Page:PracticalCommentaryOnHolyScripture.djvu/169

   Job  was  not  a Christian,  and  had  not,  as  we have,  the  example  of  Christ’s  patient  sufferings  before  him;  yet how patient  and  resigned  he  was  in  the  midst  of  his  great  trials! But you  are  a Christian,  and  in  spite  of  being  so  you  are  often impatient, and  incessantly  complain  and  bewail  your  lot  when anything goes  wrong. Resolve for  the  future  to  look  on  all troubles as  visitations  from  God; offer  them  up  to  God  and  bear them patiently,  resigning  yourself  entirely  to  God’s  will. In all times of  adversity  you  should,  like  Job,  praise  God,  and  say  with our Lord:  “Father,  not  my  will,  but  Thine  be  done!”  In  all your temporal  losses  say  with  Job: “The  Lord  gave  and  the  Lord hath taken  away. Blessed be  the  name  of  the  Lord.”

OD had  made  two  promises  to  the  patriarchs  Abraham, Isaac and  Jacob:  first,  that  they  should  be  the  fathers  of a great  nation;  second,  that  the  Saviour  would  be  a descendant of theirs. The first  promise  was  now  fulfilled. In the  space  of two  hundred  years  the  descendants  of  Jacob  in  Egypt  had  become a great  people. In the  meantime  a new  king  had  arisen, “who knew  not  Joseph”,  and  who  said  to  the  Egyptians: “Behold, the  children  of  Israel  are  stronger  than  we. Come, let us  oppress  them,  lest  they  join  with  our  enemies  and  depart out of  the  land.”

Now the  Egyptians  hated  the  children  of  Israel,  and  mocked them and  made  their  life  bitter,  both  by  hard  words  and  also with hard  work  in  brick  and  clay  (Fig.  20). And the  king  placed