He has neither son nor posterity among his people, nor any remaining in his dwellings. …Surely such are the dwellings of the wicked, and this is the place of him who does not know God. (Job 18:19,21)
There is not much encouraging in Bildad’s speech for a morning devotion! Again he blasts Job and basically accuses him of being a wicked man who does not know God. Such a wicked man gets what he deserves…as Job apparently has. Bildad’s speech is the exact opposite of encouragement and comfort, which Job longed for in 16:5.
This morning I wondered why God allows the speeches in Job to continue for so long when the words of Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar do not seem to change much. I mean, what I read this morning by Bildad sounds like the same speech he gave before. So why repeat the words? Why not end the book of Job after fifteen or sixteen chapters? I think I get the point of their speeches so why let them go on and on?
But maybe the fact that the friends’ speeches never change and seem to go on and on is one of the main points of Job. His friends never change! Every speech takes the same path, covers the same territory, repeats the same old arguments. While Job’s thoughts, emotions, and spiritual life seem to be on a roller coaster, the friends seem to move on cruise control–same speed, same direction. I’ve heard it said that the best thing about obstinance is that at least you always know what you will think tomorrow. That is certainly true with Job’s friends.
Of course, those who are obstinate often see that quality in a different light. I am sure Job’s friends saw their unwillingness to change their perspective as a sign of their great maturity, faithfulness, commitment, and steadiness. It’s all in how you look at it. For instance, some people say I can be nosey at times. I say that I am merely hungry for knowledge :>).
But thinking about all this this morning reminded me that there is something valuable about being willing to change your perspective, being open to growth. If I can’t think of one thing about myself or about my perspective that has changed in the last year then something is wrong. I have become calcified in the head, hardened in the heart. The Christian life is all about transformation and that comes day by day through the “renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:1-2)…that is through changing the way you think, deepening your perspective on things, growing in your understanding.
Yes, as believers, we have a core foundation. God is holy. We are sinners. Jesus Christ, God in the flesh, died for us and rose again to show that He is victorious over sin, Satan, and death. That is the core of Christian belief. This we hold onto without compromise. But much of the rest, particularly methodology and how we do things, is open for change, for growth.
If my perspective on music and worship never changes, then something is wrong. If my view of evangelism and missions doesn’t deepen and expand over time, then maybe I am stuck in a rut. If my prayer life doesn’t have ups and downs, then maybe I am just going through the motions. Relationships have ups and downs. The ones that don’t either are not dealing with real life or have become stagnant. I don’t want my relationship to God to become stagnant…thus I better get used to the mountaintops and the valleys.
Lord, keep me from becoming a Bildad, from getting stuck in my perspective, from refusing to grow, from resisting change. May I always be learning, changing, renewing, growing in my relationship to You.