Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 3.djvu/78

70 sure that through Christ there shall be no condemnation to them, but that, whoever lays any thing to their charge, they shall be justified. (2.) Salvation; (v. 16.) He also shall be my salvation. He means it not of temporal salvation, he had little expectation of that, but, concerning his eternal salvation, he was very confident that God would not only be his Saviour to make him happy, but his Salvation, in the vision and fruition of whom he should be happy. And the reason why he depended on God for salvation, is, Because a hypocrite shall not come before him. He knew himself not to be a hypocrite, and that none but hypocrites are rejected of God, and therefore concluded he should not be rejected. Sincerity is our evangelical perfection, nothing will ruin us but the want of that.

2. With what constancy he depends upon him; Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him, v. 15. This is a high expression of faith, and what we should all labour to come up to; to trust in God, though he slay us. That is, we must be well pleased with God as a Friend, even then when he seems to come forth against us as an Enemy, ch. xxiii. 8··10. We must believe that all shall work for good to us, even then when all seems to make against us, Jer. xxiv. 5. We must proceed and persevere in the way of our duty, though it costs us all that is dear to us in this world, even life itself, Heb. xi. 35. We must depend upon the performance of the promise, when all the ways leading to it are shut up, Rom. iv. 18. We must rejoice in God, when we have nothing else to rejoice in, and cleave to him, yea, though we cannot for the present find comfort in him. In a dying hour, we must derive from him living comforts; and this is to trust in him, though he slay us.

V. He wishes to argue the case even with God himself, if he might but have leave to settle the preliminaries of the treaty, v. 20··22. He had desired (v. 3.) to reason with God, and is still of the same mind; he will not hide himself, that is, he will not decline the trial, nor dread the issue of it, but under two provisos, 1. That his body might not be tortured with this exquisite pain; "Withdraw thine hand far from me; for, while I am in this extremity, I am fit for nothing. I can make a shift to talk with my friends, but I know not how to address myself to thee." When we are to converse with God, we have need to be composed, and as free as possible from every thing that may make us uneasy. 2. That his mind might not be terrified with the tremendous majesty of God; "Let not thy dread make me afraid; either let the manifestations of thy presence be familiar, or let me be enabled to bear them without disorder and disturbance." Moses himself trembled before God, so did Isaiah and Habakkuk: O God, thou art terrible even in thy holy places. "Lord," says Job, "let me not be put into such a consternation of spirit, together with this bodily affliction, for then I must certainly drop the cause, and shall make nothing of it." See what a folly it is for men to put off their repentance and conversion to a sick-bed, and a death-bed! How can even a good man, much less a bad man, reason with God, so as to be justified before him, when he is upon the rack of pain, and under the terror of the arrests of death? At such a time, it is very bad to have the great work to do, but very comfortable to have it done, as it was to Job, who, if he might but have a little breathing time, was ready either, (1.) To hear God speaking to him by his word, and return an answer; Call thou, and I will answer; or, (2.) To speak to him by prayer, and expect an answer; Let me speak, and answer thou me, v. 22. Compare this with ch. ix. 34, 35. where he speaks to the same purport. In short, the badness of his case was at present such a damp upon him, as he could not get over; otherwise he was well assured of the goodness of his cause, and doubted not but to have the comfort of it at last, when the present cloud was over. With such holy boldness may the upright come to the throne of grace, not doubting but to find mercy there.

23. How many are mine iniquities and sins! make me to know my transgression and my sin. 24. Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and holdest me for thine enemy? 25. Wilt thou break a leaf driven to and fro? and wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? 26. For thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth. 27. Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, and lookest narrowly unto all my paths; thou settest a print upon the heels of my feet. 28. And he, as a rotten thing, consumeth, as a garment that is moth-eatenmoth eaten - as in 1811 London edition and in most KJV Bibles [sic].

Here,

I. Job inquires after his sins, and begs to have them discovered to him: he looks up to God, and asks him what was the number of them; How many are mine iniquities, and what the particulars of them? Make me to know my transgressions, v. 23. His friends were ready enough to tell him how numerous and how heinous they were, ch. xxii. 5. "But, Lord," says he, "Let me know them from Thee, for thy judgment is according to truth, theirs is not." This may be taken, either, 1. As a passionate complaint of hard usage, that he was punished for his faults, and yet was not told what his faults were. Or, 2. As a prudent appeal to God, from the censures of his friends; he desired that all his sins might be brought to light, as knowing, they would then appear not so many, nor so mighty, as his friends suspected him to be guilty of. Or, 3. As a pious request, to the same purport with that which Elihu directed him to; ch. xxxiv. 32, That which I see not, teach thou me. Note, A true penitent is willing to know the worst of himself; and we should all desire to know what our transgressions are, that we may be particular in the confession of them, and on our guard against them for the future.

II. He bitterly complains of God's withdrawings from him; (v. 24.) Wherefore hidest thou thy face? This must be meant of something more than his outward afflictions; for the loss of estate, children, health, might well consist with God's love; when that was all, he blessed the name of the Lord; but his soul was also sore vexed, and that is it which he here laments. 1. That the favours of the Almighty were suspended; God hid his face as one strange to him, displeased with him, shy and regardless of him. 2. That the terrors of the Almighty were inflicted and impressed upon him; God held him for his Enemy; shot his arrows at him, (ch. vi. 4.) and set him as a mark, ch. vii. 20. Note, The holy God sometimes denies his favours, and discovers his terrors, to the best and dearest of his saints and servants in this world. This case occurs, not only in the production, but sometimes in the progress, of the divine life; evidences for heaven are eclipsed, sensible communions interrupted, dread of divine wrath impressed, and the returns of comfort, for the present, despaired of, Ps. lxxvii. 7··9.—lxxxviii. 7, 15, 16. These are grievous burthens to a gracious soul, that values God's loving-kindness as better than life, Prov. xviii. 14. A wounded spirit