Exposition of Job, Exposition of Job · Chapter 32 · Verse 13
Verſe 13. Leſt ye ſhould ſay, We have found out Wiſdome: God thruſteth him down, not man.
In this Verſe the former Reaſon is amplyfied from the conſideration of Gods end and deſign in ordering this buſineſs, which alſo was his end in paſſing ſo free a cenſure upon their Doctrine. This is propounded in general, in the beginning of the Verſe, That whatever were Jobs failings, yet God had ſo ordered the matter, that Job had got the victory in the debate, and they had ſuccumbed in their undertakings againſt him, that they might not glory in their wiſdome, nor might aſcribe it to their abilities and experience, that they had found out what was ſufficient to put an end to this Controverſie: And he had freely told them ſo much, v. 12. that they might no longer entertain that good opinion of themſelves. As for that which followeth, God thruſteth him down, not man, Some take them to be the very words whereby they might be ready (if not prevented) to expreſs their thoughts of their own wiſdome, to this purpoſe; That they by their wiſdome had found out ſo much for convincing of Job, that they had left him nothing wherewith to defend himſelf, but only his wilfull obſtinacy in perſiſting ſtill to adhere to his own opinion, from which only God (and no man, by any Arguments) could drive him. And therefore as they had dealt wiſely in their diſputes againſt him, ſo they had dealt no leſs wiſely in that, when they found him obſtinate; they had given him over, v. 1. concluding that they had done what man could do to convince him, and what remained to be done, even the cure of his obſtinacy, behoved to be performed by God himſelf. I do ſo farr agree with this interpretation, as to conclude, that Job was to be indeed humbled by God (which I take to be the ſenſe and ſcope of theſe words) though not upon the account they imagined, becauſe he was a wicked man, and obſtinately perſiſted in his opinion, after that he was ſufficiently convinced. And therefore they ought to have been farr from ſuch an opinion of their doctrine and abilities, as the ſcope of the interpretation carrieth it. But moſt part of Interpreters do lo…k upon theſe words as containing their account of that principle of wiſdome, in the finding out whereof they might be ready to glory, to this purpoſe; He had freely told them the truth concerning their Doctrine, and how God had left them to themſelves to give proof of their weakneſs, that they might not glory of their wiſdome in finding out that Maxime which they ſo frequently inſiſted upon; Namely, That it was God, and not man, who had afflicted Job, and therefore he behoved to be wicked, ſeeing God was righteous who had afflicted him. According to this interpretation, as in the former Verſes Elihu had condemned their opinion in general; ſo here he repells their great (and almoſt only) Argument, taken from Jobs afflictions, whereby they endeavoured to prove their opinion. And it is indeed a truth (as hath been frequently marked) That Gods hand in afflictions doth not prove the Sufferer to be wicked, and the righteouſneſs of God who afflicts, and the …ntegrity of the perſon affl…cted, are not inconſiſtent.
The word rendred, To thrust down, doth not contribute much to determine the Interpretation. It ſignifieth, To cast down, or, to drive a thing from its place, and that with violence, as the wind drives ſmoak or chaffe, Pſ. 1.4. and 68.2. And ſo it will very fitly expreſs, how Job was violently hurried and toſſed by his trouble. But it may alſo as well be applyed to the caſting down of Job from his paſſionate humour and diſtemper, which was done with violence and toſſing enough, Elihu reproving and toſſing his expreſſions very ſharply, and God himſelf appearing in a Whirl-wind to abaſe and humble him, and affrighting him with ſad challenges, and refuſing at firſt to take his ſubmiſſion off his hand, till he is brought to abhorr himſelf in duſt and aſhes. Therefore, when I conſider, That many Supplements in the Tranſlation are required to make out that other Interpretation from the Text, That, however God have a hand in all afflictions, and was eminently ſeen in Jobs tryals, and many of them were inflicted by his own immediate hand; yet it cannot ſo univerſally be ſaid, that God had thruſt him down, and not man. (For the Sabeans and Chaldeans, beſide others of whom Job complains in his diſcourſes, were eminently active in ſome of his afflictions:) And, That the word is in the future time (though indeed in the Original language, one time is frequently put for another) God ſhall thruſt him down; When, I ſay, I conſider thoſe things, I incline rather to underſtand the words of Jobs being afterward humbled by God for what he had really ſaid amiſs in his diſcourſes. Thus the whole Verſe will run very ſmoothly, to this purpoſe, They had no cauſe to talk of their wiſdome, for (as he had told them) they had miſtaken all along, and had never hit the mark, or touched upon that for which Job was to be humbled: And God had ordered it ſo, and reſerved the humbling of Job to be done by himſelf, that they might not boaſt and glory, as if their wiſdome and experience had done it. And for further clearing of the words, while he ſaith, God thruſteth him down, not man, the meaning is not, That what himſelf was to ſay did not tend to caſt him down alſo, but that was to be done only by God, when himſelf appeared, Chap. 38. For it is not certain that Elihu knew God would afterward viſibly appear, when he ſpake this. But he ſpeaks this becauſe he was employed by God, and appeared in his ſtead, to do this work; as he tells Job, Chap. 33.6. And he aſcribes all to God, partly, out of his modeſt and low eſteem of himſelf, who could contribute nothing of himſelf to this great deſign; and partly, to point out the great odds that ſhould be betwixt their doing of that work, and his being employed in it: For he was not a man of eminency, parts, and experience (as the name here given to man ſignifieth, oft-times, an eminent and great man) and therefore if he were aſſiſted to find out that which might humble Job, or, to point at his real miſcarriages for which he ought to be humbled, it ſhould clearly be ſeen that it was God, and not he, who had done it. Whereas if they had done the buſineſs, God would readily have been leſs ſeen, and their wiſdome, abilities and experiences, more cryed up, in it.
