Exposition of Job, Exposition of Job · Chapter 36 · Verses 16-17 – Verse 21
Verſe 16. Even ſo would he have removed thee out of the ſtrait into a broad place, where there is no ſtraitneſs, and that which ſhould be ſet on thy table, ſhould be full of fatneſs.
17. But thou haſt fulfilled the judgement of the wicked: Judgement and juſtice take hold on thee.
Followeth, to v. 22. the fourth Head of this firſt part of Elihu's Diſcourſe, containing a particular Application of the former general Doctrine, to Jobs preſent caſe. Wherein, from what hath been ſaid,
1. He layeth the true ſtate of Jobs caſe before him, v. 16, 17.
2. He gives him his counſel, relative to his caſe as it ſtood, v. 18, 19, 20, 21.
In theſe Verſes, Jobs caſe, in purſuance of the former general Doctrine, is laid before him in theſe two.
First, What it might have been, v. 16. Namely, That (if he had followed that courſe, which is uſually obſerved by godly men, v. 11.15.) he might have been in a proſperous condition; which he illuſtrates by two ſimilitudes; One, of a large bounds to dwell in, oppoſite to theſe ſtraits, preſſures, and ſtocks, he had ſo often complained of. Another, of a plentiful table, oppoſite to his poverty, and his ſighing coming before his meat, which he had alſo regrated. And if it be enquired,
Queſt. How Elihu doth ſo poſitively speak to Jobs restitution, ſeeing that is not ſo abſolutely promiſed to godly men, as Job hath all along diſputed againſt his Friends?
Anſw. It may be he knew, by ſpecial Revelation, that Job was to be reſtored upon his repentance; and therefore he ſpeaks ſo, and ſo earneſtly preſſeth him to repent. But ſeeing that cannot make a general and common Rule for others in the like afflicted condition, Therefore it would be conſidered, that, albeit God may afflict a godly man, yea, and ſuffer a penient to come to outward ruine; yet, ſuch as improve their afflictions aright, have the promiſe of reſtitution, and do oft-times get an out-gate, and alwayes they get that which is as good for them.
Secondly, He layeth before him what his caſe indeed was for preſent, v. 17. Namely, That ſince he had fulfilled the judgement of the wicked, juſtice and judgement had taken hold on him, in the preſent tryal. For clearing whereof, Conſider,
1. By the judgement of the wicked, here, we may underſtand, Either, Metonymically, thoſe ſins for which God inflicts judgements, or, righteous puniſhments, upon wicked men; Or, (as the word alſo will read) that ſentence, cauſe or principles, which wicked men maintain, and which they perſiſt in, and endeavour to bear out againſt God. And ſo to fulfill their judgement, is only to follow their ſteps and way of it; whereby he had not only confirmed them in their proud and inſolent carriage (and ſo fulfilled, or ratified their ſentence and determinations) but had drawn himſelf under the hand of an angry God. And ſo while he chargeth Job with fulfilling of the judgement of the wicked, he doth not aſſert him to be a wicked man; but only (as he had done before, Chap. 34.8.) affrights him from his way, by letting him ſee how like ſome of his pranks were to the practices of the wicked.
2. While he aſſerts, that judgement and juſtice take hold on Job, he means not that Job was under a diſpenſation of pure wrath, nor doth it import that Jobs afflictions came not upon him, at firſt, only for the tryal of his faith, and other graces: but only that his folly and miſcarriage under the rod (for which alſo God humbleth him, though he employ Elihu firſt, to handle him more ſharply) did draw on fatherly diſpleaſure.
From v. 16. Learn, 1. General truths will not avail, nor prove uſefull, particularly, to perſons in affliction, till they be applyed; Therefore doth he ſubjoyn this particular Application to the former general Doctrine.
2. There is no general promiſe recorded in Gods Word, but it will be forth-coming to every one of his people, as they have need; Therefore that promiſe, v. 11. is applyed to Job, as that he had right unto, if he had been in a right frame. Yea, the promiſe made to Joſhua, a great and eminent man, Joſh. 1.5. is repeated, Heb. 13.5. as belonging to every particular diſtreſſed Hebrew, in the general ſcope of it, abſtracting from what was perſonal, and relative to his ſpecial employment, in it.
3. The Children of God, for their exerciſe, or becauſe of their folly, may be brought under great diſtreſs; As here is ſuppoſed in the contrary promiſes. For the promiſe to remove them out of the mouth of ſtraitneſs, (as it is in the Original) imports, That they may be under preſſures which are ready to devour and ſwallow them up, like a beaſt of prey; And the promiſe of a fat table, imports, That they may be exerciſed with penury and want; And the conjunction of thoſe two promiſes, imports, That their penury, and other ſad preſſures, may goe together.
