Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 3.djvu/50

42 upon them. Shall a man's spiritual state be judged of by some rash and hasty words, which a surprising trouble extorts from him? Is it fair, Is it kind, Is it just, to criticise in such a case? Would you yourselves be served thus?" Two things aggravated their unkind treatment of him. 1. That they took advantage of his weakness, and the helpless condition he was in; Ye overwhelm the fatherless, a proverbial expression, bespeaking that which is most barbarous and inhuman. "The fatherless cannot secure themselves from insults; which imboldens men of base and sordid spirits to insult them and trample upon them; and you do so by me." Job, being a childless father, thought himself as much exposed to injury as a fatherless child, (Ps. cxxvii. 5.) and had reason to take it ill at those who, therefore, triumphed over him. Let those, who overwhelm and overpower them that upon any account may be looked upon as fatherless, know that therein they not only put off the compassions of man, but fight against the compassions of God, who is, and will be, a Father of the fatherless, and a Helper of the helpless. 2. That they made pretence of kindness; "You dig a pit for your friend; not only you are unkind to me, who am your friend, but, under colour of friendship, you insnare me." When they came to see and sit with him, he thought he might speak his mind freely to them, and that the more bitter his complaints to them were, the more they would have endeavoured to comfort him. This made him take a greater liberty than otherwise he would have done. David, though he smothered his resentments when the wicked were before him, it is likely, would have given vent to them, if none had been by but friends, Ps. xxxix. 1. But this freedom of speech, which their professions of concern for him made him use, had exposed him to their censures, and so they might be said to dig a pit for him. Thus, when our hearts are hot within us, what is ill done we are apt to misrepresent, as if done designedly.

IV. That though he had let fall some passionate expressions, yet, in the main, he was in the right, and that his afflictions, though very extraordinary, did not prove him to be a hypocrite, or a wicked man. His righteousness he holds fast, and will not let it go.

For the evincing of it, he here appeals,

1. To what they saw in him; (v. 28.) "Be content, and look upon me; what do you see in me, that bespeaks me either a mad man, or a wicked man? Nay, look in my face, and you may discern there the indications of a patient and submissive spirit, for all this. Let the show of my countenance witness for me, that though I have cursed my day, I do not curse my God." Or rather, "Look upon my ulcers and sore boils, and by them it will be evident to you that I do not lie;" that is, "that I do not complain without cause. Let your own eyes convince you that my condition is very sad, and that I do not quarrel with God, by making it worse than it is."

2. To what they heard from him; (v. 30.) "You hear what I have to say; Is there iniquity in my tongue? That iniquity that you charge me with? Have I blasphemed God, or renounced him? Are not my present arguings right? Do not you perceive, by what I say, that I can discern perverse things? I can discover your fallacies and mistakes, and if I were myself in an error, I could perceive it. Whatever you think of me, I know what I say."

3. To their own second and sober thoughts; (v. 29.) "Return, I pray you, consider the thing over again, without prejudice and partiality, and let not the result be iniquity, let it not be an unrighteous sentence; and you will find my righteousness is in it," that is, "I am in the right in this matter; and though I cannot keep my temper as I should, I keep my integrity, and have not said, or done, or suffered, any thing which will prove me other than an honest man." A just cause desires nothing more than a just hearing, and, if need be, a re-hearing.

CHAP. VII.

Job, in this chapter, goes on to express the bitter sense he had of his calamities, and to justify himself in his desire of death. I. He complains to himself and his friends of his troubles, and the constant agitation he was in, v. 1..6. II. He turns to God, and expostulates with him, v. 7. to the end. In which, 1. He pleads the final period which death puts to our present state, v. 7..10. 2. He passionately complains of the miserable condition he was now in, v. 11..16. 3. He wonders that God will thus contend with him, and begs for the pardon of his sins, and a speedy release out of his miseries, v. 17..21. It is hard to methodise the speeches of one who owned himself almost desperate, ch. vi. 26.

S there not an appointed time to man upon earth? are not his days also like the days of a hireling? 2. As a servant earnestly desireth the shadow, and as a hireling looketh for the reward of his work; 3. So am I made to possess months of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed to me. 4. When I lie down, I say, When shall I arise, and the night be gone? and I am full of tossings to and fro unto the dawning of the day. 5. My flesh is clothed with worms and clods of dust; my skin is broken, and become loathsome. 6. My days are swifter than, a weaver's shuttle, and are spent without hope.

Job is here excusing what he could not justify, even his inordinate desire of death. Why should he not wish for the period of life, which would be the period of his miseries? To enforce this reason, he argues,

I. From the general condition of man upon earth; (v. 1.) "He is of few days, and full of trouble. Every man must die shortly, and every man has some reason (more or less) to desire to die shortly; and, therefore, why should you impute it to me as so heinous a crime, that I wish to die shortly?" Or thus; "Pray mistake not my desires of death, as if I thought the time appointed of God could be anticipated; no, I know very well that that is fixed; only in such language as this, I take the liberty to express my present uneasiness. Is there not an appointed time (a warfare, so the word is) to man upon earth? And are not his days here like the days of a hireling?" Observe,

1. Man's present place: he is upon earth, which God has given to the children of men, Ps. cxv. 16. This bespeaks man's meanness and inferiority: how much below the inhabitants of yonder elevated and refined regions is he situated! It also bespeaks God's mercy to him: he is yet upon the earth, not under it; on earth, not in hell. Our time on earth is limited and short, according to the narrow bounds of this earth; but heaven cannot be measured, nor the days of heaven numbered.

2. His continuance in that place: is there not a time appointed for his abode here? Yes, certainly there is, and it is easy to say by whom the appointment is made, even by Him that made us and set us here. We are not to be on this earth always, nor long, but for a certain time, which is determined by Him in whose hand our times are. We are not to think that we are governed by the blind