ebould be derived from the etudy of eo grand a truth. 1. Sulnmssion. It should eilence all murmuringe against afflictive diepensations. 2. Repentamce. It ought to fill the human apirit with devout contrition. 3. Hope. It should teach man to "nccount the long-euffering of our God salvation." Vere. 1-12.-Zophar to Job: 2. God's wisdom and mom's folly. I. THE PERP'EOTION OF DIVINE WISDOM. 1. Unsearchable. Zophar's interrogations (ver. 7) may signify either that man can never fully understand God, or that man's wisdom can never folly equal God's. '!'a.ken either way, they mean that the Divine wisdom, already described as "fold upon fold" (ver. 6), transcends the comprehension of a finite mind. Whether the knowledge of God attainable by the speculative reason is a real and immediate knowledge of God as he is, or "nothing more than a. tissue of ambitious self-contra.dic- tions which only indicate what he is not" (Mansel, 'Limits of Religious Thought,' lect. iv.), may be relegated to philosophers and meta.physicians to determine. It is certain the Divine Being is unsearchable by man in his esssence (eh. xxxvi. 26; xxxvii. 23), in his Person (Gen. x:xxii. 29; Judg. xiii. 18; John i. 1; x. 30), in his attributes (Ps. cxlvii. 6), e.g. in his wisdom (Isa. xl. 28; Rom. xi. 33), in bis works (eh. v. 9; ix. 10), and in bis ways (Nab. i. 3; Rom. xi. 33). Hence man's wisdom can never equal God's. Man's wisdom at the best can be fully comprehended; God's cannot. 2. Infinite. That which renders the Divine wisdom unsearchable is its infinitude (vers. 8, 9). The wisdom displayed by Deity in the creation, decoration, end preservation of the universe does not exhaust the fulness that his Godhead contains. Could the human mind explore the former in every possible direction, there would still remain in each an infinitude beyond, .representing the deep things of Eloah, and the perfection of Shaddai. Most impressively does the language convey the thought of man's inferiority to God in respect of wisdom, For if man by his utmost efforts cannot reach unto the perfection of the creatures-if there be heights in heaven which he cannot scale, and depths ·in Sheol to which he cannot penetrate, if even the wide-rolling, far-resounding sea baffles him with its mystery-how much less should be hope to reach unto the perfection of the Crea.tor? 3. Irresistible. " If he," i.e. the Almighty, acting under the guidance of his wisdom, "cut off [literally, 'should arrest'] and shut up," or imprison, "and gather together," i.e. a court to try man his prisoner, "then who can hinder him?" (ver. 10). A graphic picture representing (1) God's ability to pursue, arrest, and shut up in prison those who offend against his holy Law, as he did with Adam and Eve (Gen. iii. 8, 9), with Pharaoh (Exod. xiv. 23), with Jonah (i. 4); as he still does with wicked men, pursuing them with the hot foot of an avenging providence (Prov. xiii. 21), aprre- hending them with the strong hand of an awakened conscience (Acts ii. 37; xvi. 30), and as he will yet do with the finally impenitent who despise his offered grace (Matt. x. 28 ; xiii. 42 ; 2 Thess, i. 9). (2) The certainty that God will ytt bring the ungodly into juclgment at the last day (cb. xxi. 30; Eccles. iii. 17; Matt. xxiv. 30; xxv. 31; Rom. xiv. 10; Heb. ix. 27), since he often does so prelusively and prernonitorily on earth (Prov. xi. 31 ; Ps. lviii. 11). And (3) the impossibility of any one being able to either contend with him in argument or outwit him with chicanery (eh. ix. 4, 12, 14). Men may seem at present to reply successfully against God, denying his existence, ignoring bis providence, impeaching bis justice, vindicating themsehes and repudiating the charges of his Law; but when God holds the great assize it will be seen how utterly vain as well as preposterously foolish have all their endeavours been. 4. Omniscient. God knows vain men, and thoroughly comprehends their wickedness, without requiring to reflect upon either them or it. His knowledge of men is (1) universal: '' Ilo knoweth men," i.e. he knows them all; (2) particular: "He knoweth vain men," he knows their characters and their works; (3) continuous, he constantly observes them; and (4) intuitive, he knows them at once and thoroughly, with all- seeing, all-searching glance. And this omniscience lays the basis for God's invincibility in judgmcnt. II. THE CONSUJIIMATION OF HUMAN FOLLY. In contrast to the transcendent wisdom of Eloah, Zophar depicts men, and in particular Job, as: 1. Morally worthless. "Vein nrnn," literally, •• men of nothingness," men devoid of principle, and "hollow men," he styles them. The api,ellation is bJ no means incorrect, as descriptive of 198 (Olt, XI, 1-20.
man's natural condition; man being now, in consequence of sin, emptied of all goodness and S\ fritual understanding. 2. Natwrally wiel,t.8s. Prone to entertain exalted notions of his own wisdom, man is naturally senseless as a wild nss's colt-which also Is not wholly utray from the truth, the estate of man from his birth being one of mnoh ignorance, especially with regard w things Divine. 3. Essentially heartless. Zophar designs to say thn.t hollow-hearted man can only be humanized by tho salutary discipline of affiiction. The change wrought upon him by the fierce discipline uf lire is as great as it would be for a wild ass's colt to become a man. But this implies that man is by sin debnmanizea and without a heart. 4. .Absolutely lzopeltss, Delitzsch reads, " But before an empty hean gaineth understanding, a wild ass would become a man;" thus te,iching that man's folly is irremediable. This black picture, however, is not in nil points according to truth. Sinful man may be born again, may obtain a new heart, may acquire an enlightened unde1·standing, and may eventually be arrayed in stainless moral purity. Learn : 1. To revere the transcendent majesty of him who is infinite and unsearch• able in wisdom. 2. To trust the providential government of him who is" wonderful in counsel and excellent in working." 3. To believe the gracious revelations of him "in whom are bid all the treasnres of wisdom and knowledge." 4. •To accept the' hea'l'enly gifts of him who" hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence." 5. To cherish deep humility before him "whose foolishness is wiser than men," and before whom man's highest wisdom is but folly. 6. To be thankful· to 'him whose "manifold wisdom" hath been revealed for the enlightenment and salvation· of foolish' men. ,. .