Exposition of Job 8-10, Commentary on Job · Chapter 9 · Verses 5-10 · Verse 8
Verſe 8. Which alone ſpreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the ſea.
This verſe gives us a further argument of the mighty power of God. See how Jobs diſcourſe moves from earth to heaven, and from the heavens down to the ſea. He ſearches for the wonders of Gods power and wiſdome, in heaven and earth, and in the waters. Before he ſhews God ſtopping the courſe of the Sunne, and ſealing up the ſtars; now ſpreading out of the heavens, and treading upon the ſea.
He ſpreadeth out the heavens.
The heavens in reference to the earth, are the upper part of the world. The heavens are (as it were) the roof of the great houſe, which God made, or as a ſpangled Canopy over our heads, He ſpreadeth out the heavens; The word is of the Duall number in the Hebrew, and hath divers derivations, which are conſiderable to enlighten us in the point.
foreign àHe ſpreadeth out the heavens.
Some derive it from Shem, which ſignifies a name, a name of honour and dignity, Men of Name are men of renown (Gen. 6.4.Nomen, gloria, decus, quia coelum eſt nominatiſſima pars mundi M…rtin. in Lex …biloſ. Anſhi Haſhem) the heavens are the moſt glorious, beautifull and renowned part of the Creation; Their name is above every name of inanimate creatures.
Others, becauſe there are waters above in theſe heavens, derive the word from (Sham) which is an adverb of place, and (Majim) which ſignifies waters; as much as to ſay, there are waters, or there is the place where God hath fountains and ſtores of water. All his waters are not upon the earth, he hath waters and ſprings in heaven.
A third takes it for a ſimple, not a compound word,Paulus Fagius in Gen. 1. being neer the Iſhmaelitiſh word Shama, noting only ſuperiority in place, high or above.
A fourth opinion derives it from Schamem, which ſignifies, to be amazed, or to make one at a ſtand with wonder: And the reaſon is given, becauſe the heavens are ſuch a vaſt, ſtupendious body,foreign à foreign Obſtupuit, propter inſignem vaſtitatem iſtius corporis, quae ipſa nos aſpicientes in ſtuporem rapit. Piſc. in Gen. 1. that if a man look upon them exactly, they will amaze him. Who can obſerve the Sunne, Moon and Stars, and not wonder, and be tranſported, at their vaſtneſſe and beauty, at the ſwiftneſſe and regularity of their motions, it is above the reach and apprehenſion of naturall reaſon, how the Lord ſhould faſhion and ſpread out ſuch heavens.
But, what are theſe heavens which he ſpreadeth forth?
Heaven is ſometimes expreſſed with an addition, the highest heavens, the third heavens, in 2 Cor. 12.12. The heaven of heavens, 1 King. 8.27. Paul was rapt up to the third heavens, that is, in viſions and revelations he was brought as neer to God himſelf, as a creature poſſibly can. Of this heaven we are to underſtand that, Gen. 1.1. where Moſes ſaith, In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth, and the earth was without form and void. He doth not ſay, the heaven which God created at firſt, was without form and void, but the earth was without form and void; for that heaven was a perfect creature. We read further of the creating of thoſe heavens which we ſee, of the viſible heavens, which are the continent of the Sunne, Moon and Starres. But, In the beginning God created the heaven; that heaven which by way of eminency is called, The habitation of his holineſſe, and of his glory, Iſa. 63.15. This was created in the beginning, and then, it is conceived the Angels were likewiſe created; but the earth which was then made was an imperfect creature, and all other corporeall creatures with their ſeverall forms and fulneſſe were extracted out of that earth, which was without form and void. The very heavens (which we ſee) were made out of that firſt earth, the Sunne, Moon, and the Stars, yea, the very light it ſelf was made out of that earth, that generall heap of matter which the Lord created at firſt, and is ſaid to have been without form and void. But the heaven, which we call the heaven of heavens, the third heaven, or the higheſt heaven, was a perfect creature the firſt day, made without any pre-exiſtent matter whatſoever by the power of God. This heaven is the largeſt of all the heavens which God ſpread out.