This Interpretation affords us theſe following Inſtructions (moſt of which, beſide what is already marked in expounding the words, may alſo be gathered from the other Interpretation)
1. Men who are in trouble, being righteous in their perſon and cauſe, may yet expect to come off the Stage humbled, eſpecially, if they miſcarry in their tryal; For, as Job had been afflicted, though righteous, ſo it remains yet that he be thruſt down, and that with ſome violence and ſharpneſs, before he be delivered, and that even albeit he defended a righteous cauſe againſt his Friends. Whatever men be, or how juſt ſoever their cauſe be, yet God will not wink at their miſcarriages, and their droſs which appears in the furnace, nor will he have any to come off the Stage of tryal, but in an humble poſture and lying in the duſt.
2. Much wiſdome is required, either in refuting of mens corrupt principles (as the Friends looked upon the buſineſs) or in humbling them for their miſcarriages; For, he ſuppoſeth that wiſdome was neceſſary for this thruſting down, and ſuch a wiſdome, as muſt be found out by much ſearch, however they had not ſucceeded in the ſearch they made after it, v. 11. And it is indeed a truth, whether men have to do with erroneous perſons, or with perſons who have miſcarried through paſſion under trouble, That much wiſdome is neceſſary, to diſcover and drive them from all their ſubterfuges and defences, to humble them, and yet not to cruſh them, and ſo to reprove their errours and miſcarriages, as they do not thereby alienate their affections from the truth, or the wholeſome counſels they give them. See 2 Tim 2.25.
3. Men are very apt to exalt themſelves in any good ſervices they do, or think they do; For, ſo he ſuppoſeth here, That if they had hit the mark, and thruſt him down, they would have been ready to ſpeak bigly of themſelves. Men naturally hunt after glory, and do deſire to be taken notice of, 2 King. 10.26. And even thoſe who are humbled and have ſome ſelf-denial, in their entring upon difficult undertakings, may yet readily be puffed up, if they have ſucceſs in them.
4. Men are apt to be proud of nothing ſo much, as of their wiſdome and parts, eſpecially if they ſhine in bringing about ſome great enterprize; For, this was the hazard in particular, if they had ſucceeded, Ye would ſay, we have found out wiſdome. Mens wiſdome, or their opinion of wiſdome, is their great Idol, ſo that to be ſelf-denied in that matter is a rare art. See 1 Cor. 8.1. Job 11.12.
5. Mens inclination to boaſt of themſelves doth juſtly obſtruct their ſucceſs in their undertakings; For, God thrusts him down, not man, and they had no hand in humbling Job, leſt they ſhould ſay, we have found out wiſdome. Thus God layes men by, and blaſts them in their beſt undertakings, that he may hide pride from them. Which ought to humble them, that they ſhould thus render themſelves unfit for ſervice, and ſhould obſtruct their ſucceſs and comfort in what they goe about.
6. Gods care of his people appears, not only in curing thoſe evils into which they fall, but in preventing their falling into many evils to which they are very prone; For, here was a preventing mercy (however they diſcerned or improved it) that God ordered the buſineſs ſo as he did, leſt they ſhould ſay, we have found out wiſdome. Though Saints may diſcern delivering mercies more than they can reckon, yet when they come to think of preventing mercies, they will find thoſe a depth into which they cannot dive.
7. Men may account themſelves very wiſe, in their actings and diſcourſes, when yet wiſe diſcerners will perceive that it is nothing ſo; For, though they judged that there was great wiſdome in their way, yet Elihu gives them a watch-word, that they ſhould not ſay, we have found out wiſdome.
8. As God may employ weak Inſtruments in great works, that the Inſtruments may not boaſt, but he alone may be ſeen in what is done; So men who are ſincere and humble, will ſee much of God, and nothing of themſelves, in all they do: For, ſaith he, God thruſteth him down, not man. He was not an eminent man who was employed, that ſo God might be ſeen to do it by him, and he aſcribeth it entirely to God, and denieth himſelf in it. See Gen. 41.16. Dan. 2.30. 1 Cor. 1.27, 28, 29. and 3.5.