Exposition of Job 32-24, Commentary on Job · Chapter 33 · Verse 18
Verſ. 18. He keepeth back his ſoule from the pit, and his life from periſhing by the ſword.
This verſe holds out another gracious intendment of God, in revealing himſelfe to man by dreames and viſions of the night. He doth it thereby to give man warning and wiſdome to prevent and eſcape that deſtruction which is ready to fall upon him.
He keepeth back his ſoule from the pit.
Some referre this He to man himſelfe, that is, when God hideth pride from man, then man keepeth his ſoule from the pit, that is, thereby man is both admoniſhed and inſtructed how to keep his ſoule from the pit. They who avoyde the mountains and precipices of pride, are moſt aſſured of eſcaping a downe-fall into perdition. Solomon tells us (Prov: 16.18.) Pride goeth before deſtruction, and a high mind before a fall; ſuch a fall as Elihu here ſpeakes of, falling into the pit; therefore turning from pride is the eſcaping of the pit.
But rather (as moſt Interpreters) the relative (He) referrs to God himſelfe, who both begins and perfects this great worke of Grace; As he ſpeaketh with a purpoſe to withdraw man from his purpoſe, &c. ſo he having effectually withdrawne him from it, and hid pride from him, he thereby humbleth him in the duſt of repentance, and ſo keepeth back his ſoule from the pit.
The word rendred, keepeth back, notes a threefold keeping back; Firſt, by force, as a man holds another from falling into a pit, or running into danger; he holds him whether he will or no. Secondly, there is a holding or keeping back by perſwaſion or entreaties, by ſeaſonable advice and counſel; ſo Abigail kept David from ſhedding blood (1 Sam: 25.) Thirdly, there is a holding or keeping back by authority, when a Command or an injunction forbids a man from going on, and ſo ſtops his proceeding. Thus we ſee there is a keeping back,foreign ita prohibere ſignificat ut cum do initio dicitur prohibetur, no quid omnino à principio fiat: quod propriè inhibere dicitur: hic autem non ad initium refertur, ſed ad jam caeptum, quaſi jam eſſet homo in via ad exitium niſi deus eum monuiſſet. Coc: either by outward force, or by counſel, or by command. And there is a keeping back according to any of theſe three notions, two ways. Firſt, ſuch a keeping back, as hinders the very attempt, ſuch a keeping back, as ſtops the firſt motions, or ſtep into an undertaking. Secondly, there is a keeping back when a man is deeply engaged in an undertaking, when he is gone on and is neere the journeys end of his owne purpoſe. Thus David was kept back from deſtroying Nabal when he was far advanced in that enterpriſe; and Abimeleck was kept back from taking Sarah Abrahams wife when the matter had made a very great progreſs in his ſpirit. Both theſe wayes we may underſtand it here, though chieflly, I conceive, in the latter. Sometimes God keepeth man, either by his power, or by perſwaſions and commands ſent to him, from ſetting ſo much as one foot forward in any ſinfull way leading to the pit; yet often he ſuffers him to goe on a great way, and when he is advanced far towards, yea is near, very neer to the pits brink, even ready to drop into it, then, then the Lord graciouſly keeps his ſoule from falling into it. This word is uſed …in the negative twice to ſet forth the high commendation of Abraham (Gen. 22.12.16.) When God had commanded Abraham to offer his Son, and he was ſo ready to doe it, that preſently God tells him, Now I know thou feareſt God, ſeeing thou haſt not withheld (or kept back) thy ſon, thine only ſon from me. Abraham might have had many reaſonings within himſelfe to keep back and withhold his Son from being a Sacrifice, but, ſaith the Lord, thou haſt not withheld or kept him back; There the word is uſed in the negative, as alſo upon the ſame occaſion at the 16 verſe of the ſame Chapter. And ſo by Job (Chap. 7.11.) Therefore I will not refraine (or keep back) my mouth. It is as hard a matter to keep back, or hold the mouth in, as it is to keep back a head-ſtrong horſe with a bridle. Therefore the Holy Ghoſt uſeth that Metaphor (Pſal. 39.1.) But ſaith Job, I will not refraine my mouth, I will not keep it back, let it take its courſe, I will ſpeak in the bitterneſſe of my ſpirit. The word imports powerfull acting, take it either in the negative or affirmative. When the tongue is kept back, 'tis done by a mighty power of grace, and O how great as well as gracious is that power, which the Lord putteth forth to keep back a poor ſoul that is going, going apace too, from falling into the pit. He keepeth back His ſoul from the pit.
