Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 2 · Job · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII.
IS there not an appointed time to man upon earth, are not his dayes as the days of an hireling?Vers. 1.
Having by the words before going prepared his friends to attend patiently, and to judg righteously of his words, now he approveth that which he had said before, Chap. 3. touching his desire to dye, and not to have his miserable life still prolonged. And to this he compareth himselfe, and man, leading his life in misery here, to an hireling, whose labour is great and soar, and there-he desireth the coming on of the night, as also doth every poor servant, that he may rest his weary body, and the hireling have his wages paid him. So it must not be thought unreasonable and wicked for a man living in misery, to come to the night of death, being to such, if he feareth God, as Iob did, far more comfortable then life, for the happy remuneration which he shall then have in the kingdom of heaven, although not out of merit but mercy, vers. 3. In way of declaring his own miseries, he saith, I am made to possesse moneths Vers. 3.of vanity, and wearisome nights are appointed unto me. As if he had said, I am in worse case then the poorest hireling; for when he after the toyle and pains of the day, goeth to rest at night, he sleepeth quietly, but my nights are no better to me then my dayes, they are wearisome and tiring also.
My flesh is cloathed with worms and clods of dust, my skin broken and become loathsome: Which he speaketh for the filthy and sore disease that was upon Vers. 5.him: For the words of vers. 1. Is there not an appointed time to man? The Vulg. hath it, The life of man is a warfare upon earth. Heb. Is there not a warfare to man? or an appointed time? For foreign signifieth both, but it is most commonly expounded by warfare, and take it to be a description of mans life in generall, which is set forth by three comparisons.
1. To a Souldier, who is in continuall danger.
2. To an Hireling, that laboureth and toyleth in all weathers. 3. To a servant, a slave, whose life is most miserable of all others, and therfore as good Note. Souldiers let us fight manfully against all our spirituall enemies, the World, the Flesh, & the Devil, and let us labour faithfully in our places and callings, whilst life and strength lasteth, and not stand idle; and let us with all diligence serve the Lord, because although servants, by so doing we are made his free-men: and as valiant Souldiers, when we have overcome, we shall be Rev. 2. Chap. 3. Math. 20.crowned, and as faithfull labourers in Gods vineyard, at the end of the day of this life we shall have our hire, as those labourers in the Vineyard, and as good servants be bidden to enter into our Masters joy, and in the midst of the greatest heat of al… adversities, we patiently bearing the burthens laid upon us shall be under the shadow of the Almighty, and have refreshing hereby. Psalm 91.Thus for the generall; but howsoever this be true touching all men, yet more in Job, who is to be thought more particularly thus to lament his owne most afflicted condition: for he, as a Souldier, did bear the piercing of Gods arrows, as he spake before, and as an hireling or servant, had a greater weight laid upon him then he was able to bear, a weight heavier then the sands of the Sea shore. And to him in particular agree the complaints following, vers. 3, 4, 5. And whereas he speaks of man in the third person, this is not unusuall in holy Scripture, when one speaketh of himself, as 2 Cor. 12. And Iob beginneth his Book in like manner, Chap. 1. As for vers. 3, 4, 5. Ferus applyeth them also to man in generall, thus: He passeth moneths in vanity, because oft times he laboureth, and his labour taketh not effect: And he saith at night, when will it be morning, because he is uncertain, when he goeth to bed, whether he shall live to the morning, or in the morning, whether he shall live till night, upon such uncertainties he goeth. And well may every man say, that he is cloathed with dustand worms, &c. For so shall it be with him, when death cometh, if he escapeth coming into the like condition before. And whereas vers. 6. it is said, My dayes are swifter then a Weavers Vers. 6.shuttle, my life is spent without hope. This was true, as he conceived in him, there was no hope, but that he must dye of this grievous disease, and that soone; and it is true of every mortall man, he is but of short continuance in this life, but his glasse runneth out a pace every day. Vers. 7. Having made his apology in respect of that, which he was judged to have spoken rashly, Vers. 7.Chap. 3. Now he maketh his complaint and prayer to God, from whom hee acknowledged all his misery to come.