Secondly, Take heavens for the viſible heavens. I intend not to ſtay upon philoſophicall conſiderations, only what the Scripture holds forth; we finde heavens put, firſt for the ſtarry heavens or the firmament, where the ſtars have their motion, that's the heaven meant (Gen. 1.17. Pſal. 8.7. Pſal. 19.1.) This, a…cording to the doctrine of Aſtronomers, is diſtinguiſhed into ſeverall orbs and ſphears, in ſeven of which ſeven ſpeciall ſtarres are ſaid to move, and all the reſt to be fixed in the eighth.
The Apoſtle Jude ſeems to give a hint of thoſe planeticall orbs (Jude v. 13.) where he juſtly reproacheth unſetled ſpirits by the name of wandering stars or planets, to whom is reſerved the blackneſſe of darkneſſe for ever.
Thirdly, Heaven is taken in Scripture for a nearer heaven, for all that, which is below the Moon, for the air and the clouds. Hence the birds are ſaid to flie in the heavens; and (Gen. 8.2.) the rain from heaven was reſtrained, that is, the rain from the clouds, for there is no rain in that heaven above the clouds.
Triplex eſt coelum aerium, ſidereum ac aliud his ſuperius, inviſible & divinum. Dam. l. … de orthodoxa fide.Heaven is a building of three ſtories. The firſt ſtory is the air and the clouds, up to the moon. The ſecond ſtory reaches all the planets and ſtars. The third ſtory is alſo called, the third heaven, or the heaven of heavens, the place of his moſt glorious reſidence, who filleth heaven and earth.
All theſe heavens the Lord ſpreadeth out.
There is a threefold ſpreading forth of a thing.
Firſt, By contuſion or beating with hammers, as a maſſe of gold or ſilver, &c. is ſpread into thin plates and leaves.
Secondly, By way of rarefaction or attenuation; water is rarefied by fire, and ſo are metals, when they are melted or cauſed to runne with extreme heat. In alluſion to which, Elihu ſpeaks in his challenge to Job (Chap. 37.18.) Haſt thou with him spread out the skie which is ſtrong, and as a molten looking-glaſſe. The skie is of a weak, ſleight matter, not hard, maſſie, or elementall, yet it is ſtrong; the nature of it being incorruptible, the figure of it round and indiſſoluble. And it is compared to a looking-glaſſe, for the clearneſſe of it; thoſe inſtruments were made, ſome of glaſſe, ſome of ſteel or braſſe, molten and poliſht for that purpoſe.
Thirdly, A thing is ſpread forth by unfolding the parts,foreign Extendit, diſte…dit, ſicut tentori…m. as a tent or a curtain is ſpread: and thus the ſpreading of the heavens is deſcribed, Pſal. 104.1, 2. O Lord, thou art cloathed with honour and majeſty, thou ſtretcheſt out the heavens like a curtain. God took the vaſt matter folded together, and ſpread it as a curtain, tabernacle or tent. And the*Hîc Dolapum manu…, hîc ſaevus tendebat Achillis. Virg 2. Aeneiad. Iuxta hortos tend…bat. Suct. in Galb c 12. de German… rum Cohorte. Et milites tendere omnes extra vallum juſſit. Tac l 13. Latine word which carries the interpretation of this in the Hebrew, is frequently applied by ancient Authours, to the pitching of tents in warre. In this third ſenſe we are ſpecially to underſtand the Text, Alone spreadeth out the Heavens.
And ſo this ſpreading is either an expoſition of the nature of the heavens (Gen. 1.8.) The Lord ſaid, Let there be a firmament; the Hebrew is,*Coelū ſive firmamentum voca…ur foreign eo quid eſt expanſum & extenſum ſuper terram Solus ſine cujuſquam auxilio. Let there be an expanſion, or a ſtretching forth. Theſe heavens are ſo much ſpread forth, that they are called, a thing spread forth; and ſo the text is a deſcription of the heavens in their firſt Creation. Or, it may referre to the words going before, and ſo theſe are a reaſon to ſhew that God can command the Sunne, and ſeal up the ſtars, why? He spreadeth forth the heavens; that is, the heavens are all of his making, and at his diſpoſing; he ſet the Sunne there, and put the ſtarres there, he faſhioned the orbs in which they are placed, and therefore he can ſtay the Sun, and ſeal the ſtarres.
And as he thus ſpreadeth out the heavens, ſo, which is more obſervable, He spreadeth them out alone. When a piece of hangings, or the like of a large extent is to be ſpread forth, one man cannot doe it, many hands are put to that work.Inſtrumentum creationis creatura eſſe non poteſt. It is an axiome in Divinity, That no creature can be an inſtrument in Creation: this ſtretching forth of the heavens is an act of Creation, therefore he alone doth it, there is none to help him.
