Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 2 · Job · Chapter 3
CHAP III.
AND Iob opened his mouth and cursed his day, saying, Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night wherein it was said, There is a Vers. 1. 2, 3.man child conceived.
After so long silence, Iob finding no ease of his inrolerable pangs, changeth his tune, and sheweth no further patience by blessing God; but much weakness being overcome by passion, and cursing the day of his Birth. Yet some Expositors think, that this is not to be expounded literally, but altogether allegorically. Or that Iob spake thus, not as in his own but the person of a wicked man. And to prove this, they reason from the commendation given him before, and in the end, he being justified by God, to have spoken more rightly, then any of the other men, who came to visit him. But as Ferus saith, Job is not said, as before, not to have sinned in thus saying; neither Ferus.can he be excused from impatience shewing herein. Rather it is to be held, that the Lord, who before stood by him, now for a time left him, to try what is in man, even the best man living, if he be not strengthened by God continually. The like we may see in David, sometime being most courageous, and sometime full of feare; courageous against Goliah, fearefull when Saul persued him: So Jeremiah and Peter; yea the Son of man, Christ himselfe cryed out as forsaken of God, when he shewed not himselfe in mercy to him hanging upon the Cross, but as a severe Judge against him standing in our stead, and made him sin for us, although this feare and passionateness in him was no sin, for he knew none: These words 2 C…. …. 20.then came from Job as effects of his extream pangs and Sufferings, whereby he was carryed to speak thus unadvisedly, as the most righteous may be, as not being for a time, through the sense of paine themselves. But these passionate speeches God imputed not to him for sin, and therefore he afterwards justified him in all that he said; Yet not to animate us in our greatest sufferings to do the like, but to shew us our weakness, that we may strive daily to be more and more strengthened to all patience, and long suffering, and when through weakness we fayl, be comforted and seek help of God to come out of most impetuous temptations: We may think, as Peter, Note. before we be tempted, that we have strength enough to stand; but as it was with him in the time of temptation, so we may feare it may be with us: As a man in health thinketh, when he seeth another in sickness impatient, he would not be so in the like case: But coming also to be tryed, he can as ill beare it, as that other man.
Gregory will by no meanes have it taken as literally spoken, because it Gregory.is not probable, that having stood so firmly hitherto, both when his Children and Servants and all his Substance was lost: Yea and his Body also sore smitten, being provoked by his Wife hereunto, he could not yet be moved to any impatience or cursing, and is it then probable, that now nothing provoking him, yea having his freinds about him, bearing, by their sorrow, part of his burthen with him, that he would break out into impatience and cursing, as not being able to beare his misery any longer? Moreover, let his words be taken literally, and what sense is in them?
Let the day be cursed, wherein I was born: And let it be dark, because that day was long ago past, and can never be again: And whereas he wisheth, that he had dyed so soon as he was born, for this savoreth not, as coming from one that knew he was born in sin: And therefore if he dyed before he was born again of water and of the spirit, he could not be saved, and that this could not be without circumcision then, or baptisme now: Therefore upon these reasons, we are driven to seek out the meaning of his words, as not being of literall, but altogether of an allegoricall understanding: Now to curse cometh sometime from God, who curseth in his justice; As he did the Serpent, and the Earth for mans sake, when he had sinned; sometime from holy men, as they are moved by way of prophesie, by the spirit of God: As Elisha cursed the Children of Bethel that mocked him, and Noah Canaan the Son of Ham; And sometime from envy and wrath in man, and this cursing only is evil, and by the Apostle forbidden, saying, Bless my Brethren and curse not.
