Exposition of Job 22-26, Commentary · Chapter 22
JOB, CHAP. 22. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9.
Is not thy wickedneſſe great, and thine iniquity infinite?
For thou haſt taken a pledge of thy Brother for nought, and ſtripped the naked of their clothing.
Thou haſt not given water to the weary to drinke, and thou hast with holden bread from the hungry.
But as for the mighty man he had the earth, and the honourable man dwelt in it.
Thou hast ſent widdows away empty, and the arms of the fatherleſſe have been broken.
IN this Context Eliphaz intends to ſhew the true reaſon why God reproved Job, and entred into judgment with him; it was not (as was ſayd at the 4th Verſe) either becauſe God was afraid of him, or becauſe he feared God, but it was for his wickedneſſe, as Eliphaz (though miſtaken) concluded againſt him; as if he had ſaid, God doth not puniſh thee becauſe he is afraid of thee, but becauſe he loveth juſtice, and hateth iniquity, Is not thy wickedneſſe great, and thine iniquity infinite? That's the ſcope of theſe words, which we may fitly call Job's Indictment, and this Indictment is laid down firſt in general words, verſ. 5. Is not thy wickedneſſe great, and thine iniquity infinite? And here Job is not charged with wickedneſſe and iniquity barely, but under a two-fold aggravation.
1. Great.
2. Infinite.
Secondly, We have his Indictment drawn ont into particular Charges, or a ſpefication of ſome notorious ſins given againſt him in the Verſes following.
This particular Charge conſiſts of two heads.
Firſt, Sinnes againſt man; Secondly, Sinnes againſt God; His ſuppoſed ſinnes againſt man, contained in the words now read, are of two ſorts; Firſt, Sinnes of commiſſion, or of the evill which he had done; Secondly, Sinnes of omiſſion, or of the good that he had not done. The evill which he chargeth him to have done, is twofold; firſt, an act of injuſtice, taking a pledge, in the ſixt verſe; ſecondly, an act of uncharitableneſſe, ſtripping the naked, in the ſame verſe.
Both which evills, or miſcarriages towards the honeſt poore are aggravated (ver. 8th) by his undue connivence at the wicked rich; as he was too ſevere againſt the poore, ſo he was over-favourable towards the great, and mighty; But as for the mighty man he had the earth, and the honourable man be dwelt in it; as if he had ſaid; Thou didſt never ſet thy ſelfe to doe juſtice upon the great ones, be they and doe they what they will, they have the earth, thou didſt never put forth or exerciſe thy power to ſuppreſſe and oppoſe their inſolencies, thy edge was turned only againſt inferior ones; Thou tookeſt a pledge from the poore, and haſt ſtripped the naked of their cloathing.
His ſinnes of omiſſion are expreſſed in the 7th verſe; Thou haſt not given water to the weary, thou haſt withholden bread from the hungry; and in the 9th verſe, Thou haſt ſent widdows away empty, and the armes of the fatherleſſe have been broken: Which may be either taken thus; Thou haſt broken their armes, or thou haſt not given thy helpe, and aſſiſtance to reſtore, and releive them when broken. Thus we have a light into the meaning of theſe five verſes, as they are a charge of ſinne upon Job.