The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 241

Vcrs. 16-22.-Job to God: 4-. Falling back into tM darkness. I. BROODING OVEB HIS MISERY. 1. .A sudden transition. Job's anticipation of the future resurrection-life was a momentary inspiration ; not a calm, clear, steady light, diffusing a cheerful radiance within his soul, and shining on his onward progress to the grave, but a bright meteoric flash shooting up before his mind's eye, dazzling it for an instant by celestial splendours, and then plunging across the firmament of his soul into darkness. Like Moses on the summit of Mount Pisga.h, looking out over Jordan towards the promised land ; like Christ upon the snowy crown of Hermon, gazing far beyond the cross to the glory that was to follow, this great prophetic soul, with his vision clarified through suffering, having been set down by the grave's mouth, looked across the dark Hadean world, and descried the resurrection-life beyond. But, alas! like the l'isgah-glimpse of Canaan and the transfiguration-glory of Mount Hermon, the beatific vision was not of long duration. It was a momentary parting of the veil before the undiscovered country -nothing more. It came, it paused not, it passed, it vanished. 'l'he old stream of sorrowful emotion, out of which Job had been lifted for a season, as St. Paul was caught up into the third heaven, resllDled its course. He was once more in the fulr ·current of his misery. Such transitions are not infrequent in tbe Christian life-from light to darkness, from joy to sadness, from peace. to trouble, from deHghtful anticipations of heaven to sorrowful forebodings of impending diaa.st.er. 2 . .An e:£traordinary mis- ronce-ptwn. Losing sight of the light from beyond the tomb, he is once more a wretched creature whose steps are wa.tchoo, and whose sins are marked by an angry Judge. God appears to be dealing with him as a criminal, lying in wait, as it were, to detect hie sins, preserving a careful enumeration of them, storing them up in a bundle as legal documents ; or, better, in a purse as money or precious stones, and sealing it to ensure their prodnction on the day of trial-nay, for that purpose, sewing them up in a sort of interior scrip (Cox), or tying them up together (Fry, Good), or stitching on to them additional charges (Gesenius, Delitzsch). The experience through which Joh here passes was not new to himself ( eh. vii. 18 ; xiii. 27), and has sometimes been approximated to by believ-eri; under the Law (Pa. x:u:viii. 1--4; lxxxviii. 7, 16), thuugh, in the case of Christians, it should for ever be impossible, proceeding as it does upon a total misconception of the character of God as revealed in Jesus Christ. Even under the Law such a picture as Job here sketches of the Divine treatment of a believing sinner should scarcely have been possible. As discovered to Moses, the character of Jehovah was •• merciful an<l gracious" (Exod. xxxiv. 7); as known to David, .. ready to forgive" (Ps. lxxxvi. 5); as proclaimed by Micah, "delighting in mercy" (Micah vii. 18). Much more as published by him who is the Image of the invisible God (Col. i. 16), and who ea.me to declare the Father (John i. 18), it is essentially love. The only being whom God ever treated as a criminal on account of ClH, XIV, 1-22.] 'l'HE BOOK OF JOB. 251