O remember that my life is wind: mine eye shall no more see good. From hence to the 11. vers. he in effect prayeth to God for mercy to be shewed unto him, to bring him again out of the misery wherein he was, moving for this in consideration, that if he were once gone out of this world, the time would be too late to do any thing for him in this world any more, sith, that after death he should be but like a cloud dissolved, which now is nothing, and as the wind past and gone; for so it is with him that is departed hence, he shall here be seen no more: As also David saith, Psa. 39. That we may not think it strange, that so righteous a man as Job should speak thus despairingly, as if he thought that all happinesse was at an end, when his mortall life was ended. Gregory speaketh excellently upon those words, Vers. 6. My dayes are spent without hope. This is indeed the case of wicked carnall men, when this life is Gregory.gone, all is gone from them; because although they heare of the happinesse of the life to come, yet they believe it not, and so it is as nothing to them; but Job and other faithfull persons, who have pleaded so much to have their lives spared upon the same grounds, as it may seem by their words, spoke in a far divers sense, for their minds being ever upon the life to come, … regard of which they set light by this life, and the things hereof, say they shal dye without hope of any happiness here to be attained, where even in prosperity they have seen and counted all worldly things vain and transitory, and overcoming have trodden them under their feet. And to the same effect are the next words, wherein he turneth himself to God, saying, Remember th… my life is as a wind, &c. I so account it, and therefore set not my heart upon it, as worldlings do, who imagine it to be a stable thing, and are affected to it accordingly, but the Elect see it, and to be as it is, as a wind that passeth away, and returneth no where, and to the same effect he speaketh on, V. 8. 9. 10. And hereupon he concludeth, saying,
Therefore I will not refrain my mouth, but I will speak in the bitterness of Vers. 11.my spirit. That is, with sorrow and anguish of heart I will confess my sinnes; Wicked Reprobates also, sometimes confesse their Sinnes, but it is with godly Sorrow for them, and so they are he that openeth his wound, but layeth on no plaister, and by this means the wounds made by sin are more putrified and grow more dangerous; but he that confesseth, and lamenteth them in a godly manner, openeth them, and applyeth a medicine to them to heal them: And I say, In a godly manner, in the phrase of the 2 Cor. 7. 10.Apostle, because Ahab and Judas were sorrowful, but it was in regard of the punishment, not of the sinns committed by them, they that have Matth. 5anguish and vexation for their sinns shal have comfort, as our Lord saith, Blessed are they that mourne, for they shall be comforted.Vers. 12.
Am I a sea, or a Whale that thou settest a watch over mee? Vulg. That thou campassest me with a prison: Whereby Gregory understandeth, that which keepeth a man straite, that he cannot so freely fight against all his sinnes, as he would, or be inlarged more in virtue, to run the race of Gods Commandments, so David prayeth also, Bring my Soul out of prison to Psal. 142.confesse to thy name. And to a sea are the wicked compared, such as Job was not, because fleshly and rebellious notions are continually rising in their carnall minds; To a whale the Devill, who maketh his habitation in them, making them more dangerously to arise to overturn the ship of the Church, and drown it amidst the waves thereof: But both they and he are streightned as it were by imprisoning, so that they cannot do against the faithful always as they would, which oft times appeareth, when God by his judgments represseth them, so that of what strength soever they be, and what preparations soever they make, they cannot prevaile, but are confounded in their enterprises; as Pharaoh pursuing the Children of Israel into the red sea was drowned, and Sanacherib coming against Hezekiah, was miraculously Note. smitten in his hoast, and perished, a great comfort to the people of God in all straits by their enemies coming to fight against them, remember we in this case that we have a God that is able to restrain the most potent Whale, the powerfull Devills, and the sea of the wicked, their greate multitudes from overflowing, to drown and destroy his Servants, that we may put our trust in him. Now Job in speaking thus of himself, meaneth; that seeing that he was not as a sea or whale, having motions rising in his mind, putting him on to do mischeife, but his motions were good and godly, to proceed further in vertue; The Lord should not by restraining him from greater increases herein any way discourage or hinder him by dealing hardly by him: That the wicked are as a sea, as hath been said, See Isaiah 57. ult. and the Leviathan or whale, both in this book and elsewhere spoken of, set for the Devil, and the word foreign signifieth prison as well as custody, or a watch to keep a man. When I say my bed shal comfort me, my couch shal ease my complaint.Verss 13. Vers. 14. Gregory.