But doth the ſoul fall into the pit? I anſwer, firſt, The ſoul is often in Scripture (by a Synecdoche) put for the whole man; He keepeth back his ſoul, that is, he keepeth him from the pit; ſecondly, poſſibly 'tis ſaid, he keepeth his ſoul from the pit, to teach us that man by running on in ſin, ruines his beſt part, it is not only his body, and his skin that he deſtroyeth by ſin, but his very ſoul. 'Tis a mercy that God telleth us aforehand the worſt of that danger, and the greatneſſe of the hazard, or how great a matter we venture upon evill wayes and workes. He keepeth back his ſoul from the pit.
What pit? The word is rendred variouſly. Firſt thus,foreign foveat, corruptio, mors. he keeps back his ſoul from corruption. Eruens animam ejus a corruptione. Vulg.The word is uſed for corrupting by ſin (Gen. 6.12.) And God locked-upon the earth, and behold it was corrupt: for all fleſh had corrupted his way upon the earth; that is, all men were grown wicked and ſtark naught. In the very next verſe (verſ. 13.) The ſame word is uſed to denote corrupting by puniſhment due to ſin; Behold I will deſtroy (or corrupt) them with the earth; that is, I will deſtroy the face of the earth, or deface the beauty of the earth, and I will alſo deſtroy all men from off the face of the earth.foreign. Sept. Prohibebit animam ejus a fovea. Targ. Secondly, the Septuagint render, He ſpares his ſoul from death. Thirdly, the Caldee Paraphraſe (as we) He prohibits his ſoul from the pit; theſe three, corruption, death, and the pit are of neer aliance; and the ſame word in the Hebrew tongue ſignifieth corruption, the pit, and death, The pit (or grave) is the place of corruption and the ſeat or houſe of death. We find the pit and deſtruction put together (Pſal. 55.23.) they ſhall goe to the pit of deſtruction; So then the ſame word may well ſerve to ſignifie a pit, corruption and death; becauſe in the pit dead bodies or carkaſſes putrifie and corrupt. Yet David prophecying of Chriſt ſpeaks his aſſurance of eſcaping corruption,Videre foveam eſt amplius quā ſepeliri, nimirū ut is demum perfectè dicatur videre foveam, non qui ad tempus eſt, in fovea, ſed qui ejus vim corruptricem experitur, ſive videt corruptionem in ea; videre enim eſt ſentire ſive pati aliquid. Coc. though not the pit or grave. (Pſal. 16.10.) Thou wilt not ſuffer thy holy one to ſee corruption, or the pit. It is this word; that is, thou wilt not ſuffer him to corrupt in the pit of the grave; though being dead was buried and laid in the pit, yet he did not ſee corruption in the pit. That is, corruption had no power, no maſtery over him; for he looſed the bonds of death (it being impoſſible that he ſhould be held by them) the third day, yea with the firſt of that day, or as ſoon as it might be truly ſaid that it was the third day; Chriſt was buryed in the latter part of the ſixth day of the week, and aroſe early the firſt day of the week, even when it did but begin to dawn towards the firſt day of the week. (Math. 28.1.) And therefore ſeeing as naturaliſts (according to Scripture evidence, Joh. 11.39.) teſtifie corruption doth not naturally take hold of the body till the fourth day after death. The dead body of Chriſt was altogether free from corruption, or Chriſt (as was fore-ſhewed by David in the Pſalme) ſaw no corruption.
