The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 430

2. By whom uttered, Job, a man who had not only been f8ahioned by the ha.nda of Shaddai (eh. x. 8, 9), but depended for life every moment on the breath of Eloah In hie nostrils (ver. 3), 11nd therefore should have pBUsed ere he called Into question the conduct of a Being who oould any instant cause him to return to the dust; a feeble mnn, wa~ted int,o a skeleton, shivering on the edge of the tomb, expecting every second to pass into God's presence in the world of spirits-hence one who should have (eared to affront_ the EternRl; ~ p:uilty man, i.e. a mai:i wh~, ~owever conscious of integrity, wae yet smful m God's eight, and whom accordingly 1t 111 became to question the pro• eeedinge of God; And likewise a pBrdoned man, whom God had ACcepted aa rigbt- eow;, in proof thereof sending answers to his prayers (ver. 9), which only added to the l'Bl!hnees of Job in impeaching Eloah as he did. 3. Of what composed, The charge preferred &gAinst God was twofold in appearance, vexing Job's soul, and taking away Job's judgment., though in reality the two things were connected aB cause and effect. What irritated and inflamed the patriarch's spirit was the thought which he here, indirectly indeed but none the less really on that account, utters, viz. that God the righteoru; Judge of all the earth, bad denied him justice. Already had he corn~ plained that God seemed to treat him as an enemy (eh. ix. 28; xiii. 24; xiv. 16, 17); never until now does he in terms so explicit accuse God of withholding from him justice. For this sin Job was afterwards reproved by Elihu (eh. xxxiv. 6) and by Goel ( eh. :d. 8). Il. AN OVERWEENING ABSU¥PTION. 1. To ikd,are t'M tnsth about himself. There was nothing wrong or extravagantly self--asserting in the declaration that "his lips should not speak wickedness, nor his tongue utter deceit " (ver. 4; cf. 2 Cor. xi. 31 ; Gal. i. 20). Not only should good men tell no lies (Exod. :n:. 16; Lev. xix. 11; Ps. xxxiv. 13), though, alas! they sometimes do (Gen. xii. 13; xxvi. 7), but they should so hate untruthfulness (Prov. xiii. 6) as to render the utterance of falsehoods impossible (Isa. lxiii. 8; Col. iii. 9). Job, however, claimed that he would state the exact truth about his own inward integrity, for11:etting that "the heart of man ie deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. xvii. 9), that God alone ie competent to pronounce an accurate verdict on its character (Jer. :nil. 10; eh. xx.xvi. 4; Ps. vii. 9; Prov. xv. 11), and that not even a saint can be trusted to deliver a perfectly unbia.ssed jud,,,'"'IDent about himself. "If self the wavering belanoe ehak:e, It's rarely right adjusted." (Bums.) 2. To reveal tM mind of God concerning others. With an air of authority Job avows his ability to give what he had often stormed at his friends for professing to deliver- an oracular exposition of the Divine mode of action in dealing with ungodly men (ver. 11). Though" the secret of the Lord is with them that fear him" (Ps. xxv. 14; Prov. iii. 32), it is not absolutely certain that good men do not sometimes mistake their own cogitations for Heaven's inspirations. Under any circumstances good men, in setting forth what they believe to be Divine truth, should avoid the appearance and tone of dogmatical assertion. Least of all should they speak dictatorially to those whom they La.Ye alrend.v charged with the same offence (Rom. ii. 21), III. AN oVEnnoLD PROTESTATION. 1. With solemn adjuration. That Job should have maintained biE integrity against the calumniations of his friends was both legitimate and reuonable. That be should even have exhibited a degree of warmth in repelling their accusations was perhaps excusable. But that he should have deemed it fitting to preface hlB self-vindication by an oath betrayed a degree of confidence, if not of self- righteousness, which was unbecoming in a humble-hearted and truly pious man. The matter was one that did not require more than calm, quiet, modest affirmation. Yet Job, in at least two different forms, adds an oath for confirmation (vers. 2, 5), aB if the vindication of hi11 (i.e. the creature's) righteousness were, and ought to be, the supreme end of his existence, and not rather the maintenance of the unchallengable righteousness of God. Neverthele88, Job's conduct in thus asserting with an oath that he faithfully followed God cowJl8les favourably with that of Peter, who with curses affirnu,d that he knew not the Man (Mark xiv. 71). 2. With vehement repetition. ll,ot content with one affirmation of hia integrity, Job insists upon it with a fourfold OR, XXVII, 1-28.] THE BOOK OF JOB. 445