The Pulpit Commentary — Job — Section 544

HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUT;IIORS. Ven1. 1-37.-EUhu's second discourse: man has no right to doubt of God's jmtit:e. I. CENSURE OF Jo»'s DOUll'I'S. (Vers. 1-9.) In silence Job has listened to the reproof of his friend, and has apparently -taken "to he.art the lesso.n_ that in justifiable self- defence we may carry our protests beyond the true boundary, and exaggerate ·our innocence while rejecting false imputations. Elih11 therefore rises agairi, and proceeds with his second reproof. Job has represented God BS a cruel, unjust persecutor of his innocence. He doubts then ·of the justice of the world-ruling dominion of God; To the refutation of this position the present discourse is directed. Elihii ·appeals to the common sense of men, to the unbiassed wisdom 9f experience. The ear 1:ias a power of trying words, the mind bas a faculty of judgment and taste, analogous to that of. ~he body, whereby we discriminate the false from the true, and the good 'from the evil. This, indeed, must be the last appeal in every controversy whether oii Divine· or human things. A written word, a positive revelation, is always open to diverse interpretations; and this makes it the more necessary to ascertain the broad dictates· of conscience and of the common judgment, with which every true revelation agrees. 'fhe que.stioli now is-Does this common religious sense condemn the utterancjls and the attitude of Job or not? He has asserted, " I am innocent, and yet God has denied me justice, ha,s taken away my right. In spite of the fact that right is on my side, I shall be a liar if I maintain it. The wound ea.used by the shaft of God's wrath iii incurable." This; according to the speaker, was the effect of Job's language. He inqigne.ntly repe1s it,, Borrowing an expression from Eliphaz (eh. :x:v. 16), he denounces_· Job ·aii one who drinks scoffina like water; and by these blasphemies 'associates 'himself with the wicked. Job denies, according to the speaker, that there is any profit or-use iifpiety..;.... in living in friendship with God. He had never said this in so many words; bu~ the sense of mueh that he had said resembled this ( eh. i±. 22, 23; xxi. 7; 8; :xnv, 1, sqq;). Such expressions seemed to deny the very foundation of !eligion.. · Job was turning against the light within. And though he had several times censured and half recalled his own words, the offence had nevertheless been repeated. : • . •• t II. PROOFS oF THE DIVINE JUSTICE. (Vere. 10-30.) 1. From the creativ~ goodness of God. (Vere. 10-15.) The point is to show that God is incapable' of doing wrong, of perverting justice and right in his dealings with men; to show that he rewards men according to their works, gives them the proper fruit of their sowing, causes the life- path they choose to conduct to the happy or unhappy issue, according to the rightness of their choice or otherwise. He sets before them blessing and cursing;. and 'the responsibiliiy of the fesult is theirs alone. But how may we have the conviction that all this is so? The answer is by showing that the works of God exclude the thought of selfishnesa; and selfishness alone can explain the perversion of right. We cannot conceive of self-seeking in God. None entrusted to him the charge of the earth ; none but he has founded the circle of the earth. As first and absolute Cause, all things' are his; there iB no division of power, profit, or glory. Ambition, greed, jealousy- every passion that tempts men to wrong their fellows-is 11hut out· of ihe very idea ()f God. He is ever pouring forth out of the fulness of hill life and bless'edness upon olt. xixrv. 1-31.] THE tt()OK' OF JOB.