Exposition of Job, Exposition of Job · Chapter 33 · Verse 15
Verſe 15. In a dream, in a viſion of the night, when deep ſleep falleth upon men, in ſlumbrings upon the bed.
Elihu proceeds to proſecute this Argument, (to v. 30.) as to Gods part in it; inſtancing ſome of thoſe various means whereby he ſpeaks his mind to men: Such, as dreams and viſions, and the like extraordinary wayes, to v. 19. Sickneſs, to v. 23. and a Miniſtry concurring therewith, to v. 29. And withall, he not only cleareth, that God ſpeaks by theſe means, but ſheweth alſo what he ſpeaks, even to draw men to repentance, to cure their pride, and teach them to make more uſe of imputed righteouſneſs. His ſcope in all which, is, not only to prove what he had ſaid, v. 14. of Gods ſpeaking to man; but, that by declaring, what God ſpeaks, he may make out the other branch of that aſſertion, v. 14. that man doth little perceive what God ſpeaks to him. For albeit he ſpeak nothing expreſly to this challenge; Yet if the leſſons here propounded, which are inculcated by thoſe means and wayes of Gods ſpeaking, ſhall be compared with the practice of moſt of men, and even of godly men, it will eaſily be ſeen, how deficient they are in obſerving and improving thoſe inſtructions. And withall, he doth hereby give an account of Gods method in ſpeaking to men, that he comes to ſpeak by rods and afflictions, when viſions are not hearkened unto.
The only difficulty to be cleared here, is, Whether in all this long diſcourſe, concerning the various wayes and means of Gods ſpeaking to men, and the inſtructions communicated by theſe means, Elihu do reflect upon Job? And he ſeems indeed to point at his ſickneſs, and at himſelf as ſent a Meſſenger and Interpreter to him, and there was a viſion alſo concerning him, Chap. 4.12, 13, &c. had it been well applyed. To clear this a little, Conſider,
1. Albeit it be true, that unrenewed men may have dreams and viſions from God, to warn, reprove, or reſtrain them from evil, Gen. 20.3. and 31.24. Matth. 27.19. to warn them of things to come, Gen. 40, and 41. Dan. 2. and for other ends; and albeit God may make uſe of viſions, afflictions, and the Miniſtry, to convert men to himſelf; Yet, in thoſe inſtructions here given by theſe means, Elihu muſt be underſtood to ſpeak with relation to godly men; otherwiſe he ſhould not ſpeak to Jobs caſe and complaint.
2. As Job and his Friends did, oft-times, ſpeak to the matter in Theſi, and Elihu's Argument, v. 14. is alſo general; So thoſe inſtances may alſo be looked on in Theſi; as relating to godly men in general; and although all that is ſaid here ſhould not agree to Jobs caſe, yet it is ſufficient for confirmation and illuſtration of the Argument, if it hold true in general, of godly men.
3. Whatever of this purpoſe may be applyed to Job, yet it is certain that Gods great end in afflicting him, was not to chaſten him for any notorious miſcarriage formerly committed; but only to give a proof of his own Soveraign dominion, and to take a tryal of Jobs faith and other graces. And accordingly, God himſelf (when he comes to ſpeak) never quarrels Job for any fault before his trouble, but only for his miſcarriage under it; and argues with him upon the point of Soveraign…y and wiſdome, as Elihu had done in the former A…gument.
4. This being laid as the chief buſineſs in all this tryal of Job, we may yet look upon what Elihu ſayes here, as very ſuitable to Jobs caſe. For albeit God was purſuing no quarrel againſt Job, yet he had infirmities, and needed to be humbled, to renew his repentance, and cloſe more with Chriſt for righteouſneſs, as the fruit both of extraordinary viſions, afflictions, and the documents he was to give him as a Meſſenger ſent from God to him. And had Job been buſie about this exerciſe, he would never have complained of his afflictions as cauſeleſs, nor that God was an enemy becauſe of them. In ſumm, However ſome of theſe inſtructions after-mentioned, yea, all of them, may reach and concern unrenewed men, in their full latitude; Yet here they are propounded as leſſons to be daily learned by every godly man, which if Job had perceived, he might have ſeen cauſe to forbear his complaints.
In this Verſe, we have the firſt mean whereby God ſpeaks his mind to man (unto which the teaching and inſtructions communicated thereby, are ſubjoyned in the three following Verſes) and that is, Dreams and Viſions in the night, either when men are in a deep ſleep, or ſlumbring only betwixt ſleeping and waking. We find in Scripture (and frequently in the writings of the Prophets) that Viſions were Revelations given to men when awake, and ſo are diſtinct from Dreams, whereby God reveals his mind to men when they are aſleep, Numb. 12.6. But here a Viſion is joyned with a Dream, and is given unto men, when they are ſleeping. And albeit it may be conceived, that the dream cometh when men are in a deep ſleep, and the viſion when they are ſlumbring; Yet it ſeems rather, that the viſion here is only an apputenance of the dream, and doth ſignifie thoſe repreſentations of things (ſuch as Joſeph, Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, and others, had) which men have in their dreams, whether they be in a deep ſleep, or ſlumbring only. However, under this mean, here mentioned, all the extraordinary wayes (beſide that of Gods ſending extraordinary Prophets, or Meſſengers, of which, v. 23.) of Gods revealing his mind, then in uſe, are comprehended. And here alſo it appears, that this Book contains an Hiſtory of things that were before Moſes time. For here there is no mention of a written Law, or Word of God; but thoſe extraordinary Revelations (whether immediately, to the perſons who were themſelves concerned, or mediately, to his Servants and Meſſengers, who did reveal the ſame to others) paſt for the Word of God. See Chap. 6.10. and 23.12. and 28.28.
