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Job Chapter
Thirty-five
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO JOB 35
Is
this chapter Elihu goes on to charge Job with other unbecoming speeches, which
he undertakes to refute; as that he had represented his cause more just than
God's, and religion and righteousness as things unprofitable to men, only to
God; to which Elihu takes upon him to make answer, Job 35:1; and that
the cries of the oppressed were not heard by the Lord, so as to give occasion
to songs of praise and thankfulness, to which he replies, Job 35:9; and that
Job had expressed diffidence and despair of ever seeing and enjoying the favour
of God, which he endeavours to remove, Job 35:14.
Job 35:1 Moreover
Elihu answered and said:
YLT
1And Elihu answereth and
saith: --
Elihu spake moreover, and said. Elihu very probably
paused awhile, and waited to observe whether any of the company would rise up,
and either contradict and refute what he had said, or declare their assent unto
it and approbation of it; or rather to see whether Job would make any reply or
not; but perceiving no inclination in him to it, he proceeded to take notice of
some other undue expressions of Job, and refute them; one of which is observed
in Job 35:2, and the
proof of it given in Job 35:3.
Job 35:2 2 “Do you think this is
right? Do you say, ‘My righteousness is more than God’s’?
YLT
2This hast thou reckoned for
judgment: Thou hast said -- `My righteousness [is] more than God's?'
Thinkest thou this to be right,.... Elihu appeals to Job
himself, to his conscience and reason; who as a natural man, guided by the
light of nature and reason only, and judging according to the dictates of a
natural conscience, and especially as a good man, one that feared God, and had
so much knowledge of him and his perfections, as his speeches showed, could
never upon reflection think it right what he had said concerning God and his
justice, as follows:
that thou saidst,
my righteousness is more than God's? A strange expression
this indeed! but what is to be understood not of his personal righteousness;
Job in his senses could never say that this was more or greater than God's, or
to be above it and preferred to it in any sense; nor even of righteousness
imputed. Old Testament saints had the righteousness of Christ imputed to them,
and were justified by it; and so Job, who had knowledge of and faith in Christ
as his living Redeemer, and the Lord his righteousness: but then though this is
the righteousness of God, wrought out by one that is God as well as man, and
approved and accepted of by God, and imputed by him to his people, which is
revealed in the Gospel, and is unto all, and upon all them that believe, and
they are made the righteousness of God in Christ; yet this cannot be more than
the righteousness of God: besides it is not the essential righteousness of
Christ as God, as Osiander dreamed, by which men are justified, but his
obedience, active and passive, as Mediator, otherwise they would be deified who
are justified by it; and if even so absurd a notion as this could obtain, it
would not be more of man than the righteousness of God: much less can this be
interpreted of Job's inherent righteousness, or the new man which is created in
righteousness and true holiness; since all the holiness and righteousness that
is in man is from God, and at present imperfect, and therefore cannot be more
or greater than his; and still less can this be meant of Job's external
righteousness, which, how great soever, was not perfect and without sin;
whereas God is just and without iniquity. But there is not a just man that does
good and sins not. This therefore must be understood of the righteousness of
his cause; and to say that this was more than God's was what he ought not to
have said, and more than became him to say: for though a good man may defend
himself against the calumnies of his enemies, by asserting his own
righteousness, innocence, and integrity, and may desire the Lord to plead his
cause against them, and judge him according to his righteousness and the
integrity of his heart; but to attempt to make it out, that his cause is more
righteous than the Lord's, is doing an ill thing. Now though Job had not
expressed this in so many words, yet he had said that from whence this might by
consequence be deduced; he had given great occasion for such an inference to be
drawn from his speeches; for since he had spoken so largely of his innocence
and integrity, and holy life, and of the hard usage nevertheless he had met
with from God; and had represented his own case, as if he had behaved so well
as to deserve better treatment at the hand of God than to be afflicted in the
manner he was; that he had wrong done him, and complained of it, and could not
be heard; his judgment was taken from him by the Lord; which was in effect to
say, that his cause was better than the Lord's, and would bear a stricter
examination than his; which to say was, exceeding bad and unbecoming; see Job 16:17.
Job 35:3 3 For you say, ‘What
advantage will it be to You? What profit shall I have, more than if I
had sinned?’
