The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 272

HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-6.-Job to Eliphaz: I. Unacceptable comfort and unassuaged grief. I. UNACCEM'ADLE COMFORT. Job characterizes the offered consolation of Eliphaz and his companions a.s: 1. In its nature commonplau. "I have heard many such thinas." Not that Job imagined self-evident and obvious maxims could not be true, or obje;ted to a goo<l lesson because it was common, or was himself" one of those nicelings who arc always longing for I wot not what novelties, and caunot abide that a man should tell them one tale twice" (Calvin), like the .Athenians (Acts xvii. 21), and some Christians of whom St. Paul writes (2 Tim. iv. 3); but that either he desired to rebuke the assumption of the friends, who had pretentiously styled their stale platitudes •• the consolations of God" (cb. xv. 11), by discovering them to be exceedingly trite observations, or he wished to draw attention to the greatness of his misery which refused to be comforted by common means. 2. In its pertinence powerless. " Shall vaiu words [literally, 'words of wind'] have an end?" If Job meant, by designating Eliphaz's oration "words of wind," to repay him for the compliment contained in eh. xv. 2, most unquestionably Job was wrong, since good men should be meek (Gal. v. 23; 1 Cor. xiii 7 ; Eph. iv. 2), and meek men should rather bea.r reproach than resent it {l Pet. ii. 20), being called thereunto by Christ's precept (Matt. :x.i. 29), promise (Matt. v. 5), and example (1 Pet. ii. 21); but if Job simply designed to direct attention to tbe tact that a truth might be precious in itself as well as eloquently set forth, and yet possess no relevancy to the subject under consideration-whistling past it, in fact, like the idle wiud-he gave utterance to a valuable remark. 'l'he public ear groans at the quantity of windy talk, irrelevant observation, impertinent argument, and pointless discussion to which it is obliged to listen. It is, however, a mistake to suppose that good people and religious literature enjoy a monopoly of this sort of wisdom. .AB much weak (Scottice "feckless") palaver may be beard in parliaments and scientific congresses as in pulpits and sermons. 3. In its spirit irascible. "What emboldeneth [literally, ' goadeth 'J thee that tbou answerest?" Eliphaz had thrown off the somewhat caln1 and philosophic manner that bad distinguished him in his first Rddress, had given way to temper, and allowed the heat of hie spirit to communicate a degree of sharpness to bis tongue. Between the two, the tongue and tbe temper, there is an intimate connection. It is bard to pour forth floods of glowing eloquence when the soul is like an icicle; but equally it is a task for the wisest, when the whole inner man is on fire, to keep the conflagration from shooting out lambent flames, and emitting fiery sounds from the mouth. "It is good to be zealously affected in a good thing;" but "the discretion of e. man deferreth bis, anger," "ltst there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, back- 1,itings, whisperings, swellings, tumults," an.d because" the wrath of man worketh not tLe rigl,tcoW!ness of God," while "an an,,.crry man etirreth up strife, and a furio11e miin aboundc·th in transgression." 4. In its utterance facile. "I also could speak as yo11 Ott, Xvt, 1-22.J THE BOOK. OF JOB. 283