The Threat of Traditions

INTRO

So far, we have looked at Job’s suffering and a lot of people who were not okay with Job’s suffering. Job didn’t like the suffering either, but he wanted everyone to understand that his suffering was not necessarily because he had sinned. Job’s friends were some who were more vocal about why they thought he was in the situation he was in. So far, we’ve already looked at his friend Eliphaz’s response. Job then responded to Eliphaz in chapters 6—7. Next, Job’s second friend, Bildad, addressed Job. Our phrase for Job is the Promised Redeemer, and that promise will get Job out of the situation he had been drawn into.

TEACHING

Job 8:1–7: Bildad, a relative of Abraham, charged Job of being a “blow-hard.”¹Nelson’s Commentary explains Bildad’s comment as telling Job he was “full of hot air.”²Bildad could not accept that Job was receiving anything from God that he did not deserve (vv. 1–3). Bildad stated Job’s children had been punished because they had rebelled against God (v. 4). These words had to have been shocking to Job, who had done everything to guard his children’s walk with God. Bullock points out, “Obviously the friends’ theology was far more important than Job.”³Then Bildad told him to do two things—earnestly seek God asking for His mercy and be pure and upright so God would restore his prosperity (vv. 5–7). This again shows Bildad’s bad theology, believing that if Job did certain things, God would automatically bless him because of what he had done.

Job 8:8–10: Bildad then moved on to support his argument with evidence from history. Bildad pointed to the earlier generation and what their fathers had discovered (v. 8). Yet Bildad acknowledged that he knew nothing (v. 9). Nelson’s Commentary points out how little Bildad really knew and states, “One purpose of the Book of Job is to challenge the traditional dogmas of the past—particularly the retribution dogma.”⁴

What does Scripture say about tradition? Traditions are not bad as long as they are based on Christ.

• Stand firm and hold to traditions (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
• See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophizing (Colossians 2:8).
• Why break a commandment for the sake of tradition (Matthew 15:3)?
• We remember Christ in everything and maintain traditions (1 Corinthians 11:2).
• For the sake of your tradition, you made void the word of God (Matthew 15:6).
• Hold to the tradition of the elders (Mark 7:3–9).

Regarding traditions, “Bildad’s position is that what is true is not new, and what is new is not true.”5 Historian Jeroslav Pelikan explains, “Tradition is the living faith of the dead; traditionalism is the dead faith of the living.”⁶What does it look like to have truth over tradition? God’s truth trumps man’s tradition:

Jesus’ claims outweighed man’s authority (John 7:48–49). The Pharisees didn’t believe in who Jesus was.

Jesus’ deeds (such as casting out demons) outraged the religious rulers (Matthew 12:23–24).

Jesus was a threat to their religious system (John 2:13–17). He showed that threat when He flipped over the tables in the temple.

Jesus was a threat to the religious system’s way of life.

The people Jesus socialized with outraged the religious rulers (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:39).

Jesus had a lack of respect for their traditions (Mark 3:4-5).

p. 47; available at https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/job.pdf.

5 S. R. Driver and G. B. Gray, International Critical Commentary Series: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Job (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1921), p. 78; quoted in Thomas Constable, Dr. Constables Bible Study Notes: Job, p. 47; available at https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/job.pdf.

Job is an incredible foreshadow of the coming Christ.

Job 8:11–18: Bildad used a series of illustrations from nature to support his understanding of how God punishes the wicked and blesses the righteous (vv. 11–12). Each was dependent upon an outside source to thrive. Bildad pointed out that the godless would perish because they had forgotten they needed God (v. 13). The one who forgets God tries to trust a fragile spider web that is not strong enough to support him (vv. 14–15). Then Bildad compared Job to a well-watered plant who abandoned everything to which he had been rooted and now did not know God (vv. 16–18). Implied in these verses is that Job was depending upon his possessions instead of God.

Job 8:19–22: Regardless of all Job had experienced, Bildad pointed out there was hope of God’s blessing (v. 19). But then Bildad placed judgment on Job, stating God would never reject a person of integrity (v. 20). Throughout his experiences, Job had clung to the fact he was a man of integrity. Yet God could still bring joy into Job’s life (v. 21), and Job’s enemies would be clothed with shame (v. 22).

CLOSING

Constable writes, “People with problems get little help from rigid, closed-minded Bildads who refuse to reevaluate their theories in the light of new evidence but simply reaffirm traditional answers. We must always stay open to new evidence, new insights, and the possibility that not only we ourselves but those we follow may have interpreted the facts incorrectly.”⁷Anderson explains, “Bildad’s assertion that God will not reject a blameless man makes him the precursor of those who mocked Jesus with the same logic: ‘He trusts in God; let God deliver him’ (Matthew 27:43). Job has a lesser Calvary, and each person has his own. But when we know about God’s rejection of Jesus, our dereliction can never again be as dark as Job’s.”8 Be careful of the Bildads.

8 Francis I. Andersen, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries: Job (Leicester, Eng. And Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1976), pp. 142-143; quoted in Thomas Constable, Dr. Con- stables Bible Study Notes: Job, p. 48; available at https://planobiblechapel.org/tcon/notes/pdf/job.pdf.