Then thou scarest me with dreames, &c. What is meant here by bed or couch, sayth Gregory, but a mans receding from things outwardly suffered or injoyed into his own heart and inward meditations. For s in the song of Solomon it is sayd, I sought him in my bed whom my Soul loveth: Job then meaneth, Cant. 3. 1.that being pressed with misery as he was, he retyred to inward meditations, touching God and himself, and doing so, when he thought to find comfort, he perceived the severity of God to be so great against sinn, and that he will come at the last day in such a terrible manner to punish it, that this proved to him as fearfull dreams and visions in the night, so that in stead of being comforted he was deterred, as men commonly are by fearfull dreams and apparitions, because the Judg then will proceed most strictly against sin, and punish it most severely, without respect of persons; for when a godly man thinketh with himself of his sins, they all come to his mind, that ever he hath done, and then the divill is at hand to aggravat them against him, and hereby he is greatly terified. For as other be dreames, that come from God, as the dreams of Pharoah his cheif Butler and Baker, and of Pharoah, which Joseph interpreted, so there be delusory dreams, that come from the Devill, for which it is forbidden to regard, as Divinations, so dreams, and dreams Levit. 19. Ecclesiastic. 34. Eccles. 5. Dan. 2.are sayd to make many to err. Some dreams also come of much business, and some of thought and care taking about things to come. As Daniel saith of Nebuchadnezzar, that when the thoughts of his head troubled him, he saw an image, &c. And by delusory dreams, it was that Job was terrified, which come from the Devil, God permitting it; and therefore he saith, Thou scarest me with dreames, when he speaketh to the Lord: For the literall sense it is plain, he meaneth that he took no rest night or day, as he partly touched before, Vers. 4. and his terrours by night were in respect of the arrows of God spoken of, Chap. 6. that peirced him within For the allegoricall sense given by Gregory it is very good, and sheweth the fears that come by sin Note. for which when a man suffereth outwardly, and thinketh to have comfort inwardly from God against them, shall be more increased, so that the sinner if he well considereth it, can have no rest or comfort in his affliction outwardly or inwardly, and therefore is in a most miserable condition; For if Job a most holy man found rerrour within, where he thought to have had rest, what shall gross sinners that are spots and blots amongst Christians doe.
So that my soul chooseth strangling, and death rather then life.Vers. 15.
The vulg. Suspension, or hanging for strangling, whereupon Gregory, the soul is suspended when it is elevated or lifted up above these worldly things, And my bones choose death, so the vulg. for these words; And death rather then life; and that rightly, for the word is, foreign signifieth my bones, and hereby strength of the body or flesh is meant, the mortification whereof having the mind lifted up to things above, he here intimateth that he desired, and indeed it is, for by being heavenly minded, the flesh or members are brought to have the lesser strength, yea to such weakness as if they were dead; a good allegory, but the literall meaning is, that being in this misery Note. within and without, he preferred the taking away of his breath by the prevailing of his Boyles, and consequently death before the savity of his Body, and strengthning of it again, by having of his Disease healed.
I loath it, I would not live alwaies, let me alone, for my dayes are vaniry.Vers. 16.
What is man that thou shouldst magnify him, &c. Man being elevated in his Vers. 17.mind, as was before sayd, although he hath temporall goods, yet he vilifieth them in comparison of heavenly things, not desiring to live in pleasure by them, or to have his life prolonged, that he might injoy them more time, for he looks upon the days of this life, as vanity and vexation of spirit, for which he desireth God to let him alone, as the vulg. hath it, not to spare him in respect of life and prosperity, and then V. 7. he argueth to this purpose.
What is man that thou shouldst magnifie him? that thou shouldst set thine Vers. 18.heart upon him, and visit him every morning, and try him every moment? That man being so vain a thing and this his life, why is he so set up, as thy favourite in respect of worldly things, having wealth, honour, & dignity here: Yea thou visitest him every morning: What is the morning but the light, which riseth after Deus accedendo promovet virtutes nob is recedendo concuti pertentationem permit tit.the dark night, so God visiteth his elect every morning, when he inlightneth them by his Grace, who were before in the darkness of unrighteousness and sin, but now by his grace are brought into the light of Righteousness, faith, and holiness: But because God by coming to us by his grace promotes virtue in us, and by receding suffereth us to be shaken by temptation, and therefore after visiting every morning spoken of, he saith, Thou tryest bim every moment; For if we were not after grace entring into our hearts, shaken by temptations, we would be ready to think that we had this of our selves, and not of the gift of God, and so to be proud, but by being thus shaken we are humbled, as Paul saith of himself, 2 Cor. 12. For in temptation finding our own weakness, we see what need we have of Gods help, and so flee to him in prayer.