Yet we finde that God had ſome other with him, when he ſtretched out the heavens, though it be here attributed to him alone: and though Elihu expoſtulates with Job in this point (Chap. 37.18.) Haſt thou with him spread out the skie which is ſtrong, and as a molten looking-glaſſe? Elihu would bring down the thoughts of Job, which he conceived were too much lifted up, by ſhewing that God did this alone;Solus, quia nemo extra ipſum cū ipſo, ſed una cū i…ſo illi qui in ipſo per identitatem ſubſtantiae ſunt: verbo enim Domini firmati ſunt coeli, & ſpiritu oris ejus omnis virtus eorum. Solum enim divinitas ſacit, quae ut una ita & ſola Job (ſaith he) didſt thou hold one part of this great Curtain or Canopy of heaven in thy hand, and God another, and was it ſo ſpread out between you? No, neither man nor angel was his helper; who then was with God in this work? Solomon tels us, (Prov. 8.27.) When he prepared the heavens I was there, when he ſet a compaſſe upon the face of the depth. Who was that? I wiſdome was there. Jeſus Christ was there. Chriſt was he by whom God prepared and ſtretched forth the heavens. No creature was there, only the uncreated, creating Sonne of God. God created alone, that is, without the help of any creature; but he created all things by the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made, that was made. Obſerve from hence,
Firſt, The heavens are as the royall tent and pavilion of the Lord.
He spreadeth them out. The Lord is often expreſt comming out of the heavens with warlike preparations: There his tent is pitcht, and he ſitteth there, as a great Commander in his pavilion, to give out Orders to his Armies. He hath an hoſt in heaven, and therefore he hath a tent in heaven; or rather heaven is his tent. The Lord hath his way in the whirlwinde, and in the ſtorm, and the clouds are the duſt of his feet, Nah. 1.3. God pitches his battell in heaven; The ſtars in their courſes fought againſt Siſera. He fought from heaven; from thence he diſcharged his great Artillery, his Cannons thundered and lightened againſt the enemies of his people. He hath alſo his ſtore-houſes for ammunition, his Magazines there (Job 38.22.Eſt all…ſo ad armamentaria publica, ubi armorum, ma hinarum & tormentorum ingens apparatus reconditur. B l. Quicquid habēt telorum armamentaria coeli. Juven. Sat. 13.) Haſt thou (ſaith God to Job) entred into the treaſures of the ſnow? Or haſt thou ſeen the treaſures of the hail, which I have reſerved againſt the time of trouble, the day of battell and warre? He ſpeaks of heaven as of a great ſtore-houſe, where he hath his arms, his powder and ball, all his warlike proviſion laid up againſt the day of battell. Heathens have ſpoken ſuch language, calling ſtorms and tempeſt, hail and thunder, The weapons and engines of the Armory of heaven.
Secondly, In that he ſaith, He ſtretcheth out the heavens alone; obſerve,
That the Lord needs not the help of any treature to doe his greatest works.
He hath power, and he hath power in himſelf to doe what he hath a will ſhould be done; let all the creatures in the world ſtand ſtill yet God can carry his work forward. What work is like this, the ſtretching forth the heavens: There cannot be a work of ſo much difficulty under heaven, as the ſpreading forth of the heavens. He, who did that alone, what can he not doe alone? Though men will not, though men cannot help, the Lord can and will alone. Iſa. 59.16. He ſaw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no interceſſour; no man to do, no man to ſpeak in that buſineſſe, not a man appeared: what then? Doth the Lord ſay, well, ſeeing there is no man to do, I alſo will let it lie? No, Therefore his arm brought ſalvation unto him, and his power ſustained him; he did it alone. Paul ſpeaks of himſelf, that at his firſt appearing before Nero, all men forſook him, not a man would own him, but (ſaith he) The Lord ſtood by me (2 Tim. 4.15.) This is a great encouragement to us in great affairs and buſineſſes, in the greateſt ſtraits and difficulties of the times; if men forſake and deſert, the Lord alone can doe all for us; if men have not power to doe what they have will to doe, nor will to doe what they have power; then remember, He that ſtretcheth out the heavens alone, can order our works alone, compoſe our differences alone, conquer our enemies alone. God alone is infinite, greater, ſtronger, wiſer, then all creatures together. God can be now as he will be hereafter, all in all unto us. God is enough for us without any creature; yea, God and all that he hath made cannot do more than God, without any thing that he hath made.
