Exposition of Job, Exposition of Job · Chapter 9 · Verses 27-28
Verſ. 27. If I ſay, I will forget my complaint, I will leave of my heavineſs, and comfort my ſelf;
28. I am afraid of all my ſorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent.
The ſecond Inſtance, whereby he proves the greatneſs of his afflictions, is, That however his proſperity was quickly gone, (v. 25, 26) yet, his afflictions ſtu…k better by him, and could not be ſhaken off, though he reſolved and endeavoured to do it. His reſolution (v. 27.) was, to forget his complaining, and ſhake off his heavineſs, or ſad countenance (as the word is;) that ſo he might comfort and refreſh himſelf, or breath a little. But in this attempt he was diſappointed, v. 28. For his ſorrows would not quit him ſo, but his endeavour to lay them aſide did, rather, awake them all upon him. The terrour whereof, and the fear of their recurring, though they ſhould be got laid aſide for a time, together with his apprehenſion (grounded upon former experience) that God would deal with him outwardly as a guilty man, and not let him eſcape correction and tryal, marred all his endeavours and expectations.
From his reſolution, v. 27. Learn,
1. It is the duty of Gods people, as not to walk lightly under affl…ctions, ſo to make them as comfortable to themſelves as lawfully they may, and not to add thereto by diſcouragement; For, this doth Job endeavour as his duty. See Jer. 29.4, 5, 6.
2. Gods people ought not to ly by in diſcouragement, till God come and bear in encouragement upon them, but they ought to be active in comforting themſelves in God; as Job endeavours here to forget complaints, leave off heavineſs, and comfort himſelf. See 1 Sam. 30.6. Pſal. 42.5, 11.
3. A ſpecial mean to make encouragements and refreſhments prove effectual, is, to look upon them but as breathings, as the word imports, after which we muſt return to our toil again; thanking God that we get leave if it were but to breath a while. But we do, ordinarily, therefore quarrel and undervalue thoſe, becauſe we know they are not laſting; and ſo deprive ourſelves of the caſe we might have by them.
4. One lawful mean of caſe in trouble, is, to ſhake off, and ſtudy to forget, our complaints; For, ſo Job reſolved here, I will forget my complaint. Afflicted ſouls muſt begin at this; when they cannot get the cauſe of their complaints, nor their inward grief removed, yet they muſt ſhake off, and forget, their external complaints, if it were but by diverſion. Not that it is lawful to forget our guilt procuring trouble, or to be ſtupid under Gods afflicting hand: Far leſs that we ſhould, with Saul, run only to an H…rp, or carnal delights, to cry down the noiſe of trouble: But when our diſtreſs ſwelleth up to overwhelming anxiety, it is far better to take up our minds, for a time, even with the affairs of our lawful calling, and, much more, to divert our ſelves in other exerciſes of Gods ſervice, then ſtill to pore on our troubles, and dwel on our complaints, when we cannot, for that time, manage them, and not be cruſhed. Whereas, after theſe diverſions, we may return again with better ſucceſs.
5. It is alſo our duty, under overwhelming diſcouragements, not to content our ſelves with leaving off our complaints only, unleſs we ſtudy to remove that inward heavineſs that cauſeth and feedeth them; and, in order to that, as even to leave off complaining may diminiſh our heavineſs, which is but fed thereby; So it is our duty to ſhake off, if it were but, our ſad countenance and carriage, and to look well, and ſay well of Gods dealing toward us, as a mean to made it indeed well inwardly, Pſal 42.5, 11. For, after forgetting of his complaint; he reſolves to endeavour to leave off, or, forſake his heavineſs, or, his face (as it is in the Original) and ſad countenance.
From his diſappointment, v. 28. Learn,
1. Trouble having once broken a mind, it will not eaſily be got ſhaken off, but the broken ſpirit will be a rod to it ſelf, and will keep afflictions and fears upon us, notwithſtanding all our endeavours to the contrary, till Gods time come; For, when Job ſaid, I will forget my complaint, it would not ſucceed, but he was afraid of all his ſorrows. See Pſal. 42.5, 6.
