The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 385

mined from the beginning, are in no degree inconsist.ent with his immutability. What- ever further eJ.teration appears 'to surround his decrees is tbe result of chl\nge or variability in the creature. 3. The irresistibilily of the i>ivine power. " And what his soul desireth, even that he doeth;" literally, "And his soul des.ireth, l\nd he doeth 1' (ver, 13). Not only does the Supreme Intelligence a.et in &0eorda11ce with a plan, but he bas power adequRte to carry into complete rel\lization every item and detail, ,of that plan. Nay, with such ease does he accomplish his purposes, his resources boiqg unlimited, that he has simply to speak and it is done, to command and it standeth fast (Ps. xxxiii. g), or, as here represented, to form a wish and proeeed to execute it (cf. Ps. cxv. 3; Isa. xlvi. 10, 11; Jer. xxxil. 17, 27; Dan. iv. 25; Eph. i. U), without apprehension of defeat (eh. ix. 12; xi. 10; xli. 10, 11; 2 Chron. xx. 6; Isa, xJiii. 13); or failure (eh. xlii. 2; G:1ln. xviii.14; Luke i. 37; Eph. iii. 20). 4. Th.o particularity of tlw Divi.ne decrus. "For he performeth the thing that is appointed for me" (ver. 14). What the Divine mind he.<l preappointed as Job's portion, the Divine hand was engaged in carrying out. The plan of the universe is one that provides for attep.tion to individuals. Nothing is too vast for infinite wisdom and ~wer to coipprehend, or execute ; nothing too mean and insignificant for the Divine mind to notic1:1, oi: the Dil"ine hand to govern. The falling of a spaITow equally with ~he .di11solutfon of, an empire has a place in the progra.mme of the world which is prearranged by God. The portion of the feeblest saint on earth is as truly prepared for him as is the pla9!l that shall be filled by a nation or a race. 5. The universality of the Divine government. "And many such things a.re with him." Possibly Job meant that God )illd ID.arty more applications and calamities of -a like description wherewith to, torture,'hhn; .but the interpretation is not wrong which understands ~ob to say, that' bis c~e'. was 'riQ.t exceptional, that his sufferings formed pa.rt of a great plan in which oth!lrs besici~s himself were embraced; that, in fact, the supreme Ruler was exercising oyer mank,ind at large the same sort of irresistible sovereignty as over him, Job. And certainly the thought should in some degree mitigate the stroke of afiliction wh~njt.falls on ,us, that no strange thing :has happened to us, but only such as is common to men (l .Pet. iv. 12; v. 9). • II. MINGLED FEELINGS TOWABDB Goo. 1. .A sense of awe. "Therefore am I troubled at bis presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him" (ver. 15). If the thought of an all-powerful, irresistibly and universally decreeing (¼od arrayed against Job possessed him with inward fear and confusion, terror and dismay, mucl:i, more should such emotions fill the minds of men who are as yet in their natural condition. And though in the case of such as have made peace with Go.d there .is no occasion for inward trepidation, slavish terror, or pe.ralyzing fear, yet even they must .find it difficult to contemplate the Divine character as above depicted without a consciou~ness of awe, without e. feeling of profound veneration. So David remembered God, and was troubled (Ps. l:u:viL 3). Christ',; followers, however, have no need to be troubled by thoughts of either the Divine character or presence (John xiv. 1). "Perfect love casteth out fear" (1 John iv. 18). And we have received not the· spirit of bondaie again to fear, but the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, "Abba, Father." (Rom. viii, 15). 2. .4 conscio'Usness of weakness. "For God maketh my heart soft" (ver. 16), ,.e. deprives it of strength, makes it faint and feeble (Deut. xx. 3; Isa. vii. 4; Jer.U. 46). The effect produced on Job by a contemplation of the D,ivine character as an all-wise, irresistibly powerful, moral Governor, who worketh all things according to, the counsel of his will, is not infrequently experienced by _serious minds. Nothing impresses man with e. conviction of his feeblenes~ like a Yivid realization of the power 1md wisdom of Gcxl. as displayed in the material universe (Ps. viii. 5, 6); ,nothing affords a glimpse into his spiritual worthlessness and insufficieI\Cy like, a Juminons presentation before his soul's eye of the moral majesty of Gcxl. (Isa. vi. 5; Lull;e v. 8; Tiev. i. 17). In<leed, the h11man heart never either breaks or becomes dejected, discern ii its weaknese or realizes its insufficiency, until it comes in contact with God, e.g. Moses (Exod. iv. 10); Isaiah (vi. o); Job (eh. xlii. 6). 3. .Afeiling of perpl~ity. A.I; under- t-v,od by our translatorc, Job (ver. 17) expresses amazement that God had not .cut him off'· before the <larkoess" of affliction had come upon him; i.e. either that Goc;l had kept him a.live solely for the -purpose of inflicting on him such mysterious _suffering as he then endured (cf. eh. iii. 10), or tha.t God had not re.moved hilll ,while at the height o!I'. xxm. 1-17.] THE BOOK OIi' JOB. 399