The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 527

informed concerning all the transgreasions of tb011e for whom he intercedes, 6, That one of the greatest mistakes a human soul can 001nmit is to say tbat God regards him as an enemy. 6. The.t the deepest folly e. finit,e cree.ture can perpetrate la to strive age.inst God. 7. The.t the highest tribunal before which any of Qod'a aotiona oan bo brought is bis own just, holy, and loving Godhead. Vers. I 4-33.-Elihu's first address to Job: 2. TM philosophy of DilliM instruo, tion. I. THE K"ETHODS OF DIVINE INSTRUCTION. 1. Th,-01'9h tM medium qf dream,. The dreams, or visions, referred to were supernatural revelations in c-o.rly time-a imparted !o men, when the spirit, probably wrapt in meditation on Divine things, W86 cast mto a deep sleep, such as fell on Adam at the creation of Eve (Gen. ii. 21). Thiit nocturnal dreams usually find their psycholo11ical basis in the mental idiosyncrasies of the individual, and in large degree borrow their shapes and colours from the phenomena of waking existence, is no proof that God may not sometimes have employed them, and may not still «nploy them, as channels for imparting instruction to men. That they were so employed in early times, not only for instructing heathens like Abimelech (Gen. :u. 6), Laban (Gen. xxxi. 24), Phllraoh (Gen. xii. 1), and Nebuchadnezzar (De.n. iv. 5), but also saints like Abraham (Gen. xv. 12), Jacob (Gen. xui. 10), Joseph (Gen. :us.vii. 5), Eliphaz (eh. iv. 13), and Joseph the husb&ad of Mary (M&tt. i. 20), is explicitly declared in Scripture. That men cannot readily distinguish between such dreams and visions as &re the creations of their own excited imaginations, e.nd such as are sent from above, does not demonstr&te th.i impossibility of God still in the se.mc superne.turRl fashion "opening the ears of men, and sea.ling instruction upon their souls." 2. Through the instrumentality of afflic- tion. The sufferer described by Elihu pe.sses through &n experience similar to Job's. 'l'he disease which e.ssails him h&s me.ny of the characteristics of elephantiasis. (1) Painful "He is che.stened also with pain upon his bed" (ver. 19), which pain, if we may take &dvantage of the various readings &nd translations of the following cle.nse, is represented &s sudden," while the multitude of his limbs is still vigorous" (Ewald); universe.I, "and the multitude of his limbs with strong pain" (Authorized Version); vehement," so th&t he writheth in great e.gony" (Cox); and inoess&nt, "and with the unceasing confilct of his limbs" (Delitzsch); or, "and the contest never resteth in his bones" (Umbreit); or," and the racking of his bones is incesse.nt" (Fry). (2) Nauseat- ing. "So that his life abhorreth bree.d, &nd his soul dainty meat;" litere.lly, "meat of desire" (ver. 20). The case of Isa.ac (Gen. :xxvii. 4) was exceptional. Loss of e.ppetite e.nd nausea &re usual concomitants of a weak and sickly condition of body. (3) Wasting. "His flesh is consumed e.we.y, that it ce.nnot be seen "-literally," out of eight," which may also signify" from comeliness, so that it becomes unsightly" (Delitzsch)-" e.nd his bones th&t were not seen stick out" (ver. 21); or, e.ccording to e.nother reading," bis bones waste away and dise.ppea.r" (' Spee.ker'e Commentary'), i.e. they lose their beautiful form. till eventually he becomes little better th&n a fleshless, bloodless, marrowless, ema.ciated skeleton. (4) Destroying. "Yea, his soul draweth near to the grave, e.nd his life to the destroyers" (ver. 22); either to those e.ngels whom God commissions to 1le.y man when he continues impenitent, or to those destructive agencies which God employs to termine.te the vital functions. 3. Thr0111Jh the friendly offices of an interpreter. The word " interpreter" he.s obviously in this place the sense of "internuncius," i.e. amba.ssador, or represent&tive, who communicates the will of a superior, and indicates the special office entrusted to the "messenger" e.lluded t-0 by Elihu as that of e.uthori- 1&tively making known, as e. Heaven-commissioned teacher or prophet, the will of God. Diversity of view prevails as to whether the messenger to whom this t&sk is deputed should be regarded as human, angelic, or Divine (vide Exposition), as & teacher, prophet, or minister like Elihu, & superhuman e.ngelic being, or the angel of the Presence, the Messc::nger of the covene.nt. Age.inst the first, there can be no ineuper- e.ble objection; only it is obvious that iu this case Elihu cannot refer to himself without extraordine.ry self-conceit, since he characterizes the messenger whom the Bick man requires e.s mediator &s •• one of e. thousand," i.e. not one of many, but one without an equal, one possessed of pre-eminent gifts of insight and teaching. Nor is it impossible that Elihu, remembering the language of Eliphe.z (eh. iv. 18), may have been tLmking of an e.ngelic helper; ouly t.11.e g.ualifying c!&use, "one of a thousand," 011, xxxm. 1-33.J THE BOOK OF JOB. 541