Job then might curse here, and yet not sin, but speak by the spirit of God, and not of impatience. But what shall we understand then by the day, which he curseth, verily by this Day, we may understand, the whole time of this mortal life: Which he by thus saying, and Let it be turned into darkness, foretelleth, that it shall have an end, and then there shall be no light here any more: All the Heavenly Lights fayling, and the Heavens themselves, and so all shall be darkness, as it was said in the beginning, that darkness was upon the face of the Earth. He meaneth not then the day of his Nativity in particular only: But the time, wherein both he and all others are born in sin and misery into this World; for which he sayeth not, the day of my Creation, for Man was made righteous, but of my Birth, of which it is said: I was Conceived in sin, and born in iniquity. And Man that is born of a Woman is full of misery &c. And he sayeth. Let that day perish, that is be no more; For perishing is two waies: either by being in an evil case, or when a lightsome day is darkned, or ceasing to be, and in this latter sense it is spoken, for when light vanisheth, and perpetuall darkness cometh in stead thereof, the day ceaseth to be any more, and so time, according to which the Angel swore, That time should be no more. Rev. 10. 6.He also by the Day here understandeth, the Devil with his flattering Temptations, whereby he pretendeth light and comfort: As when he perswaded Eve to eat of the forbidden Fruit, Yee shall be as Gods, said he: But through harkening to him they were made most miserable, Job then prayeth that the Devil may perish, and that the day and light by promising which, that is the good and comfort, with which he beareth silly men in hand, if they yeild to his Temptations, may be turned into darkness unto them, that is, appear to tend to discomfort and misery, and that this will be the issue of them, that they may not be seduced hereby.
Let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it.Vers. 4.
That is, Forasmuch as the evill angels were altogether spirits, and so had nothing infirm in them, whereby they might be tempted to sinne, but were light as the day, yet proved rebellious against their Creator, let not them be repaired or restored again by any mercy from God shewed unto them; although through his pity to man sinning, being clad with flesh, that is, infirmity, he be by Christ restored. For this is by the Psalmist pointed out, saying, he Had mercy upon him, for he knew that he was flesh, and sinned by infirmity.Psalm 78.
Let a cloud dwell upon it, &c.Vers. 5.
That is, Let the Devill lye in darknesse, chained and tormented for ever, wherein he prophecyeth of the state wherein hee shall be after the day of judgment, although he be not yet confined to that place of torment, yet then he shall.
As for that night let darknesse seize upon it, let it not be joyned to the dayes of Vers. 6.the yeare, nor come into the number of moneths.
This is a further amplification of the same day before spoken of, sometime called day in regard of that it had been, and sometime for that it should be, as also the Devill at the time before spoken of to be made darknesse for ever, and not in appearance an Angel of light any more.
Let that night be solitary, let no joyfull voyce come therein.Vers. 7.
That is, Let the Devill lye solitarily in that darknesse, and none of Gods elect people come there, as he desireth, if he could possibly deceive them.
Let them curse it, that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning.Vers. 8.
The vulg. which Gregory followeth, Who are ready to raise up Leviathan. Thus also Hebr. Let the holy Angels declare to all the world the cursed condition of those that fell, even they that are ready to raise up their additament, as the word Leviathan signifieth, that is, men who fell by the Devils deceit: but the elect of them, to whom Angels minister, shall be raised up againe by grace, and be added or joyned to the Angels in heaven, whose number was diminished by the fall of millions, but by men elected shall be made up again.
Let the stars of the twilight thereof be darke, let it looke for light, but have Vers. 9.none, neither let it see the dawning of the day.
By the twi-light understand Hypocrites, who give some little light by the good works that they doe. But for so much as their intention is not good, for They doe all to be seen of men; the very starres of this their twi-light are made dark, when they are detected by some foule sinne that they fall into, which darkneth their star-light, as it were, whereby they seemed before to shine as stars in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation. Let it looke for light, but finde none: That is, for Christ, who is the true light, but not find him to have any true comfort by him: Nor let it see the dawning of the day: That is, have my true saving knowledg, which is the beginning of these lights shewing it selfe to the heart, according to that of the Apostle: Till the 2 Pet. 21.day dawne, and the day-star arise in your hearts.
Because it shut not up the doors of my mothers wombe, nor did sorrow from Vers. 10.mine eyes.