Further, this word pit, is taken not only for death, the grave, and corruption; but for thoſe contrivances and plots which are made and laid for any mans death or diſtruction. Thus David ſaid of his malicious and ſubtle enemies (Pſ. 7.5.Fovea denotat omnia vitae diſcrimina. Pin.) Into the pit which they have digged, themſelves are fallen; that is, they are taken in their own plots; Thoſe words of the Pſalmiſt are an alluſion to Hunters or Fowlers who make pits to enſnare birds or beaſts; we muſt not imagine that there were pits literally made for David, but the pit was a plot or a contrivance to doe him miſchief, and he bleſſed God that as himſelf had eſcaped that miſchief, ſo that the miſchief-plotters and contrivers were taken with it themſelves. We have David ſpeaking againe under the ſame metaphor (Pſ. 9.15.) The Heathen are ſunk down in the pit that they made. And (Pſal. 35.7.) Without cauſe they have hid for me their net in a pit, which without cauſe have they digged for my ſoul; that is, they have laid a plot to undoe and deſtroy me. And if we take pit in this ſence it may hold well enough with the ſcope of the Text; for what is the pit, into which pride and evill purpoſes thruſt ſinfull man, but that miſchief and miſery which Satan is continually plotting againſt him? And from this miſchievous plot it is that God delivereth man, while 'tis ſaid by Elihu, he keepeth back His ſoul from the pit.
Some expound the word ſoul in this former part of the verſe, in oppoſition to life in the latter part of it, and his life from periſhing by the ſword. Soul and life are ſometimes taken promiſcuouſly, or indifferently for the ſame thing; yet there is a very great difference between ſoul and life; the life is nothing elſe but the union between ſoul and body; but the ſoul is a ſpirituall ſubſtance diſtinct from the body while remaining in it, and ſubſiſting it ſelf alone when ſeparate from it. That bond or knot which ties ſoul and body together, is, properly, that which Elihu ſpeaks of in the next words.
And his life
As God keeps back his ſoul from everlaſting deſtruction, ſo his life from temporall deſtruction. Though the ſoul be moſt precioua, yet life is very precious; skin for skin, yea all that a man hath will he give for his life (Chap. 2.5.) 'Tis therefore no ſmall mercy for God to keep back a mans life From periſhing by the ſword.
The ſword is put ſometime for warre, that being the principal inſtrument of warre; ſome inſiſt much on that ſence here, as if the words contained a promiſe of being kept from periſhing by the ſword of an open enemy. But the ſword is here rather put for any kind or for all kinds of hurtfull evills; what ever doth afflict, vex, or deſtroy may be called the ſword.Nomen gladii hoc in loco generalitèr denotare puto, quicquid pungit, percutit, torquet cruciat vel affilgit. Bold. The text ſtrictly in the letter is thus rendred, and his life from paſſing by or through the ſword, we ſay, from periſhing by the ſword; which paſſing by the ſword is not to eſcape the ſword, but to fall by the ſword, Thus 'tis ſaid of that idolatrous King Ahaz (2 Kings 16.3.) He cauſed his ſons to paſſe through the fire, the meaning is not that he delivered them out of the fire, but conſumed them in the fire; for he made them paſſe through the fire to Molech, which was a ſacrificing of them to that abominable idoll. It is alſo ſaid (2 Sam. …2.31.) when David took Rabba and deſtroyed the Ammonites, he made them paſſe through the brick-kilne, not to ſave them, but to conſume them. Some conceive that this brick-kilne through which David made thoſe captive Ammonites to paſſe was the fire or furnace of Molech, that infamous Idoll of the Ammonites (with whoſe bloody and moſt cruell devotions the apoſtatizing Jewes or people of God, were in after times enſnared) And if ſo, then they might ſee God turning their ſin into their puniſhment; and declaring his fiery wrath againſt them in that, by which they had declared their fooliſh and abominable zeale. But that which I quote their puniſhment for, is only the forme of its expreſſion; He made them paſs through the brick-kilne; Tranſire in gladium eſt idem quod incidere in manus et tela hoſtium, et cadere in bello. Gladius foreign vocatur quaſi miſſite telum. Druſ.that is, periſh in it. Thus here, and his ſoul from paſſing by the ſword, is rightly tranſlated from periſhing by the ſword. The word rendred ſword ſignifies alſo any miſſive weapon, or weapon caſt with the hand, eſpecially a dart; ſo Mr. Broughton tranſlates, and his life from going on the dart. The generall ſence of this verſe is plainly this;
The Lord withdraweth man from his purpoſe, and hides pride from man, that ſo he may in mercy preſerve him from periſhing both in body and ſoul, or that he may keep him not only from the firſt, but from the ſecond death, which is the ſeparation of the whole man from the bleſſed preſence of God for ever. 'Tis a great favour to be kept from the pit where the body corrupts, or from the ſword that wounds the fleſh, but to be kept from that everlaſting woe which ſhall overwhelme the wicked in that bottomleſſe pit or lake of fire and brimſtone, this is the higheſt favour of God to loſt man. This is the pit, this the periſhing from which (ſaith Elihu) the Lord keepeth back the ſoul and life of man.