How long wilt thou not depart from me? nor let mee alone till I swallow Vers. 19.my spittle? Here letting passe that of Gregory as over curious about his spittle. I, with others, take the meaning to be, as if he had sayd, spare me from my pains, which make me even like unto one that is ready to dy, who cannot get his spittle either to go down or to come up, wherein he desireth some liberty again; to which effect also David speaketh, saying, O spare me that I may Ps. 39. 13.recover strength. And of Gods setting his heart upon man, and magnifying him V. 8. Using the same interrogation.Vers. 20.
I have sinned, what shall I do to thee, O thou preserver of men? why hast thou set me as a mark unto thee, so that I am a burthen to my self. Now Job to shew that he did not in all his sayings before justify himself, confesseth, I have sinned; The word rendred Preserver is foreign by vulg. rendred Keeper, as it signifieth properly such a keeping, as of a watchman standing upon a Tower to look unto, and to observe all things hostily attempted, or done, that there may be an opposition made there against in due time, and to this do the next words most aptly agree: Why hast thou set me as a mark; or as the vul. hath it, an Adversary: Hebr. foreign one comming against, that is, an Enemy. The meaning is, I acknowledg my self to be a sinner, and therefore worthy of the judgments which have befallen me; but what wouldst thou have me to do, that hast and dost so diligently look at the sinns of men, that I have not done, for I have patiently born thy judgments, justified thy proceedings against me in so great severity, given thee praise in the midst of all my greivous sufferings, and my heart hath alwais been to serve thee in truth, and to flee all sinn, & now I confess my self yet to be a sinner, what wouldst thou have me Lord to do more? or what can I do more to procure thy favour again towards me even as a poor debtor, that not being able to satisfy his Creditor, but humbleth himself unto him, & is ready to do what in him lyeth to the uttermost, in way of satisfying him, as that Debtor, Matt. 18. So Job pleadeth before the Lord, as the master, who is kind to his servant indebted; that although in 10000. Talents is to him, so he would be pleased to shew honour to him, and not to deal by him as an enemy, persisting still by his Judgments to make out against him, for if he should so do, he had no joy in living any longer here, but his life was a great and importable burthen to him, that made him to complain insuch bitternesse as before. The Talmudists make bold here to change the sentence thus. I am a burthen to thee; And the Sept. Tr. likewise; Augustine.which Aug. following sayth, why hast thou set me against thee, that I should against thee and so be a burthen to thee, greiving thee so with my speeches, speak that thou canst not bear them, but the word is foreign to me.
Why dost not thou pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity? Vers. 21.For now I shall sleep in the dust, thou shalt seek me in the morning, but I shall not be Having confessed his sinns, he now craveth pardon, and useth this as an argument to move the Lord hereunto, and that speedily removing his greivous suffrings from him, whereby he was now ready to sink and dye, least if he did not, it would be too late; For if death once cometh, although it be set forth by sleep, yet herein it is not like unto naturall sleep, which although it be all night, yet a man waketh in the morning, and so from morning to morning again, but he being once dead, waketh so no more to live in this world, and therefore if the Lord will save him alive, he must do it without delay, before that death striketh him, if not, but he be once departed, he is not to be found here any more, how diligently soever sought for; he meaneth not, that he shal never be found, or come forth from the dust again, for at the last day he shall, and so Job beleeved, for he sayth, I know Job 19. 25.that my Redeemer liveth, &c. To conclude, in that he speaketh of God as a watchman, diligently observing our sinns, to come against us, therefore note. First, That we are no where hid from his sight, as is also taught, Psal. 139. Note. That we may always walk as in his presence. Secondly, That we ought to flee sin, as making God our enemy, and to count us his enemies. Thirdly, Not only grosser but even lesser sinns in the best livers are marked by God, and therefore we have all need to confess and crave pardon of our sinns, as being otherwise liable to death. Fourthly, That we may come into favour and be p…rdoned, we must do as Job did, suffer affliction with patience, justifie God in all our suffrings, and even therefore bless his holy name, &c. as it is sayd before.