4. It may encourage men to ſtoop to God, and to receive inſtruction under the rod, That there is no condition ſo ſad, but repentance and turning to God will amend it; As here theſe promiſes import. And albeit he will not take off all our preſſures within time, nor yet alwayes deliver his penitent people; yet our being near to God, takes away the bitterneſs of preſſures, and affords ſweetneſs in every lot, and may aſſure us, that God will care for our table, and will have an eye upon our preſſures. And though godly men, before they repent, may complain, that, poſſibly, the promiſe will never be performed; yet, let rhem once repent, and be near God, and that will ſilence all their complaints.
5. It may be matter of ſad thoughts to godly men under trouble, when they conſider how much better their condition might have been, were it not for their own folly; As here he lets them ſee, Even ſo would he have removed thee, &c. if thou had not thus miſcarried. See Pſal. 81.13, 14. Iſa. 48.18, 19.
From v. 17. Learn, 1. It is not unuſual to ſee godly men fail in an hour of tryal, and ſo to run away from their own mercy; As here he lets him ſee that his caſe was farr otherwiſe than it might have been.
2. As it is a kindneſs to tell Friends their condition freely; ſo they have need to have it told them by others, they being ready ſometime to take it up too ſadly, and at other times to look too eaſily and partially upon it; Therefore doth he ſo freely tell Job his condition here.
3. As godly men, in their fits of diſtemper, may homologate too much the principles and wayes of the wicked; ſo it is their great fault ſo to do; For, here he chargeth him with fulfilling the judgement of the wicked. Of many pranks of the godly in trouble, it may be ſaid, What will they leave to the wicked to do, when they do ſo?
4. The longer theſe courſes be perſiſted in, it is the greater ſin; For, it aggravates his fault, that he fulfilled this judgement of the wicked, or confirmed them in their way, by the length that he proceeded in it.
5. Sin would appear more formidable, if it were looked upon as inſeparably attended with judgement; As here the wickeds way is called their judgement, not only becauſe it is their judgement and determined ſentence, and fixed principle, to follow it; but becauſe it is the cauſe of a ſentence of judgement from God.
6. Whatever others do find of judgements attending ſin, the godly may lay their account not to eſcape; For, this ſinful courſe is proved to be judgement, or ſentenced by God, becauſe judgement and justice take hold on thee.
7. As godly men may come under fatherly diſpleaſure; and this will be ſad to them, when they diſcern it: So it is yet ſadder, that their own folly ſhould change the nature of their cleanly tryals, and mix anger with them; As here he lets Job ſee that his cleanly tryals were turned into judgement and juſtice, though with moderation, as Chap. 35.15.
8. Whatever Saints may dream of, yet Gods fatherly chaſtiſements will not only reach them when they miſcarry, but will hold them faſt till they quit their folly: For, they take hold on thee. The word alſo ſignifieth (and is elſe-where rendered) to ſupport, or, ſuſtain; but here (as alſo Prov. 5.22.) it ſignifieth to apprehend, or, hold faſt, and includeth the perſon of whom hold is taken, as is ſupplyed in the Tranſlation.
Verſe 18. Becauſe there is wrath, beware leſt he take thee away with his ſtroak: Then a great ranſome cannot deliver thee.
19. Will he eſteem thy riches? No not gold, nor all the forces of strength.
Elihu having ſtated Jobs caſe, doth now give him his counſel relative to his caſe as it ſtands. And though the counſel be but one in ſubſtance, that he would amend his faults; yet I ſhall take it up, as it lyeth in the words, in three branches, which will clear wherein Elihu thought Job had fulfilled the counſel of the wicked.
The firſt whereof, in theſe words, is, That heing now under wrath, he ſhould be afraid to provoke God (by his miſcarriages when he was under his hand) to cut him off without remedy; For then no ranſome, or wealth, or power, could reſcue him. Whence, Learn,
1. It is no proof of true friendſhip, only to reprove men for their faults, without giving them counſel how to rectifie what is amiſs; For, here Elihu ſubjoynes advices to his former reprehenſions; hereby witneſſing that he was a Friend indeed, who was not ſeeking nor taking advantage of him, in reprehending his faults.
2. It is a ſpecial part of our duty, eſpecially under trouble, to examine and try our condition, how it ſtands; and it is a proof of real friendſhip to help us in this tryal; As here Elihu points out unto Job how it is with him, and tells him there is wrath.
3. It is the great and concerning Queſtion of Saints, to try how God is pleaſed with them, and to try what wrath or diſpleaſure may be in their cu…, when they are afflicted; Therefore doth he give Job an account of that eſpecially.
4. As Saints may be under wrath, or fatherly diſpleaſure, (as he told Job in the former Verſe, and here again repeats it) So when they are in ſuch a caſe, they ought eſpecially to take heed to their walk, that they do not rage and free againſt God; For, becauſe there is wrath, he would have him looking well to his carriage.
