The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 383

·4; Col. i. 16; Heb. i. 3), in whom alone, accordingly, God can now be found. (Z) A faithful servant of God. Recogniz'ing bis allegiance to God, Job not only used means to acquaint himself with God's will, as all saints should do, but acoepted that will as the rule and pattern of his life: (a) cheerfully, making God's way his way, like the Me~sianic Sufferer (Ps. xl. 7, 8), and like Christ (John vi. 38); (b) perpetually adhering to God's commRndmcnt always (Ps. cxix. 44), rendering obedience not alono t~ precepts which accorded with his inclination, but to every word that proceeded from God's m0uth (Ps. cxix. 8S); (c) firmly, holdin:i; fast to God'a steps by his foot, resisting all at.tcmptli to cause him to decline or tum aside (Ps. xliv. 18; cxix. 31); (d) appre- ciatingly, esteeming the words of God's mouth more than his necessary food (Authorized Version), like Da~i,i (P~. xix. 10; cxix. 72), Jeremiah (xv. 16), Daniel (vi. 5, 10), Mary _(Luke x. 39-42), ~d New Testament bel!evers generally (1 Pet. ii. 2); accordmg to another translation, (e) carefully, tree.sunng up God's Word in his breast like> the Hebrew psalmist (Ps. cxix. 11); and (f) sacrificingly, preferrina God's com~ mandments to the inclinations, resolves, and purposes of his own heart, ~hen at any time these came into collision, like St. Paul (Hom. vii. 22) ;-all which proclaimed Job a genuinely pious man. II. THE OHILD OF LIGHT IN DARKNESS. The passage exhibits Job in three different situations. l. Encompassed by the darlc,a.ess. The de.rkness alluded to not the cloud of outward pain and distress by which Job was overshadowed, but tho inward· mental and spiritual obscuration which these occasioned-the horrible eclipse which his faith suffered, the terrible revulsion of unrequited love which his soul experienced. A genuine believer and lover of Gcd, who we.s conscious in his inmost soul of sincerity, who with admirable fortitude had shunned every evil way, and who with unrelaxing tenacity had adhered to the path of truth and right, preferring on every occasion God's will to his own, he had yet lost all sense of the Divine favour as well as all conscious..: ness of the Divine presence. Though he earnestly longed to meet and made frantic efforts to obtain an interview with God, it was al ways in vain. "Behold, I go eastward, bnt he is not tbere; and westward, but I perceive him not. Northwards where he worketh, but I behold him not; he turneth aside southwards, and I see him not." Job meant that he looked in all directions for some visible manifestation of God before which he might come and plead his cause. Job's spiritual desolation and fruitless longing after God are not without their counterparts in the experiences of Old Testa.men~ saints and New Testament be!ie"rers (Isa. I. 10; John xx. 14), who sometimes, like David on account of Bin (Ps. u:x. 7); or like Ethan through calamity (Ps. lxxxix. 46), or like Mary through bereavement (John xx.14), or like the travellers to E=aus through spiritun.J. dejection (Luke xxiv. 17), are altogether unable to realize the comfortable shining of God's favour and Christ's love upon their souls. Job's inward condition bad its highest exemplificatior.. in the soul-desertion of Christ upon the cross. 2. Supported ,n the darknes$. As God did not leave Christ entirely without consolations in the hour of his great sorrow, so neither does he leave any of his people (Isa. xliii. 2 ;. Heb. xiii 5). Job was upheld in the gloom by tbree considerations. (1) The' knowledge of God's presence. He could not see God, but he was perfectly aware that God could see him. Though God seemed far removed, Job knew that he was close at hand-if a veiled presence, yet still a presence. So Christ believed his Father to be nigh though his face was hid. And faith should teach saints to believe in the continual encom- paEsing of God's gracious presence, even when all inward sense of that presence has departed from the soul. (2) The consciousness of personal integrity.. David_ could not have enjoyed this when he lost God's favour in consequence of sinning with Bath- sheba. It is a terrible aggravation to the soul's di.stress to know that through personal tranRgression one has relapsed into the gloom. On the other hand, the calm clear persuasion that one's conduct has been such as not only c:inscience but God commends, mUBt prove a rock of adamant beneath the fainting spirit. (3) The discernment of God's JJUrpose in affliction. This seemingly a new discovery to the patriarch. Formerly inclined to view his misfortunes as a token of Divine anger, he now regards them as sent for his trial, as designed to test his spiritual character as fire is employed to assay gold. So God did tempt Abraham (Gen. nii. 1), and so believers are subjected to manifold temptations for "the trial" of their faith (1 Pet. i. 7). 'l'hat saints are so tried ~roves them to be saints. 'l'bis thought, conjoined with the graciou~ purpose  ua. ·um. 1-17.] THE BOOJi 011' JOB. 397