And treadeth upon the waves of the ſea.
The ſea is a fluid body; to ſail or ſwim in the waters is ordinary, but to tread upon the waters, that's another act of wonder, He treadeth upon the waves of the ſea; or, he walks on them as upon a pavement.
To tread upon the waves imports, that God hath a command over the ſea, and the waves of it.Verbum Dorac aliquando eſt ducis praeltantis & debellantis hoſtes Quaſi jure belli ſubjicere. To tread upon a thing is to have it under our power, or in ſubjection to us (Pſal. 91.13.) the promiſe is, Thou ſhalt tread upon the Lion, and upon the Aſp; that is, thou ſhalt prevail and triumph over the greateſt evils, over enemies as ſtrong and fierce as Lions, as poiſonous and ſtinging as the Aſp, Pſal. 108.9. Over Edom will I caſt out my ſhoe; which notes either contempt of them; as if he had ſaid, I look upon them as worthy only to ſcrape and make clean my ſhoes. Or ſecondly, Conqueſt over them; I will walk thorow Edom and ſubdue it. Deut. 11.24. Every place whereon the ſole of your feet ſhall tread ſhall be yours; that is, yours ſhall be conquering feet, you ſhall tread as lords upon all lands. Yours ſhall be all the ground you go on, that is, it ſhall be ſubject to you, Jud. 5.21. O my ſoul, thou haſt troden down ſtrength; and Mic. 1.3. The Lord ſhall tread upon the high places of the earth; that is, the Lord ſhall ſubject the higheſt things that are upon the earth to his power. That place is very obſervable, Numb. 24.17. Where Balaam propheſying of Chriſt, ſaith (as we tranſlate) A ſtarre ſhall come out of Jacob; Calcabit ſtella è Jacob.the Hebrew is, A starre ſhall tread out of Jacob, noting Chriſt a victorious, a triumphing ſtarre, who ſhould come treading and trampling upon the world as conquerour; though the world in regard of his out-ſide, trod and trampled upon him: So it is explained in the later words of the verſe, He ſhall ſmite the corners of Moab, and deſtroy all the children of Sheth. A ſtarre ſhall tread out of Jacob. A treading ſtarre is a triumphing ſtarre.
foreign Excelſa maris. Ambulat ſuper alti…udinem to bo…is maris. Tar. Robur maris dicit vehementiā maris, quando à ventis turbatur & commovetur. Dorſum immare ſummo mari attribuit. Virg. Aeneiad l. 1.The Hebrew is, He treadeth upon the high places of the ſea; the word (Bamoth) is uſed frequently for the places where idolatrous worſhip was ſet up, their high places. Mr Broughton tranſlates, the high waves of the ſea; becauſe ſea-waves riſe high, ſo high, that the Pſalmiſt deſcribes them, mounting up to the heaven (Pſal. 107.26.) When theſe high waves threaten to ſwallow all, then the Lord treads upon them, that is, his power is above them, and he makes them ſubmit to his command. As to ride upon the high places of the earth (Deut. 32.13. Iſa. 58.14.) is to have higheſt command, and to be a chief upon the earth, or to dwell ſafely and free from anoiance upon the earth: So to tread upon the high places or high waves of the ſea, implies Gods Empire or Soveraignty over the Sea.
Hence obſerve, firſt,
That the ſea in its higheſt rage is at the beck, and under the treadings of God.
