The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 481

Ver. 2L-Oharging God with croilty. At the first onset of hie afflictions it could be said of the patriarch, "In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly" (c~ i. 22). But the aggravation or his troubles, followed by the vexatious advice of hie friends, has since then more than once forced unwise words from his lips, and now be· is directly charging God with becoming cruel to him. I. GoD's ACTION HAY APPEAR CRUEL TO 14.AN. God permits or inflicts pain. When man cries for relief, relief does not come-at least in the way expected.. It is not easy to see why the suffering is sent. To us it seems unnecessary. We think we could have done our duty better without it. '!'here appears to be an iron fate bearing down 11pon us regardless of our needs, or deserts, or helplessness. This is brought home to- us with peculiar poignancy, under the most trying circumstances. 1. An accumulation' ef troubles. One man bas more than bis share of them. Blow follows blow. The fallen' is cru,;bed. Tender wounds are chafed. This was Job's experience. 2. The suffering if the i,.nocent. Bad men are seen to be flourishing while good men are in distress. Tb.is looks like indifference to moral claims. 3. The 011erthrow of the useful. Job had been a most helpful man in his time; bis downfall meant the cessation of bis kind scrvicet! for many people in trouble. We see valuable lives cnt off or made useless, while mischievous people thrive and grow fat. 4. The refusal, to deliver. Job bad not been proud, unbelieving, self-contained. He bad prayed. But God appeared not to hear or regard him (ver. 20). II. Gon IS NEVEB caUEL TO Mill'. Job was now charging God foolishly. We have t.o judge of a man's character by bis deeds till we know him. Thea, if we become fully assured that be is good, we reverse the process, and estimate any dubious-looking con- duct by the clear character of the man. In the same way, after we have come to know that God is a true Father, that bis nature i.s love, our wisest course is not t.o fling off our faith, and charge God with cruelty when he deals with us in what looks to us like a harsh manner. He cannot be false to bis nature. But our eyes are dim ; our sight is short; our self-centred experience perverts our judgment. We have to learn to trust the con.stant character of God when we cannot understand bis present conduct. Ill. NABBOW RELIGIOUS VIEWS LE.AD TO UKJUST CHARGES AGAINST Goo. Job's three friends were to a large ex.tent responsible for the patriarch's condition of mind, in which, he was driven tu charge God with cruelty. They bad set up an impossible rule, and the evident falsehood of it bad driven Job to desperation. A hareh orthodoxy is respow;ible for very much unbelief. Self..clected advoca~s of God have thus a good ,leal ofmi.l!chief to answer for. In attempting to defend the Divine government some <1Il, XXX, 1-31.) THE BOOK OF JOB.