Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/168

 patience, without  a murmur  against  Almighty  God. From whence  did Job draw  these  powers  of  heroic  endurance ? In a word,  from  his  strong, living faith. He looked  forward  to  nothing  in  this  world  except  to  a grave,  in  which  to  lay  his  diseased  body;  but  this  made  him  believe all the  more  firmly  in  the  promised  Saviour  and  in  the  future  life. He knew and  proclaimed  that  his  Redeemer  was  living. Job could  not know this,  as  he  had  never  seen  Him;  but  all  the  same  he  believed it, and  also  that  God  Himself,  Who  is  eternal,  would  come  as  our Saviour. He believed,  furthermore,  that  he  himself  would  rise  from  the earth, and  in  his  risen  body  would  see  God  in  heaven.

Resentment against  Almighty  God.  Job’s  wife  sinned  grievously against the  love  of  God. She loved  her  children  more  than  she  loved God, and  could  not  resign  herself  to  His  having  taken  them  all  from her. She listened  to  the  suggestions  of  Satan,  and  allowed  herself  to murmur  against  the  ways  of  God,  and  even  against  God  Himself. She also sinned  against  the  love  of  her  neighbour;  for  by  her  bitter  scorn she tried  to  move  her  husband  to  renounce  the  service  of  God,  as being  that  of  an  unjust  Master.

Rash judgment. Job’s  friends  also  sinned. It was  kind  of  them to visit  Job  in  his  misery,  but  they  judged  their  friend  uncharitably and without  cause,  reproaching  him  with  having  some  secret  sin  on his  conscience,  without  which  God  would  not  have  visited  him  with these tribulations. Their main  idea  that  “all  evil  is  due  to  sin” was true,  but  they  should  have  distinguished  between  original  sin  and personal sins.

The invocation  of  Saints.  God  was  angry  with  these  three  friends, and bade  them  offer  sacrifice  and  ask  Job  to  intercede  for  them. Thus we can  see  that  it  is  right  and  pleasing  to  God  to  ask  for  the  intercession of  the  Saints;  and  we  can  also  see  that  their  intercession  is efficacious,  for  God  pardoned  Job’s  friends,  because  he  prayed  for  them.

Satan's power  is  limited. We  see  by  the  story  of  Job  that  Satan can injure  us  only  so  far  as  God  allows  it. Under the  Old  Law  the devil had  more  power  over  men  than  he  has  now; for  under  the  New Law Jesus  Christ  has  crushed  the  head  of  the  devil,  and  the  suggestions of the  evil  enemy  can  hurt  no  one  who  clings  to  our  Lord. Therefore, in her  exorcisms,  and  in  the  blessing  of  creatures  (as  for  instance  of water),  the  Church  prays  our  Divine  Saviour  to  protect  us  from  the attacks of  Satan.

Job, the  seventh  type  of  Jesus  Christ.  Job,  suffering  the  most  profound grief  of  soul,  seeing  nothing  but  a miserable  death  before  him and robbed  of  all  human  consolation,  fell  down  on  the  ground,  praying and humbly  resigning  himself  to  God’s  will. In this  he  is  a type  of our  Lord  in  the  Garden  of  Gethsemani.