Ill. IT 18 AN ATTITUDE BE0OMING ONE WHO BAB A JUST EIITDIATE OP BIB RELATION OF DEPENDEN0E UPON THE WISDOM AND POWER OF JEHOVAH. One BO wholly frail and dependent-a poor worm-may well bow in lowly, humble prostration before the Lord of the whole earth. IV. IT 18 AN ATTITUDE BE0OMING TO BIii WHO BAB RIGHTLY REFLECTED UPON THE GREATNESS, MAJESTY, AND GLORY OF GoD, AND BIB OWN LITTLENESS AND INBIO- NIFI0AN0E IN PBEBEN0E THEREOF. This was precisely Job's case. And it is the precursor of that lifting up which is granted only to them who are truly bowed down.-R.G. Ver. lo-oh. :di. 34.-The creatures of his power. Out of the storm and tempest,just symbols of the Divine power, the Lord an11wers Job in words calculated further and deeper to humble the prostrate one. The Divine hand is tempering the already yield- ing clay and preparing it for the impress of the Divine stamp. The Lord calls Job to compare himself with him. This Job cannot venture to do. The next process is to show how weak is man in presence of the creatures of the Divine power. In prolonged words the great might of " behemoth " and " leviathan " are set forth; but it is with a view to set forth the Divine might as illustrated in these the creatures of his hands. The _process of reasoning is-If the creature of God is mighty, how much more so is the Creator himself I ThllB the Divine works speak for God; and their voice every wise one will hear and heed. The greatness of nature, the marvellous works of the Divine hands; their unnumbered and innumerable hosts; their multiplied variety ; their wonderful structure; their beauty; their continuous preservation; their mutual adaptation and service ;-all declare the wonders of the Divine hand. In later days the eyes of men were directed to the insignificant sparrow, the mere bird on the house-top, and from the Divine ea.re over it men were led to learn lessons of faith and trustful hope. So here, by reference to the greater creatures of the Divine power, frail man is led lower and lower into the depths of humiliation and self-abasement. The creatures display- I. 'l'HE DEPTH OF THE 0BEATIVE WISDOM OF Goo. II. THE ALMIGHTINESS OF THE DIVINE POWER. III. THE INFINITUDE OF THE DIVINE BE:S-E~'IOENOE. "All thy works praise thee, 0 God." IV. THEY TEA0B THE LESSON TO MAN OF HUMBLENESS AND LOWLY TRUST. He who cares for the birds of the air and for the beast,i of the field will not neglect frail man. Happy is he who has learnt to trust in the Lord and do good, knowing that he shall dwell in the land, and verily he sha.ll be fed.-R. G.
Vers. 1, 2.-0ontending with the Almighty. Job has been contending with the Almighty, and now God confronts him with the fact. This is the practical point to which we have come after being led through the picture-gallery of nature which has revealed to us the greatness of God in contrast with the littleness of mau. I. WE ARE TEMPTED TO 0ONTEND WITH GoD. 1. By our liberty. We have freeuom of thought as well as freedom of will. Thus we seem to be able to tum round a.nd take up a position of our own in opposition to God. 2. By our trouble. It was great distress that drove Job into a contention with God. We do not find him attempting or desiring anything of the kind in the opening scene of the story. When trouble comes upon us we are displeased, and not seeing why it is sent we are tempted to murmur. 3. By our sin. Even Job, innocent as regards the gross charges of his three censors, was imperfect, as he is now brought to admit. Now, sin is opposition to God, and the attempt to justify it leads to contention with God. 4. By God's forbearance. Because he is long-suffering we presume upon his patience. We are like Jacob wrestling with the "'l'raveller unknown," wbo only maintained the conflict so long a.s his mysterious Antagonist refrained from putting forth his strength (Gen. xxxii. 24-32). II. WE ARE WRONG IN 0ONTENDING WITH Goo. This contention shows faults in us. 1. Ignorance. If we knew all, we should see how foolish the whole contention was. But we stumble into it in our confusion and folly. 2. Rebellion. Our business is to submit and obey. When we dispute we are resisting, if only mentally. 3. D·is- lrust. God is not trusted when we venture to oppose ourselves to him; for if he wern 650 THE 'BOOK OP JOB.
'""-' ehou1d be silent, not perhaps nndel'l!~nding hie aotion 1 but ))OB8eBl!ing our Roule ln JlRtience, and waiting for the final disolosure that is to explain God's treatment of hie children. HI. IT n; u~ELEss FOB us TO OONTEND WITH Gon. Our position in relation to God doetl not offer us a ohanoe of success. 1. Inequality. 'rhie iij a conteat of feeble- nvge with almightiness. How cRn the finite hope for a victory in \ttestling ,.i.t'h tno Infinite l' 2. lncompeteft.oe. We do not know how to put our case before God, and his sot.ion i8 not understood by us. Therefore our oontention is confused and mislead-· ing. There is on!~- one way of coming to terms with God, and that is to &0ce)Jt his terms, IV. IT rs NEEDLESS FOR us TO CONTEND WITH Gon. We are not left with the doleful prospect of i;imply submitting to the illevit.able. Although we cannot Bee the good in God's action, if only we have faith in him we may rest assured that he ia doing jui;t the very best thing for 'Us and all his creatures. This assurance depends on hi~ nature and character. He is a just God and a Saviour, and therefore he cannot· be acting u11ju11tly and injuriously. Our indictment of God's goodness is a· huge blunder from beginning to end. Let us but trust his goodness in the dark and iu the face of the moRt distressful events, and in the end we shall see that our safety lies in submission.-W. F. A. Ver. 4.-Hsmbkd 'before God. At length Job is brought near to tlie state of mind that God desires to see in him. Proud e.nd defiant before tile unwise and unjust attacks of his human accusers, be is hum bled in the dust in presence of the revelation of God.' • I. 'l'HE YISION OF GoD IN IDS WORKS HUlllBLES UB. Job has seen a succession of vi'l'"id pictures of the works of God in nature. They all transcend human efforts. Then bow great must the Author of nature be I How small are we in his awful· presence! Pride is always a form of godlessness. We forget God when we exalt our- selves. Our self~xaltation is only possible while we shut ourselves up in a little world. When we see God we are humbled. Now, this is not only because God ijl supremely powerful. 'l'here is Fome heroism in the weak maintaining their right in' the presence of the strong. But God's greatness in nature is seen in intellectual and moral features. The wonderful thought of God impressed upon his works· reveal11 a0