Job 8:2-3

2 How ['an] long [`ad] wilt thou speak [malal] these things? and how long shall the words ['emer] of thy mouth [peh] be like a strong [kabbiyr] wind [ruwach]?

3 Doth God ['el] pervert [`avath] judgment [mishpat]? or doth the Almighty [Shadday] pervert [`avath] justice [tsedeq]? KJV-Interlinear

2 'How long will you say these things, And the words of your mouth be a mighty wind? 3 'Does God pervert justice Or does the Almighty pervert what is right? NASB

Bildad loses his patience. 'How long are you, Job, going to say such things? Your words are hot air. Your words are a stormy wind, a tempest. You are attempting to push your opinion by sheer force and fury.'

'Does God pervert justice? Does God make mistakes? Does God promote wrong?'

'And what is obvious here. You, Job, are suffering. You, Job, have had all of your vast wealth taken away. You, Job, have lost all of your ten children. Are not these acts and actions of God? Does God do things arbitrarily? Does God not punish the wicked? Aren't these acts of punishment? They certainly cannot be acts of blessing! And how long will you spin out your words of pride?'

And so Bildad begins his rebuke of Job with a harsh scolding. Eliphaz was at least polite and only implied Job's error. Bildad takes the offence against Job, with more vigor.

The lines between opinion with truth, and opinion with accusation, are becoming more clear now.

Lest we forget, Job has been described, by God Himself, as 'blameless and upright,' with 'no one like him in all the earth.' Job is the one who is suffering, not his friends. Job is the one who lost his wealth, not his friends. Job is the one who lost his children, not his friends.

Job is the one who is hurting terribly, not his friends.

And who among us, if we were to hurt as badly as Job, mentally and physically, would not cry out in agony and frustration?

His friends have no specific act with which they can point to as evidence of Job's guilt. And yet they presume that suffering is equivalent to guilt. And, anything on the magnitude of Job's losses, just has to be associated with phenomenal sins. After all, God doesn't make mistakes. Does He?

God does not make mistakes, but people do. God is the only perfect evaluator of people. People are not.

Eliphaz and Bildad have both heard Job's comments, but they did not consider Job's point of view. Job has and will hear their words, and has and will answer them directly.

It is possible to know truth, 'God does not make mistakes,' and still misapply the principles of truth, to life.

In some cases, as with these three friends, they have already made up their mind. Job is guilty. And so they will not relent until Job confesses his fault. Evidence is not the issue. His suffering is already proof of his guilt. They only have to discover the crime, now. Their intentions are more important than truth.

In other cases, truth is misapplied because the person has selfish or ulterior motives, or their beliefs are convenient to their motives in life. 'God is great,' shouts a suicide murderer as he detonates his bomb. He has dreams of glory by committing murder, and he conveniently draws God into his belief. The whole philosophy is full of contradictions.

But the bomber's beliefs begin with simple distortions of truth. False conclusions based on an obvious premise.

The sun is shining. All in the world must be ok.

It has been raining for days. Life is the pits.

My life stinks. God must be punishing me for my past sins.

The woman, pushed under the water, died. She must not have been a witch.

He has a scar on his face. He must be a bad guy.

His skin is a different color. He must be inferior.

He is rich. He must be a great spiritual believer.

He is poor. There must be something wrong or inferior about him.

He doesn't believe as we do. He must be an infidel. He must die.

You could go on with this list for days, coming up with every possible opinion and distortion of truth, but they all have one thing in common. They are prejudiced against truth. They ignore facts. They ignore reality. They promote beliefs which are convenient to ones preferences, desires, lusts, agendas in life. And they have no concern for their victim. It is more important to be right, than to consider life objectively. Their intent is more important than the facts or the truth.

Bildad could have been empathetic and understanding, but instead he launched his address in a rude and unsympathetic manner. And more than that, he recruits God into his corner to justify his opinion which he is about to make.

Note quickly however, those who choose to distort truth, will continue to do so with increasing passion. And until they come face to face with an overwhelming argument that completely discredits them, they will never change.

Bible doctrine is that overwhelming argument. For those who get hit with it right between the eyes, and if there is even a slight bit of objectivity in them, then sometimes they will come around. But for those who continue to live within their own world of self-righteousness, often times the blindness they live in, will prevent them from changing. Their subjectivity, their self centered desires, will turn to a liberal departure from truth as well as a conservative distortion of truth.

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