Exposition of Job, Exposition of Job · Chapter 31 · Verses 24-25
Verſe 24. If I have made gold my hope, or have ſaid to fine gold, Thou art my confidence:
25. If I rejoyced becauſe my wealth was great, and becauſe mine hand had gotten much.
The ſeventh Vertue whereof he makes profeſſion, (and which alſo he confirmeth by a tacite oath and aſſeveration) is, his contempt of wealth, and that he was not covetous, or an Idolizer of great poſſeſſions; which he evidenceth by his not confiding, nor rejoycing in his wealth. Whence Learn,
1. God is, ſometimes, pleaſed to allow wealth upon godly men, when it is for their good; For, Job, a godly man, had gold, and fine gold, and great wealth. When it is otherwiſe with godly men, they have, oft-times, too much luſting after the things of the world to blame for it. Yet they are bound to believe that God knoweth what is beſt for them, and to improve their lot to the beſt advantage.
2. Wealth is a very great ſnare to mens corrupt hearts, and an idol upon which they are ready to doat; For Job looks upon his wealth as that which was his tryal, to get well through the ſnares of it. Which ſheweth that men will not want tryals, though they be not poor.
3. Wealth doth then, eſpecially, become a ſnare, and men make an Idol of it, when their confidence is taken off God, and placed upon it; So that they have an high eſteem of riches, and an eager deſire and ſerious endeavour after it; they are filled with anxieties if they ſpeed nor in their endeavours, and do ſet up their reſt upon it, if they proſper, Luk. 12.19. For, Job declined this, as a ſnare, to make Wealth his hope and confidence. This is the practice of wicked men, Pſ. 52.7. whereas godly men have not their hope in this life, 1 Cor. 15.19. And the Scripture doth frequently diſſwade men from ſuch a carnal confidence, 1 Tim. 6.17. Pſ. 62.10. Not onelyonly becauſe it is injurious to God, who ſhould be our hope, and can onelyonly prove a refuge in a day of trouble, Jer. 17.17. But becauſe it is a great vanity and folly for men to place their confidence ſo low. For Riches are uncertain, 1 Tim. 6.17. Prov. 23.4, 5. They cannot ſatisfie men, nor make their lives comfortable, Eccleſ. 5.10. Luk. 12.15. They cannot relieve men in a day of diſtreſs, Prov. 11.4. and are apt to hinder them in every good work, Mat. 19.23, 24. Luke 14.17, 18, 19.
4. No excellency of worldly enjoyments warrants men to place their confidence in them, nor is any degree of this carnal confidence allowed by God: for fine gold (as there were different kindes of Gold, ſee Chap. 28.15. — 19.) did no more warrant Job to make it his confidence, than if it had been but ſimple gold; and he declined to place the leaſt hope, as well as the ſtrongeſt confidence, upon theſe things. Where it is alſo to be marked, that he ſpeaks of hope in reference to gold, and of confidence in reference to fine gold, (as afterward, of rejoycing in reference to great wealth, or abundance of gold and other riches;) To ſhew that it is an evidence of carnal confidence, when mens hope and truſt groweth, as they increaſe in wealth.
5. Albeit there be a lawful moderate joy in the enjoyment and uſe of the good things of this life, Deut. 12 7. Eccleſ. 2.24. and 3.12, 13, 22. and 5.18. and 8.15. when men are ſo ſatisfied with Gods bounty, as take them off from murmuring and anxiety; Yet carnal joy and chearfulneſs, becauſe of worldly enjoyments, is ſinfull, and an evidence of carnal confidence: Therefore Job ſubjoynes rejoycing becauſe his wealth was great, as an evil following upon the former, which he alſo declined. This is an evil to which mens carnal hearts are prone (and therefore Job noticeth it, as a fruit of the grace of God in him, that he was delivered from it) Luke 12.19. Jam. 5.1, 5. And it may eaſily be diſcerned to be ſinfull, by mens abating of their joy in God, and their tenderneſs, when they proſper, Deut. 6.10, 11, 12. by their wanton kicking againſt God, Deut 32.15 and ſtudying onelyonly to ſatisfie their luſts, Rom. 13.14. and, by their want of patience and ſubmiſſion when, at any time, God ſtrips them of their wealth; For, Job proved he had been no carnal rejoycet becauſe of his wealth, by his patience when God took it away, Chap. 1.21. All theſe are clear evidences of a carnal joy, and do prognoſticate that diſ-ſatiſfaction and vexation will follow upon the back of it. And who ſo would keep free of it, they ought to acquaint themſelves with rejoycing and encouragement in God; For, if the heart of man ſeek not ſatisfaction there, it muſt either cruſh, or elſe delude and ſpott it ſelf with ſome carnal delight or other.
6. Carnal confidence and joy in wealth are never alone, but attended with other evils; and particularly, with a ſacrificing to their own net, and an aſcribing of all their ſucceſs and wealth to their own diligence and endeavours: For, Job alſo avoided rejoycing becauſe his hand had gotten (or, found) much. See Deut. 8.17, 18. Hab. 1.16.
7. It is poſſible, through grace, for a man to enjoy wealth, and yet be kept from carnal confidence and joy, or ſatisfaction, in it: For, here Job ſeriouſly aſſerts, that it was ſo with himſelf, and that with a tacite Oath, If I have made gold my hope, &c. If I rejoyced, &c. So that men need not blame their condition, or lot, for their miſcarriages under it.