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The Bible Breakdown
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The Bible Breakdown
Job 08: Bildad Has a Good Idea
What can we gain from the wisdom of those who've walked the path before us? In this week's episode of the Bible Breakdown Podcast, we examine Job Chapter 8 and the complex figure of Bildad, one of Job's friends. Though Bildad's intentions are good, his misguided attempt to comfort Job highlights a crucial lesson about valuing the insight of previous generations. Bildad's harsh comments about Job's deceased children show the importance of empathy, yet his notion of learning from our elders remains a powerful takeaway. We dissect the concept of "recency bias" and encourage listeners to approach the stories of older generations with the humility of a student.
In our segment "Generation to Generation," we explore how truly listening to the experiences of older individuals can offer unexpected but essential insights. We discuss practical ways to connect with elders in your community, such as inviting them for coffee or dinner and simply listening to their life stories. Reflecting on Job 1:21, we are reminded to trust in God's plan and to be thankful for His provision, even when it's hard to understand. Join us for a heartfelt prayer of gratitude for the mentors and guides God places in our lives, and discover how mutual growth strengthens the body of Christ.
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The More You Dig. The More You Find.
Well, hello everybody. Welcome back to the Bible Breakdown Podcast with your host, pastor Brandon. Today, job, chapter 8, and today's title is Bill Dad has a Good Idea. Bill Dad has a Good Idea. We're going to meet another one of Job's friends, bill Dad, and he's another bad one. I mean, you know, it's really hard to get too mad at these guys because they don't know either and I don't know about you. But I've been in both positions. I've been in Job's place where I've got good friends who are doing a bad job of comforting me, you know, and then I've been on the side where I've been the bad friend, like I have no idea how to comfort this guy and I'm going to try, but I can tell by the look on their face I'm doing a real bad job. So it's hard to get too mad at him. But build, that kind of gets to a good idea and we're going to get to that in just a moment. But, as always, if you like what we're doing here, make sure you like, share and subscribe to the YouTube channel and the podcast. Make sure you are asking us questions as things come up. Make sure you go to the YouTube video, type your questions there or in the show notes section of the podcast. There is a place there where you can ask us questions, leave us comments. We've had people that do both and it is our honor to dialogue back and forth with you so that we can grow together. Also, you can go to the Bible Breakdown Discussion on Facebook and right there they do blog entries every day. There's an amazing team does an awesome job and the more we dig, the more we find.
Speaker 1:So Job, chapter 8, if you open up with me in your Bible, one of the things that we've been talking about through this is that we trust God's wisdom in suffering and sometimes I don't know if you've ever done this, but sometimes I'll be listening to someone and they're trying to help. You know they're trying to help, doing a real bad job of it, but they're trying. But in the middle of the mess that they're saying there's actually some really good things there and it's like the Holy Spirit will say now listen to that one, listen to that thing. And I hope that's what happens. When I talk to people. I'm like, listen, I'm just going to shoot in the general direction and I hope something sticks. That's good right, because we don't know, no one knows the grief of another except the Lord. And so you do the best you can. That's kind of what Bildad's going to do today. He's just going to just shoot off at the mouth. But it turns out he actually has a pretty good idea. And so we're going to read this together Job, chapter 8, and see if we can discover together, in the midst of the mess, bildad's good idea. You ready, here we go.
Speaker 1:Verse 1 of Job 8. Let's do it Then. Bildad the Shuhite replied to Job how long will you go on like this? You sound like a blustering wind. Does God twist justice? Does the Almighty twist what is right? Your children must have sinned against him, so their punishment was well deserved. Pause, bildad, don't hurt him, man. Remember, at the very beginning, job lost all of his kids at the same time, and Bildad said it was their fault. This is not Bill Dad at his finest. Okay, this is a bad moment for old Billy. All right, here we go. Come on, billy, help us out.
Speaker 1:Verse five. But you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, and if you are pure and live with integrity, he will surely rise up and restore your happy home. And though you started with little, you will end with much. Just ask the previous generation. Pay attention to the experience of our ancestors, for we were born Just ask the previous generation without a marsh. Can marsh grass flourish without water? While they are still flowering? Are they not ready? They're not ready to be cut. They'll begin to wither more quickly than grass. The same happens to all who forget God. The hopes of the godless evaporate and their confidence hangs by a thread. They are leaning on a spider's web which isn't going to hold up very well right.
