My wife and I do not watch horror movies, as they would give us nightmares. Our imaginations are too vivid. But, to listen to this speech of Bildad is not far from the experience of a horror movie. Except that the sufferings that Bildad describes are real; no actor or actress is pretending here. Bildad is describing hell.

Bildad begins his speech, as the other friends often do, by telling Job how annoying he finds him (Job 18:1-4). But then he says something that puzzles us: ″Is the earth to be abandoned for your sake? Or must the rocks be moved from their place?″ (v. 4)

In the Bible, the solid rock, or earth, is a picture of the stability of the world. It speaks of a place of order (in contrast to the chaotic seas), a world in which there is a definite right and wrong. Bildad assumes this must mean that bad things happen only to bad people. He thinks that Job, in protesting that he is not bad, is asking for an exception to be made to the moral structure of the universe; Bildad thinks this is outrageous!

In the rest of his speech (vv. 5-21), Bildad teaches Job about the ″place″ of the wicked. It is a frightening description, but the significant thing to note is that every bit of this description also describes Job's current situation!

This place is very dark (vv. 5-6), as Job's life is now (see 17:13). The wicked are brought here like a trapped animal when God the hunter ensnares and captures them (18:7-10), just as God has hunted or stalked Job (10:16). This place is very frightening (18:11-14), a place where ″terrors startle″ and a man is ″marched off to the king of terrors″, just as Job is terrified by God (9:34). It is what happens when people disappear from this world of life and hope forever (18:15-20). This, concludes Bildad, most certainly ″is the dwelling of an evil man . . . the place of one who does not know God″ (v. 21).

Job needs to draw his own conclusions. If his experience of suffering matches this description of what happens to people who don't know God, then he must be such a person. Job needs to repent quickly if he is to have any hope. This is the message of Bildad.

Bildad's description of hell is frighteningly accurate; it is all true. The problem is that Job is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and turns from evil (1:1, 8; 2:3). Job is suffering the terrors of hell even though he does not deserve it!