What mothers womb is here meant, it being understood, as before, of all mankind since the fall of Adam? Paradise may be meant by this mothers womb, because man was there, as in the womb without all sorrow, till that being tempted and sinning, he was put forth, and filled with sorrow and misery, sins procuring the opening of the way, and thrust him out thence, being called the not shutting of the doors.
Why dyed I not from the wombe, and give up the ghost when I came out of Vers. 11.the belly?
That is, O that I had then apprehended the death and destruction to follow upon my sinning, whilst I was in tempting! For then should I never have come out of that belly wherein I was so quiet and free from all sense of misery, as followeth, Vers. 13. So that the words of vers. 12. Why did not the knees prevent, and why did the breasts give me sucke, are a continued complaint of that which he and we all did in Adam, consenting, and being delighted with the temptation, as the Infant with the Mothers milk, yea and with the sinne, which we excused, and sought to hide. And the rest which man should have had, which he meant, in heaven; For mankind being multiplyed in Paradise, if he had not sinned, should never have dyed, but have beene translated from thence to heaven, there to rest for ever. And he saith,
With Kings and Connsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for Vers. 14.themselves.
Hereby meaning Gods faithfull Ministers, who rule amongst his people, and give them counsell in their teaching what to doe to be saved: For they goe immediately after death into the place of blessedness, and their good hearers together with them, recovering that state by Christ, which we lost by the first mans sinning, although we must now goe through death hereunto; but if we had not falne, without dying.
Which built desolate places for themselves.
That is, when others have their minds full of tumults, and worldly troubles, these putting all such things from their minds, make them places, as it were to be in alone with God, setting their minds only upon heavenly things: For thus they are, although in the frequency of men, yet as men dwelling alone here in desarts. Thus David desiring one thing of God, viz. To dwell in his house: and Mary choosing that one thing which was necessary, made themselves desolate places.
Or with Princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver.Vers, 15.
Who are Princes, but the successors of the first Preachers, the Apostles, that were as Kings, the Rectours of Churches, of whom the Psalmist speaketh. In stead of fathers thou shalt have children, which thou mayest make Princes Psal. 45.in all lands. These have gold, when they have spirituall wisdome and faith; for so it is said, I counsell thee to buy of mee gold tryed in the fire, and faith more precious then gold. And the silver wherewith they fill their houses Revel. 3.are divine Sermons and Orations; of which their hearts are full, and then they are uttered by them; for of the words of God it is said, They are like to 1 Pet. 1. 7.pure silver tryed seven times in the fire.
As an hidden untimely birth, as Infants that never saw light.Psal. 12. Vers. 16.
That is, As those holy men before the Law, that being led only by the light of nature, whereof some indeed have their names and famous acts recorded, as Abel, Enoch, Abraham, Noah, Isaac, Jacob; but most lye hidden, and no remembrance of them is come to us, but as abortives, they are without names, yet at rest with God, in whom they beleived and with whom they walke continually: And as Infants dying before they see the light, were all such both before the Law, and under the Law, who lived not till the coming of Christ in the flesh, yet believed in him, of whom it is said, Many Kings and Prophets desired to see my day, and saw it not.
There the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary be at rest.
That is, the wicked Gentiles, who, before the coming of the Gospel amongst Vers. 17.them were distracted by being carryed after divers vanities; but being hereby converted, they also finally come to have rest here, and the weary through the heavy burthen of their sins, as our Lord hath said, Come to mee all yee that travell and are heavy laden, and yee shall finde rest unto your souls.
There the prisoners rest together, they heare not the voyce of the oppressor.Matth. 11. 28. Vers. 18.
