WRONG ANSWER
Today's reading:  Job 7-8

"But if you pray to God and seek the favor of the Almighty, if you are pure and live with complete integrity, he will rise up and restore your happy home.  And though you started with little, you will end with much."  Job 8:5-7 NLT

Many people believe these words to be a promise from God.

They go on the assumption that all writings within the Scripture are promises God intends for us to claim.  Hopes He wishes us to cling to.  Words for which we are to live by.

Allow me to go on record stating...they're wrong.

These are not words spoken by Christ or whispered into the ear of a prophet by God.  These are not directives from the Almighty on how to live a wonderful life filled with blessings.  These are words a mis-spoken, trying-to-help-friend said to Job. 

Bildad the Shuhite, in his attempt to offer words of consolation and sympathy to his friend, has gone on to mislead alot of folks!  He spoke on assumption and misunderstanding.  He took bits and pieces of what he thought he knew and offered them on a plate as a meal for a starving man.

We have to be careful when we take snippets of God's Word and use them as we might.  We need to know by whom and to whom these verses are speaking, in regards to what they were said, how they were used at their time and what reponse they were intending to bring about.  We should look into the background of any verse we want to quote or offer up as hope for a dying world.

It all boils down to this:  We've got to study the Bible.