When the waves are moſt ſtirring and raging, he ſpeaks them quiet, Pſal. 89.9. Thou ruleſt the raging of the ſea, when the waves thereof ariſe thou ſtillest them. As to walk upon the ſea, is an argument of a divine power; ſo to command the ſea. When Chriſt (Mat. 8.26.) rebuked the ſea, and ſaid, as another Goſpel hath it (Mark 4.38.) Peace and be ſtill, as if one ſhould huſh a childe; The men marvelled, ſaying, What manner of man is this, that even the windes and the ſea obey him? Windes and waves ſeem the moſt diſobedient, ſtubborn and unteachable creatures in the world, yet a word from God calms the one, and ſmooths the other.Egyptij ut rem prorſus impoſſiſibilem demonſtrarent, hominem pedibus ſuper aquas ambulan…em in ſuis Hieroglyphicis depingebant. Ver…res cum ſuum Neptunum ſuper aquas ambulantem pingere non auderent, à nando ei nomen dederunt. Herod. l. 1. Delectat Canuti regis Anglorum exemplum, qui aſſentationis procellam, procella maris in ſe adm…ſſa, compeſcuit. Bold. ex Camb. Brit. Ex alto incitatum fl…ctum, ita alloquutus eſt, unda tibi jubeo, ut ne pedes meas tangas. When the old Egyptians would by their Hieroglyphicks expreſſe an impoſſibility, they did it by the picture of a man treading upon the waves; as if they ſhould ſay, this is as impoſſible as for a man to walk upon the waves. The Heathen Poets deſcribe Neptune their Sea-god, ſwimming, not walking upon, or treading the waters. To tread upon the waters is ſo much above man, that meer Naturaliſts thought it too much for God. Man ſhews his pride and arrogancy to the height, when he pretends to lord it over the waves of the ſea. When the Helleſpont a ſtrait of the ſea, by a ſudden ſtorm riſing upon it, broke the bridge of Boats, which Xerxes had made to paſſe into Greece, and ſo oppoſed the project of that Perſian Monarch, he caſt fetters into it, as if he would teach it to know it's Lord, and cauſed it to be beaten with 300. ſtripes, to chaſten its former diſobedience. It is recorded in the hiſtory of this Nation, concerning Canute an ancient Daniſh King, that when a mighty ſtorm of flattery roſe upon him, he appeaſed it by ſhewing he could not appeaſe the ſtorms of the ſea. One of his Courtiers told him in his progreſſe, as he rode near the ſea ſide, that he was Lord not only of the land, but of the ſea, and that all thoſe ſeas which he ſaw, were at his command. Well, ſaith he, we ſhall ſee that by and by, and ſo walketh down to the ſhore, and pulling off his upper garment, wraps it together, and ſits upon it neer the flowing of the waves, and with a loud voice ſpeaks thus, O ye ſeas and waves come no further, Touch not my feet, &c. But the ſea came up, notwithſtanding his charge, and confuted that flattery. God only hath this Prerogative, He treadeth upon the high waves of the ſea.
There are alſo myſticall waves, which the Lord treadeth upon: people and Nations are called waters, and many waters, in the book of the Revelation. The waves of the ſea cannot be in a greater rage, then the Nations of the earth ſometimes are. And the ſame Hebrew word by which the rage of the ſea is properly expreſt, expreſſes alſo the rage of men (Pſal. 2.1.) Why doe the Heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? Why are the Gentiles, the great waters up as high waves, threatning a deluge to the throne of Chriſt? The power of Chriſt is as eminent in ſtilling the rage of the myſticall, as of the literall waters; yea, we finde theſe two matcht together (Pſal. 65.7.) He stilleth the noiſe of the ſeas, the noiſe of their waters, and the tumult of the people. Hence the Apoſtle Jude (verſ. 13.) cals wicked men, raging waves of the ſea, foaming out their own ſhame. The Lord ſitteth upon theſe flouds; yea, the Lord ſitteth King for ever, Pſal. 29.10.
There are other myſticall waves, even waves within us, which will not be trodden upon by any foot, but Gods. There is a ſea of wickedneſſe in every mans heart by nature. Every wicked man is nothing but a ſea, he is a ſea of wickedneſſe. The wicked (Iſa. 57.20.) are like the troubled ſea, when it cannot reſt. And as the windes blow from all quarters of the heavens, and ſtrive upon the ſeas: So there are divers luſts, which as windes ſtrive upon the face of mans heart, the luſt of pride, the luſt of covetouſnes, the luſts of ambition, of envy, of malice, theſe enrage and ſwell the waters. The Lord treads upon the high waves of this ſea alſo, he reſtrains and keeps luſt down by his power, it would drown all elſe. Theſe raging waves ſwell too high in his own people; it is the work of his Spirit to tread theſe down; and when the windes of ſeverall temptations raiſe thoſe waves, he it is that commands them down. Who amongſt us is there, that one time or other findes not corruption raging, as the high waves of the ſea? How mighty and powerfull is the Lord in that great work of his effectuall grace, treading upon the waves of this ſea, remaining corruption in his ſervants and children!