5. It may excite men under trouble to be watchfull over their own Spirits and carriage, if they conſider, that, when God is once provoked, and hath begun to contend, he will readily cut them off, who continue ſtubborn under corrections; For, becauſe there is wrath, beware leſt he take thee away with a ſtroak.
6. Though men in paſſion be ready not to regard any hazard, ſo they may get a vent to their humours; Yet they will ſoon relent when it cometh to a peremptore; For, ſo he ſuppoſeth, that Job would ſeek to be delivered, if God were about to take him away.
7. It may affright men from provoking God to cut them off, if they conſider, that, when God is once provoked to proceed to that, he will not readily turn back; and the ſtroak, when it cometh, is irrecoverable, Pſal. 49.7, 8, 9. For, then a great ranſome cannot deliver thee; neither can it prevent cutting off, if once he ſet about it, (as there may be ſuch irrevocable ſentences concern…ng outward ſtroaks, even within time, 2 King. 23.26, 27. Z…ph 2.1, 2.) nor recover thee to l…fe again, when once thou art cut off.
8. It may diſcover the vanity of wealth and ſtrength, and all mens other temporal enjoyments, that they can do them no good in their greateſt diſtreſſes, and when they have moſt need of help and relief; For, Will he esteem thy riches? No not gold, nor all the forces of ſtrength.
Verſe 20. Deſire not the night, when people are cut off in their place.
In the ſecond branch of the counſel, he gives a check to Jobs paſſionate deſire of death, and enforceth the former counſel, by obviating an Objection. For, whereas Job might be ready to reject the former advice, as being a man who was ſo farr from being afraid that he ſhould be taken away with a ſtroak, that he did earneſtly deſire death: Elihu forbids him to deſire it in that way wherein people, or, many wicked men, meet with it, who are violently or ſuddenly cut off (or, made to aſcend, like the light of a candle dying out) as men ſurprized by night in their very beds, or place of reſt.
Doct. 1. Death in it ſelf is a dark paſſage to Nature; For, it is like the night, wherein the Sun of thoſe delights which deceive fools, goeth down. Men had need to prepare for it, and to have much of the light of Faith (not alwayes expecting Senſe) whereby they may ſee to goe through it.
2. The darkneſs of Deaths paſſage is many times augmented by the way of mens death, when they are violently ſurprized and cut off in a dark hour of trouble, like men cut off by Murderers upon their beds, in a dark night; For, ſo is death here deſcribed to Job. Men ſhould not refuſe or be unwilling to dye, when death comes in an ordinary way, ſince God can make it much ſadder.
3. Godly men have need to be very ſuſpicious of their own inclinations and deſires in a time of trouble, conſidering that they are then in a feaver; For, Elihu adviſeth Job to abandon his deſires. We are, ordinarily, leaſt ſober in our deſires, when we have greateſt cauſe of ſobriety, and that is a ſad conjunction.
4. In particular, Albeit Saints, eſpecially, ought to be ready for death at all times; nor ought they to ſtumble, though God cut them off in common calamities, or in ſome odde way: Yet ſuch a way of death ought not to be prayed for, or deſired by them: For, ſaith he, Deſire not the night, &c. Yea, all their longing after death, when they are under a cloud, ought to be ſuſpected and well tryed.
Verſe 21. Take heed, regard not iniquity: For this haſt thou choſen rather than affliction.
In the laſt branch of his counſel, he ſumms up his advice in this general, That he ſhould not be more taken up with affliction, than with ſin under it; and that his miſeries ſhould not tempt him to impatience. Whence, Learn,
1. Whenever trouble cometh on, as God layeth trouble and ſin before us, to try us which of them we will chooſe; So it is not our miſery that Satan ſo much deſignes, as our ſinning; Therefore he adviſeth Job to have his eye chiefly upon iniquity.
2. Preſent preſſing trouble is ſo ſtrong a tentation to ſin, that even godly men may be over-driven with the tentation; For, he regarded iniquity, and chooſed it rather than affliction. See Pſ. 125.3.
3. This miſcarriage of Saints flows from their inadvertency, and their not conſidering how poor a choice ſin is, and how unfit a mean to eaſe them of trouble, but rather to augment it; Therefore he bids him take heed, that ſo he may not make this choice; intimating that his inconſiderateneſs made him run to impatience, to get eaſe by complaining, but in vain.
4. Whatever be mens thoughts in an hour of tentation, yet the greateſt of troubles ſhould be choſen, rather than the leaſt ſin; nor doth any trouble warrant them to ſin, either (as they think) to get eaſe, or to bring actual deliverance to them; For, ſaith he, Regard not iniquity, or, look not to it as an eaſe, or mean of help, ſo as to chooſe it rather than affliction.