The prisoners or bound ones, are those that feel themselves bound with the bonds of naturall corruption, from which they cannot during this life get loose, but hereby they are terrified, as they that live under a Tyrant, who daily oppresseth them. In this case Paul was, who was so fettered by his naturall corruption, that he was as a poor Captive lead away, and cast into Rom. 7.prison hereby, and this he calleth his flesh. And David complaineth of his sins, taking so fast hold upon him, that he could not look up. But being once in this place, all such shall be then at rest, and be troubled with no oppressors any more to fill their hearts with sorrow, according to which it is said, They shall sorrow no more, but have all teares wiped from their eyes. Of our being subject to vanity, and bound as it were; hee by the Apostle Paul Revel. 7.speaketh, saying, The creature is subject to vanity, but shall be brought into the glorious liberty of the sonnes of God, and set at liberty. And in another place of himselfe he saith, Desiring to be dissolved, and to be with Christ. That is, be loosed: And what doth this imply, that he counted himself bound here? Rom. 8. Phil. 1. 27.And who is the Oppressor or Exactor here spoken of, but the Devill, who ceaseth not by his temptations to exact upon the faithfull? but there shall be no Devil any more thus to molest us, and even whilst we live here, he heareth not his voyce, that resisteth his temptations.
The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his master. That is, all who have any true grace, although but little in comparison of that, which is in others, every one yet being here placed higher or lower, as he Vers. 19.hath abounded more, or hath had a lesser measure of grace and virtue. And the Servant is free from his Master, because he that once had been a Servant of sinne, as he is called, that committeth sinne, but whilst he lived, turned therefrom, is now free from all danger of being brought into this servitude any Joh. 8.more, sinne being now plucked up by the roots: As the Ivy growing in a stone wall when it is broken downe, as it could never be before, but remaining still as a root of bitterness troubled even the best, and as tinder apt to take the fire Rom. 6.of temptation, to inflame with sinful lusts.Heb. 1…
Wherefore is life given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in Soul?
That is, Why doth the World smile upon the Faithfull to tempt him by Vers. …0.the flatteries thereof in profits and preferments to sin, or frown upon him by adversityes and miseries, to discourage and dishearten him to indanger his Soule, by impatience and discontent? For in regard of these dangers, to which in this life he is continually subject, it is irksome to him to live here, and he desireth rather to be dissolved and to be with Christ.
Who long for death, but it cometh not, and dig for it more then for hid Vers. 21.Treasures.
They are sayd here to long for death, that desire totally to be mortified to sin and to the world, taking no pleasure in the honours, and preferments hereof, yet cannot, but will he nil he, honours and publick imployments are put upon him, and hereby he is hindred in the work of mortification. But he is said to dig for it, as for his treasures, that is seeing a treasure in heaven ready to be bestowed upon him, that laboureth in this work, he doth, as he that digging for a treasure hid in the ground, when he findeth that hee is neer unto it, work the more earnestly in digging till he hath gotten it into his possession.
Why is light given to a man, whose way is hid, and whom God hath hedged Vers. 23.in?
The Vulgar hath compassed about with darknesse Hebr. either hedged in Thornes, or covered or blindfolded, it is foreign signifying either, but because hiding his way, was before spoken of, by another word, this of hedging, is rather to be preferred. By a man, whose way is hidden, understand him that laboureth in the work of mortification, before spoken of, and yet neither knoweth certainly, that what he doth is approved of before the strict Judge of the whole world, nor whether the end of the way wherein he goeth, shall be everlasting blessedness For as Salomon sayth, There is a Way that is right in a mans own eyes, but the end thereof is death.
But this is not true touching all men, for he that believeth, and in uprightness of heart laboureth, to do all good, and to eschew all evill, is sure that his way pleaseth the Lord: If it be sayd, but he may not persevere, and then he shall not be saved. Sol: He that hath begun this good Worke will perfect it in the day of the Lord Jesus. But many there are that have light or comfort here in regard of the good end to which they shall come; yet being upon deceitfull grounds, that end of their way to which they shall come indeed, is hidden from them, and yet they are hedged as with thornes, that is, suffer by sharp and pricking Judgments, as they 2 Cor. 13.that suffer by the burning of their bodyes, but have not love.