Doct. 1. It is the great mercy of the people of God, that they want not manifeſtations of him, nor revelations of his will, within time; For, here is ſuppoſed, that God had, from the beginning of the World, and before the Scripture was written, his his mind one way or other communicated, and an intercourſe kept up betwixt him and his people; which is a mercy to be much prized, Pſ. 147.19, 20.
2. It ſpeaks, alſo, the great mercy and kindneſs of God, that when he hath any thing to ſay to his people, he ſpeaks it firſt by his Word, before he make uſe of other means; For, Elihu propounds this as the firſt mean whereby God ſpeaks to man, and when God comes to make uſe of other means, it is becauſe this is not well entertained, as we will hear afterward.
3. Such is Gods love to his people, that when they need a manifeſtation of him, or of his mind, he will make uſe of extraordinary means, before they want it; As here God ſpake in an extraordinary and immediate way, before the Scriptures were written. Now it hath pleaſed the Lord to change this way, not only to teach us to ſubmit to make uſe of ordinary means, and that he may magnifie his power, in working by ordinary means what at any time was wrought by extraordinary means, and making a word of the Scriptures no leſs effectual to ſhake or comfort an heart, than if he yet ſpake immediately, by viſions and dreams, or above from Heaven. But becauſe theſe extraordinary wayes were terrible (as Job 4.12, 13, 14. and we read how Daniel was affright…d and affected with them) and more apt to be corrupted by deluſions, and were actually imitated and counterfeited by Satan; Therefore God made choice to ſpeak more mediately by his written Word, which is a way more familiar and ſweet, more ſure, 2 Pet. 1.19. and more fit to perpetuate truth in the World, than the tranſmitting of theſe Viſions, and immediate Revelations by Tradition, John 21.23. and yet ſpeaks no leſs particularly to them who are concerned, than when viſions and dreams were given to particular men, and directed to them by name; as the Spirit by Solomon ſpeaks particularly to the perſecuted Hebrews (to you) who were not in the World many ages after the Book of Proverbs was written, Heb. 13.5. However, Gods way then with his people (though changed now) intimates, that, though he need not make uſe of extraordinary means, nor ſhould we tempt him by looking for them, John 4.48. yet God will not leave his promiſes unfulfilled, nor his peoples neceſſities unſupplyed, though he ſhould do it in a ſingular way.
4. It is alſo to be obſerved, that God hath variety of wayes and means, whereby he can communicate his mind to his people; As here (beſide thoſe after-mentioned) he hath dreams, and viſions ſometime joyned with dreams; under which (as hath been ſaid) all the extraordinary wayes of Revelation, then in uſe, are comprehended; whether they were internal illuminations, without any viſible repreſentations, or viſions to men awake, or dreams (and thoſe accompanied with viſions) to men aſleep, or voices from Heaven, &c. In all which, we are to obſerve, That God (ſo to ſay) keeped many doors patent, that he might be frequent, and throng in his converſe with his people, and might make them aſhamed for their converſing ſo little with him, which we are alſo to obſerve and make uſe of, in the means yet continued with us. Withall, this variety and change of means (God ſometime ſp…king one way, and ſometime another) ſerved to keep men from formality, or looking only to one mean, that they might wait upon him in all of them. And it may teach us, that when known iſſues do fail us, in that way wherein God ordinarily walks toward his people, we need not be diſcouraged, ſeeing he hath variety of means whereby he can do us good; And when he deals not with us, as he was wont to do, we need not fear but he will do us no leſs good in another way.
5. The Lord would alſo have it moſt conſpicuous how little of his peoples activity is to be ſeen in the kindneſſes whereof they are made partakers; As here a ſleeping man can contribute nothing to ſuch an immediate Revelation. And this holds good in other things alſo, That we may expect that from God, according to his word, which nothing in us can aſſure us of; and, That God delights to manifeſt much of himſelf, where little of us, or of our activity, doth appear.
6. The Lord alſo is pleaſed to tryſt his people with ſurprizals, and inexpected proofs of himſelf; As thoſe dreams and viſions came when men had no thoughts of them. See Gen. 16.13. and 28.11, 16. Luk. 5.5, 6. Mic. 4.10, 11, 12. God delights to make his people aſhamed of their unbelief, and to diſappoint their fears, by proofs of his love in unlikely times and lots. And withall, though ſuch Revelations are not now to be expected, yet, this teacheth, That men ſhould alwayes be in a ſpiritual frame, and particularly, ſhould goe to ſleep in a good frame, ſeeing God (if he pleaſe) can communicate his mind to them, even then.
7. This alſo may be marked, That when God made uſe of theſe means (eſpecially dreams, and ſome viſions) though they left ſome impreſſion upon the mind, yet ſometime men underſtood not the things pointed at thereby; as we read of Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzars dreams, Daniels viſions, and others the like. Hereby (as the Lord ſometime made way for advancing ſome of his ſervants, for the good of his Church; as Joſeph was advanced in Pharaohs Court, and Daniel in Nebuchadnezzars Court, becauſe they interpreted their dreams. See Dan. 2.30. So,) the Lord would point out, that his leſſons are very deep, and not ſoon perceived; that their being dark to his people, that they may be humbled, and put to employ him, is no evidence of his diſpleaſure; and that we ſhould obſerve the double mercy there is, in getting his mind revealed, and in our getting the underſtanding thereof.