Speaker 1:Verse 15,. They cling to their home for security, but it won't last. They try to hold it tight, but it will not endure. Verse 16,. The godless seem like a lush plant growing in the sunshine, its branches spreading across the garden, its roots grow down through a pile of stones and it takes hold on a bed of rocks. But when it is uprooted, it's as though it never existed. That's the end of its life, and others spring up from the earth to replace it. But look, god will not reject a person of integrity, nor will he lend a hand to the wicked. He will once again fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
Speaker 1:Now, bill Dad's got a lot to say there, and he put his foot in his mouth at least once. But what I love and I think our takeaway is is in verse 8. He says takeaway is is in verse eight. He says just ask the previous generations, pay attention to the experience of our ancestors. Do you know?
Speaker 1:One of the things that I think we all struggle with if we're not careful is what's called recency bias, and what that means is is. It means that we think that whatever has happened in our life or close to us, that's the truth. We know it all, we have it all figured out. And anybody who didn't grow up in our generation or anything around us, that's the truth. We know it all, we have it all figured out. And anybody who didn't grow up in our generation or anything around us, they have no idea what they're talking about. And that recency bias can go in both ways. I've talked to older people who think that young people have no idea what they're doing. I've talked to young people who think that old people are old. Right, but one of the things we have to remember is everyone has an experience that can lend a hand in helping us with our journey, especially those who have gone before.
Speaker 1:Can I tell you if I need to fix something on my car? Rather than go to somebody who's the same age as me and that's somehow good enough, I want to go to someone who's had the exact same problem with their car before and they know exactly what to do to fix it. I don't want to go to a single person to talk about my marriage. Now I can ask their opinion, but I don't care as much as I do someone who's married, even more so someone who's been married for 40 years. Why? Because they've been there. They've done that. They understand. That's what Bill Dadd is basically trying to say. He's trying to say why don't you go to people who are older than you and they can help straighten you out? And that's the thing I want to kind of give us to think about as we get ready to move on with the rest of our day. And that is this Is there someone in your life that you could go talk to, who's been there and done that?
Speaker 1:Whatever it is that you would say, you're trusting God's wisdom in the middle of your suffering, your difficult time. If it's a relationship issue let's say you're married and you're struggling in your relationship Do you know someone who's been married longer than you. You know, even if you don't necessarily love their relationship, if they've been married longer than you they may have an interesting dynamic or point of view. It may not even be right, but it'll get your mind moving in that way. What about this one? If you're having financial problems, do you know someone who is not currently having financial problems is further down the line, someone who you know you've got toddlers. Someone you know who now has teenagers. They can give you perspective. So who is? Someone you know that's a little further down the road that you could talk to about what's going on.
Speaker 1:Can I tell you, one of the greatest things that I've done in my life is when I sit down and I talk to someone who's older than me, who's been there, and I wanna kinda give you a little bit of a template for this. First thing is is go in with the posture of a student not even as a friend and tell them that I want to learn from you. Second thing is don't expect them to know exactly what to do. That's not what they're there for. They're there to give you their experiences, and then it helps you to get your mind going. And then the third thing is be respectful of their story. Don't try to tell them your story. Listen to their story. And if you to tell them your story, listen to their story. And if you'll do that, you'll be surprised what will happen.
Speaker 1:I've had so many times in my life where I've went and I've talked to someone and I wanted to hear from them their idea. Then they started telling me a story and it wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear, but it turned out to be exactly what I needed to hear. But you have to discipline yourself to just come at it as a student and you'd be surprised what many times God will say to you through that previous generation. So I want to encourage you today. If there's someone in your world co-worker, family member, someone in your life group, someone that you see on Sunday but you never really connected with them, make it a point to connect with them. Ask them to go get some coffee, go to dinner, do something like that, and then just take the posture of a student and say you know what I'm going through this, you have been through this. Tell me what your experience is and watch what the Holy Spirit will do.
Speaker 1:Let's pray together right now. God, thank you so much that you have no intention of us going through this thing called life alone. You walk with us, but then you've also surrounded us, most likely with people in our life that would be wonderful at reaching out and speaking to us if we will give them space to do that. I pray, lord you open our eyes to see people who we could be that for as well, People that are just a couple steps behind us that we could speak into as well, and then people a couple steps ahead of us that we could reach out to. And as we do this, that's how the body of Christ grows in fellowship together. I thank you in advance for all the divine connections that you're gonna make in our lives.
Speaker 1:In Jesus' name, we pray amen. And what God's word says in Job 1, verse 21,. After Job lost everything, he says I came naked from my mother's womb. I will be naked when I leave. The Lord gave me what I had and the Lord has taken it away. Praise the name of the Lord. In other words, everything I have belongs to him and I trust him with everything. I love you. I'll see you tomorrow. For Job, chapter nine.
