make it the first add chief anxiety. "They returned and inquired early after God." (Psalms 78:34; Hosea 5:15; Isaiah 26:9; Proverbs 8:17); "He that loveth (his son) chasteneth him betimes" (Proverbs 13:24)....

1-7 Job spake much to the purpose; but Bildad, like an eager, angry disputant, turns it all off with this, How long wilt thou speak these things? Men's meaning is not taken aright, and then they are rebuked, as if they were evil-doers. Even in disputes on religion, it is too common to treat others with sharpness, and their arguments with contempt. Bildad's discourse shows that he had not a favourable opinion of Job's character. Job owned that God did not pervert judgment; yet it did not therefore follow that his children were cast-aways, or that they did for some great transgression. Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, sometimes they are the trials of extraordinary graces: in judging of another's case, we ought to take the favorable side. Bildad puts Job in hope, that if he were indeed upright, he should yet see a good end of his present troubl...

Verse Job 8:5. _IF THOU WOULDEST SEEK UNTO GOD_] Though God has so severely afflicted thee, and removed thy children by a terrible judgment; yet if thou wilt now humble thyself before him, and implore his mercy, thou shalt be saved. He cut _them_ off in their sins, but he spares _thee_; and this is a proof that he waits to be gracious to thee....

IF THOU WOULDEST SEEK UNTO GOD BETIMES - If thou wouldest do it now. If even on the supposition that your sons have thus perished, and that God has come out in judgment against your family, you would look to God, you might be restored to favor. The word rendered “seek betimes” (שׁחר _shâchar_) means literally to seek in the morning, to seek early; and then, to make it the first business. It is derived from the word meaning aurora (שׁחר _shachar_) and has reference to the early light of the morning, and hence, to an early seeking. It may be applied to seeking him in early life, or as the first thing - looking to him immediately when help is needed, or before we apply to anyone else; compare Proverbs 7:15; Proverb

EXPOSITION JOB 8:1 THEN ANSWERED BILDAD THE SHUHITE, AND SAID. Bildad the Shuhite has the second place in the passage where Job's friends are first mentioned (Job 2:11), and occupies the same relative position in the dialogue. We may suppose him to have been younger than Eliphaz and older than Zophar. He does little more than repeat the arguments of Eliphaz, stating them, however, more bluntly, and with less of tact and consideration. The chief novelties of his discourse are an appeal to the teaching of past ages (verses 8-10), and the employment of new and forcible metaphors (verses 11-19). JOB 8:2 HOW LONG WILT THOU SPEAK THESE THINGS? An exclamation li

IF THOU WOULDEST SEEK UNTO GOD BETIMES,.... Here Bildad seems to think more mildly, and speak more kindly to Job, that though he had sinned, yet not in so gross a manner as his children, since he was spared, and they were not; and therefore if he would apply himself to God, and supplicate his grace and mercy, and live a godly life, it might yet be well with him, and he be restored to his former or to better circumstances; his sense is, that he would advise him, as Eliphaz had done before, Job 5:8; to seek unto God "by prayer", as the Targum adds, and of which it is explained in the next clause, and that he would do this "betimes", or "in the morning" n; which is a proper time for prayer, and was one of the seasons good men in former times made use of for that purpose; see Psalms 5:3; or that he would seek him in the first pl

CHAPTER 8 BILDAD'S ADDRESS _ 1. How long, Job? (Job 8:1)_ 2. Enquire of the former age (Job 8:8) 3. God's dealing with the wicked and the righteous (Job 8:11) Job 8:1. Bildad the Shuhite now speaks to Job. He is less dogmatic than Eliphaz, and less courteous, but more outspoken. He must have lost his patience listening to Job's reply. Especially does he resent what Job had said about God, the insinuations which had fallen from his lips. But we shall see he too follows the logic of Eliphaz, that God punishes Job for his sins. He starts in at once to rebuke Job for what he had said. “How long, Job, wilt thou speak these things? How long shall t

OPENING OF BILDAD'S FIRST SPEECH. The two younger friends, says Duhm, make a less favourable impression than Eliphaz. Bildad's great point is the discriminating rectitude of God, who unfailingly rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked. His whole idea of fortune and misfortune is even more mechanical than that of Eliphaz. The idea that God remains an unchangeable factor, and the relation of man to Him only changes, comes out if possible even more clearly in opposition to Job's idea of a God who has changed and may again change his relation to him. The other point of importance in Bildad's speech is that he supports his doctrine, not like Eliphaz from revelation, but from the wisdom of the ancients. Bildad, in beginning his speech, passes over in complete silence all that Job has said as to the lack of sympathy evinced by the friends. He expresses the dislike, natural to the sober ma...

The discriminating rectitude of God 2. Before coming to his principle and by way of introducing it Bildad expresses his wonder that Job should allow himself to speak such things as his discourse contained. _These things_are such things as ch. Job 6:29; Job 7:1-2; Job 7:12-21, and perhaps even ch. Job 6:10. He refers to the general drift of Job's speech, which appears to him to be an assertion that God was unjust (Job 8:3). _a strong wind_ Violent, and empty, cf. ch. Job 15:2;...

D. THE GREAT ABSENCE: EMPATHY AND SYMPATHYBILDAD Job 8:1-22 1. God is just and has not been unrighteous. (Job 8:1-7) (A rebuke of Job.) TEXT 8:1-7 8 THEN ANSWERED BILDAD THE SHUHITE, AND SAID, 2 How long wilt thou speak these things? And _how long_ SHALL THE WORDS OF THY MONTH BE _like_ A MIGHTY WIND? 3 Doth God pervert justice? Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness? 4 If thy children have sinned against him, And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression; 5 If thou wouldst seek diligently unto God, 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 And though thy beg