The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 195

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vere. 1-20.-" H'll,mble g(J'll,rselvu beneath the mighty hand of God." Zophal", the youngest of the friends, now comes forward once more to beat down the complaint of Job with the old arguments and commonplaces. To support his words, he does not appeal to a vision like Eliphaz, nor rely on the wisdom of the ancients like Bildad, bu,t depends on his own understanding and zealous though narrow instinct for God. His whole speech is an example of the beauty and, at the same time, the defect of religious zeal In anxiety for God's honour he forgets to be considerate of his fellow-man. The general contents of the speech may be characterized as the rebuke of hurr,,an ignorance. L O""DIGNillT DENUNCIATION OF HUMAN OOMPLAINT. (Vers. 1-4.) He terms Job's outpourings a "torrent of words," "vain talk," and impious "mockery," a scoffing; and Job himself is an idle "prater." Further, he stoutly sums up all Job's speeches as meaning shortly this: "My teaching is pure, and I am guiltless in God's eyes." Job, in fact, has stepped quite out of his place, in Zophar's opinion, laying down principles and doctrines instead of meekly and penitently suffering in silence. It is an unjust view, manifestly ; and we should be warned age.inst the danger, in pleading for God, of being unjust and unfair, hard and uncharitable, to our fellow-man. To .fetter the tongue, to attempt to lay fett.ers on the free course of the mind, especially in its moment of sorrow, may be to inflict a cruel injury on a sensitive heart. IL WISH FOB Gon's APPEARANCE. (Vers. 5, 6.) He desires that God in the fulness of his revelation, in the complete disclosure of knowledge and truth, may convince Job how" doubly strong" is Wisdom in her nature and penetrating power (ver. 6). Here would Job learn that, so far from being unjustly punished, God bas rather passed by much of his guilt, and punishes him far Iese tbe.n he deserves. Here two defect.a are contrasted. 1. Half-knowledge of God. This according, to Zopbar, is Job's condition, He has but a partial understanding of God ; and the little that he sees he misapplies, and so is led into perplexity and passion. Zophar, assuming guilt in Job, deems, e.nd wrongly, that Job is tempted to think only of his innocence, and to overlook hie great and hidden sins. In the end (eh. x:u:viii.), when God does manifest himself, Job does recoglJize that he is but a half-knower, but not that he.is a hypocrite. 2. But there is, on the other hand, the as6umptwn of knowledge on the part of the rebuking speaker which is not less a fault. This ie, iudeed, the error of all the friends, and it a11 aits tbt Divine answer. Jn seeking to remove the mote from Job's eye, they are Ul.icvusciuus of the beam in their own. These di1ferencee may be reconciled if we bear in miud the gree.t sayipg of St. Paul, that we see but in part, and know but in part, aoci tliat e.11 perr,lexities are solved by an absolute faith in the Divine love. We see an. XI, 1-20.] THE BOOK OF JOB. 201