For my sighings come before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the Vers. 24.waters,
That is, before feeding upon the contemplation of the happiness to come, I sigh and mourn after it, according to which the Apostle saith, We sigh after the dissolution of this earthly tabernacle, &c. For he that is not thus 2 Cor. 5.affected towards the happiness to come, and with the present sinns and miseries, cannot thus eat and be comforted. And to shew this greife is no small greife in the truly faithfull, it is added, My roarings are poured out like water. Extremity of greife causing tears to break forth for sinns past, being thus denoted, for which a simile is taken from waters.
The thing that I greatly feared is come upon me.
The vulg. The feare, that I feared hapned to me, That is, not knowing Vers. 25.when God chastiseth in love, and when in Justice, by way of taking revenge. This made me greatly afraid, least my sufferings should be the effects of wrath and not of love as David saith, Who knoweth the Power of thy wrath which is so spoken, because our minds are not able to conceive rightly hereof, but sometimes that seemeth to be grace to us, which is wrath, and that to be wrath which is grace, and that God approacheth unto us, when he leaveth us, and that he leaveth us, when he approacheth in love to us.
I was not in safety, I had not rest, neither was I quiet, yet trouble Vers. 26.came.
The vulg. Have I not dissembled? have I not been silent? have I not been at rest, and Indignation came upon me?
According to which Gregory, whom I have hitherto followed in all this Allegoricall Exposition, saith, the meaning is, being placed in this Dignity, so that I might think, speak, and do what I would; for thus it is with men, exalted above others: they have high thoughts of themselves, which yet they hide from others, and are licentious in their talk, and doings, being never troubled at it, but think they may speak and do what they lust: But Job disclaimeth this, touching himself; calling the first, a dissembling, and the two next being silent, and at rest, whereby he meant, that he dissembled the great Dignity, of which he was, thinking low of himself, notwithstanding the same; and instead of licentious speaking, he was silent, not uttering any such words, and rested from practising evil, after the manner of other wicked Princes. And so do all the godly in honour, they repress their heart, from considering their own glory, they restrain their Cor a consideranda sua gloria repremum, lingua ab mod… locutione stringunt, opus ab iniquietudinis vagatione custodiunt.tongues from immoderate talking, and keep their work from wandring through unquietness: Whether the words be rendred thus Interrogatively or Affirmitively, as I see no reason but they may, the sense cometh all one; I thought not my selfe safe, or in a quiet Estate, and at rest: If I should have been swayed by my greatness to do, as I might have been tempted hereby: And therefore had I a vigilent eye over my wayes, that I might not be thus transported. And yet wrath or terror came; for so foreign signifieth. And as Gregory, so Isidor. and Beda expound all this Allegorically. But Chrisost. and some others adhering to the letter, yet excuse Job from sinning through impatience, in saying thus much. For Chrisost. saith, That Job did like a sick man: Who being under the Physitians hands, whom he knoweth to be careful of doing all things for the best, useth all the patience towards him that may be: But in the extremity of his pain, hee layeth about him, and strikes at the standers by, and all things about him, but from the Physitian, he yet holdeth his hands for the reverence which he beareth towards him, and the awe in which he standeth of him: So Job being in extrem pain and torment, and it yet continuing, in none of his speches here, or which he uttereth afterwards, striketh at the Lord, but at other things only, wherewith he thought he might be more bold. I for my part am much affected with the Allegoricall exposition hetherto brought, and by me contracted to more brevity, and yet made more perspicuous, because I cannot think, that a man out of impatience against the innocent creatures, should speak so discreetly, holding out to such alength; or were he never so much overgone with passion, that he should magnifie the state of all the dead, having it by faith so rooted and grounded in him: That a difference is in death put betwixt men in respect of we…l and woe, resting and being tormented: And specially in blessing the condition of the greatest in this world, Kings and Princes, who for the most part are worst for Pride, Tyrany, Injustice, and licentious living. Therefore I cannot but think, that Job was even now full of the spirit, whereby he spake thus; yet as in a cloud, and obscurely, that we might study to find out his meaning, in opening which, the light given by acute Gregory, whose peircing wit I cannot but admire, doth not a little avail: And truly here are many passages, not only most true, but tending to our singular comfort and edification if they be well considered: For which I thought it good thus to set them forth.