Firſt, from the emphaſis of the word, he keepeth back, importing, that God, as it were by ſtrong hand or abſolute authority and command, keepeth the ſoul of man from the pit.
Note.
Man is very forward to run upon his own ruine, even to run upon eternall ruine, if the Lord did not hold, ſtay, and ſtop him.
Man would tumble into the pit, at the very next ſtep, if God did not keep him. The way of man naturally is downe to the pit, and all that he doth of his own ſelf is for his own undoing: And as he is kept back from the pit, ſo (as the Apoſtle Peter hath it, 1 Epiſt. 1.5.) he is kept by the power of God, through faith unto ſalvation.
Secondly, conſidering the ſeaſon ſignified in the former verſe, that when man is going upon an evill work, or walking in the pride of his heart, God is keeping him from the pit.
Note.
While man hath ſinfull purpoſes and pride in his heart, all that while he is going on to deſtruction, both temporall and eternall.
Every ſtep in ſin is a ſtep to miſery, and the further any man proceedeth on in ſin, the further he wanders from God; and the further he wanders from God, the neerer he comes to miſery. As the further we goe from the Sun, the neerer we are to the cold, and the further we go from the fountaine, the nearer we are to drought; ſo they that haſt to ſin, haſt to ſorrow, yea to hell. Solomon ſaith of ſuch, they love death. There is no man loves death under the notion of death, there is no beauty, no amiableneſs in death; but all they may be ſaid to love death, who love ſin, and live in it. Every motion towards ſin, is a haſting into the armes and embraces of death, ſinners wooe and invite death and the grave, yea hell and deſtruction.
Thirdly, note.
The warnings and admonitions which God gives to ſinfull man, whether waking or ſleeping are to keep him from periſhing, to keep him from temporall, to keep him from eternall periſhing.
This is the great end of preaching the Goſpel, the end alſo of preſſing the terrors of the Law; both have this aime to keep man from periſhing. When man is preſt to holineſſe, and when he is repreſt from the wayes of ſin, 'tis that he may not periſh for ever. God hath ſet up many ordinances, he hath imployed many inſtruments to adminiſter them; many thouſands goe up and downe preaching to the world, and crying out to the ſons of men, repent and beleeve, beleeve and repent; and why all this cry, but to keep ſouls from the pit, and their life from periſhing by the ſword? The Apoſtle Jude exhorts to ſave ſome with fear, and of others to have compaſſion, that is, terrifie ſome that you may ſave them, make them afraid that they may not be damned; ſave them with fear, plucking them as it were out of the fire. Sinners are runing into the fire, and do not perceive it; they are tumbling down to hell and conſider it not; they muſt be pulled out of the fire, elſe they will burn in it for ever. The great buſineſſe of the Goſpell is to pull ſouls like firebrands out of the burning.
Fourthly, note.
They who turn from their evill purpoſes and the pride of their hearts, eſcape wrath, the pit, and the ſword.
The wages of ſin is death, and well are they that eſcape, that miſſe ſuch wages. If a ſinner turne from his purpoſe, from his ſinfull way, if his pride be ſubdued and he emptied of himſelf, then his ſoul if kept from deſtruction, and his life from periſhing by the ſword.