job 18, 19

i kind of finished the rest of the book of job already, but that was too long ago and i can't remember much from it, so i wanted to go back and start from chapter 18.

in job 17, job talks about how grim things are for him. he says people are mocking him, and that all of his hopes are dead.
in job 18, his companion bildad the shuhite says a few things to job that really doesn't make him feel any better. it seems like he's telling job not to insult bildad and the other friends - like, don't take your anger out on us and call us beasts (v.3).
bildad then proceeds to tell job about all the terrible things that will happen to the "wicked" people that don't know God (v.21) - v.5-21
clearly bildad's intention is not to bring job out of his downcast state... he's just piling on more condemnations upon job.

job 19 - job calls bildad out for saying messed up things to him. job asks bildad & co. to take pity on him, because he's been cursed by God and is suffering from a lot of things.
but then in v. 25, he starts speaking with certainty about the existence of a redeemer that rules over the earth. he tells bildad to beware of God's judgment.
it's kind of interesting how job goes from complaining about his afflictions to declaring his faith for God.
also, in v. 5-6, i think job is telling bildad that when bildad insults job, it's not job that bildad is dealing with, but it's God, because God currently has full control over every aspect of job's life (through the means of putting a curse on him... so this "control" is certainly not a pleasant one for job... but anyway)

job is such a long book!