Ambrose, who is also for the mystical sense, upon V. 8. That are ready to stir up Leviathan, saith, That this is spoken of Christ, who he saw was to encounter with the Devil, and to overcome him: For by Leviathan, the Devil is commonly by the Fathers understood, Job 40. And Christ is spoken of as ready to stir him up. They that follow the literal sense say, That Job herein calleth upon the wicked, that work by the Devil, to curse that night, or such as go a fishing, because a Whale is called Leviathan, but have no good success, and therefore curse such a night or day, as unlucky. From hence to V. 14. There is nothing difficult touching the literal sense: And upon this. Then should I have been at rest with Kings and Counsellors of the Earth. It is said, the meaning is, I should not have been in worse case then others my fellow Kings and Princes, who being dead and laid in their Vers. 17.Sepulchers feel no such pangs as I do. Then V. 17. There the wicked cease from tumult, that is, Either are made to be quiet, and cease from their wicked practises: Or the righteous are no more disquieted by them; whereas whilst they live here, they are allwaies like the raging tumultuating, and Isa. 57.can never cease raysing up troubles against them.
The man whose way God hath hidden &c. That is, The way of going out Vers. 23.of this life, which he desireth to do: But he findeth no meanes to get out; As one going upon the way, and coming at an hedge, through which he cannot break.
I sigh before I eat. That is, I am so full of sorrow, that even when I take my repast, I do it not without sighing and lamenting. The meaning of this Vers. 24. Vers. 25. Vers. 26.is plain, The thing that I feared is come upon me. I lived not so in prosperity, but I expected this day then; for I knew the uncertainty, and mutability of these worldly things: And therefore this hath not come upon me, for my confidence in worldly things. And since I was afflicted in my Children, whom I lost, and my Servants and Cattle, I murmured not, nor complained against God, whereby I might provoke him, to lay this Judgement more upon me, I did silently and quietly beare all my losses, as it appeareth by that which he said before, and yet …o what another heavy Judgment hath befallen me, & I see no end of it. And hetherto according to the literal sense and morals made hereupon: Something also hath been touched upon, concerning the Allegoricall from Job to Christ, which may well hold, if we make such an application in general, but not so particularly, as Gregory doth. Job was a figure of Christ, as was before said in his Name and Country, if we look at their signification: As also in his extrem poverty to which he was brought The Allegory.from great riches, although so just a man, that none was like him upon the Earth. He was also assaulted by the Devils temptations, being hungry and Matth. 4.alone in the Wilderness, and that not once, but sundry times; as the Divil stired up Jobs Wife, and by her assaulted him being in pain, and alone, there being neither Children nor Servants about him, and then his friends by their invectives against him, laying to his charge hypocrisy, as the Pharisees likewise stirred up by the Devil, laid to his charge, that he was a deceiver and wrought by Belzebub. Again he was filled by his harsh usage and sufferings beginning to seize upon him, about the time of his great passion upon the Cross, with such anguish, that it drove him into an Agony, which made him sweat such a sweat, as never was heard of, even drops of blood; and after this, as despairing, to cry out, Eli, Eli, Lama sabactthany. When yet he neither sinned by the heat of impatience, or the chill coldness of pusillanimity, or feare, as Job cryed out against the day of his Birth, and as impatient of living longer, not in a sinful way, but as under a shew hereof, uttering misticall things for our instruction, as may appear from that which hath been said. How the allegory holdeth afterwards in the end, which the Lord made, shall be by his assistance shewed toward the end of this Book.