2. Unto a broken mind, the very thinking on trouble, though to forget it, will awake and increaſe it, and debating with it, will fortifie it, unleſs God interpoſe; as the launcing and ripping up of a wound will caſt the Patient in a ſwound: For, upon this did his trouble now ariſe and increaſe, If I ſay I will forget my complaint, — I am afraid of all my ſorrows. His very thinking how many and how ſore grievances he had to ſhake off, did rankle his wounds, and hold on. See Jer. 8 18.
3. An afflicted mind is vexed and tortured with fears and terrours; while it repreſents preſent grievances as dreadful and terrible, and while its looking to future, and only feared conſequents of preſent preſſures, doth not only mar preſent refreſhment (not letting the day and its evil come together, Matth. 6.34.) but by fearing of them, begets them; For, ſaith he, I am afraid of my ſorrows. He looked on them as formidable, and feared the iſſue of his ſorrows for the future, which marred his preſent endeavours to eaſe himſelf; and his fear created them, and made them real and preſent upon him.
4. It is the fault of diſcouraged Saints, that they make their troubles inſupportable, by looking ſtill upon them in their blackeſt aſpect; For, he looked upon his lot as only ſorrows, as if there had been no other thing to be ſeen in his afflictions; whereas faith will give another ſight of very humbling tryals, Rom. 5.3, 4, 5. Jam. 1.2, 3. Heb. 12.11.
5. It is the fault of Saints, alſo, that they multiply their ſorrows, through fear, as if there were an all of them; For, though he had many, yet he wanted many to make up an all of ſorrows, or, to render a man compleatly ſorrowful and miſerable. And even when a ſolemn Aſſembly of ſorrows and terrours are gathered againſt us round about, Lam 2.22. we are ſtill bound bound to remark what may be wanting.
6. When Saints are under many preſſures and ſorrows, it may be their great weakneſs to dwell upon the thoughts of them all at once; whereas, ordinarily, they are not inflicted all at once, nor do they all preſs them alike hard at the ſame time; but God ſ…yeth his rough wind in the day of his Eaſt wind, Iſa. 27.8. For, thus did Job alſo weaken his own ſpirit, by being afraid of all his ſorrows together. And yet (however they were inflicted one upon the back of another) he could not ſay that they a…aulted him all at once, if his fear had not ſet them on.
7. As the moſt righteous have ſin and are not innocent before God, and ſo have no promiſe of exemption from theſe common miſeries which follow upon ſin; So, their fears, under affliction, are ready to prompt them with terrifying thoughts of God and his dealing, to put the cape-ſtone upon their other diſtreſſes: For, thus doth Job expound his future fears, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. He apprehended that God would ſtill deal with him, in his outward diſpenſations, as with a guilty man, and this a…frighted him. Had he looked on himſelf as obnoxious to trouble, by reaſon of ſin in him, or had he been preparing for more, ſince God had already made thoſe breaches upon him, he had been about his duty. But as his expreſſion, that God will not hold him innocent is an indirect reflect…on, that God dealt not with him as with a righteous man, but as with one guilty of ſome groſs provocation; ſo his peremptory concluſion, that God would do ſo ſtill, was the reſult of his fear and tentation, to the heightening of his trouble, and fruſtrating of his endeavours to refreſh himſelf: wherein yet he was diſappointed, for God did, in due time, abſolve and liberate him.
All this tends to point out,
1. That, whatever ought to be our endeavours, yet, it is God alone who muſt heal and comfort broken ſpirits, Iſa 51.12. Pſal. 147 3.
2. That, in times of affliction, we ought to ſtudy much for attaining, and keeping, a ſound and peaceable compoſed frame of ſpirit; not only by being at peace with God, but by not poring on our trouble, or walking too ſadly under it. Otherwiſe, we may repent the cruſhing of our own ſpirits, when we cannot help it by any of our endeavours, as Job found here.
3. That it is our duty to avoid anxious, faithleſs and trouble-creating fears, to let the day and its evil, and Gods help againſt it, come together, and to ſee more in trouble then what is only ſorrowful and bitter; For, by theſe Job was kept under, when he would have lift his head above his preſſures.