YLT
3For thou sayest, `What doth
it profit Thee! What do I profit from my sin?'
For thou saidst, what advantage will it be unto thee?.... Meaning
that his righteousness, his holy life and conversation, were of no avail to
him: he received no more benefit by being righteous than if he was wicked, since
God destroyed one as well as another; and since his righteousness did not
secure him from afflictions and calamities, it was of no advantage to him; he
had not said so in so many words, but it is inferred from what he had said, Job 9:22. Man's own
righteousness is of no advantage to him as to justification before God, and
acceptance with him, nor in the business of salvation, or with respect to
heaven and happiness, so as to give a right and title to it; bat is of great
advantage in other respects; is for self-defence against the imputations and
calumnies of wicked men; it makes a man honourable and respectable among men,
when to live a vicious course of life is scandalous and reproachful; it gives
pleasure and satisfaction to the mind, the testimony of a good conscience is
matter of rejoicing; and such a man is free from the racks and tortures of an
evil conscience others are distressed with; besides, good works are an evidence
of the truth and genuineness of faith to others, and ornament the doctrines of
the Gospel and a profession of them: and though a righteous man may be
afflicted as others, yet in a different manner, in love and not in wrath, and
always for his good;
and, what profit shall one
have, if I be cleansed from my sin? The words, "if I be
cleansed", are a supplement, and seem necessary; so Mr. Broughton
supplies. Sin is of a defiling nature, yet man may be cleansed from it, not by
anything he can do, but only by the grace of. God and blood of Christ; and from
such a cleansing profit arises. This fits a man for the service and worship of
God, and for communion with him; gives him peace of mind, and makes him meet
for heaven. This Job had not expressly said, and not at all in this sense, but
it seems to be inferred from Job 9:29; where he
is speaking of outward purity of life, and yet was plunged into the ditch of
afflictions. Some render the words to this sense, as if there was no profit
"by expiation of atonement for sin"F21מחטאתי
"de expiatione mea", Mercerus, &c. "in expiando
peccatum", Grotius; חטאה "pro piaculo
venit", Cocceius; so Simeon Bar Tzemach in loc. ; the same word signifying
both sin and atonement for it: there is none but by the blood and sacrifice of
Christ, and much profit arises from that; pardon of sin proceeds upon it, and
this furnishes out much solid peace, joy, and comfort, Romans 5:10.
Others, what profit by punishment for sinF23"Supplicio
meo", Junius & Tremellius; "mucta pro illo aut poena",
Cocceius; "ex poena peccati mei", Drusius; so Ben Gersom. , unless to
God? so sin is sometimes put for punishment; or through leaving sin and
repenting of itF24"Subaudi relicto", so Mercerus, Drusius;
"remisso et per poenitentiam diluto", Munster. . Now though these are
not the causes of the pardon of sin, yet it is given and applied to such who do
repent of it, confess and forsake it, Proverbs 28:13. Or
by being "without sin"F25"Absque peccato", i.e.
"ita vivendo ut non perccom"; so some in Michaelis. : no man is
without sin; but a man may be without any gross and enormous crime he is
chargeable with, or without living a vicious course of life; and this is
profitable, as has been before observed. Jarchi's paraphrase is,
"what
shall I profit more by my righteousness than by my sin?'
which
sense is followed by others: I may as well be wicked as righteous; I am not the
better for it, since I am afflicted in the manner I am: my righteousness is of
no profit to me; if to any, it is to God. To this Elihu returns an answer in
the following verses.
Job 35:4 4 “I will answer you, And
your companions with you.
YLT
4I return thee words, and
thy friends with thee,
I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee. Meaning not
his three friends, as the Septuagint version expresses it; for they were not on
the side of Job, and of the same sentiment with him, but rather on the side of
Elihu; especially Eliphaz, who expresses much the same sentiment he does, Job 22:2; but all
that were of the same mind with Job, whether present or absent, or in
whatsoever part of the world; the answer he should return to him would serve
for them all, and sufficiently confute such a bad notion of God, let it be
embraced by whomsoever.
Job 35:5 5 Look to the heavens and
see; And behold the clouds—They are higher than you.
YLT
5Behold attentively the
heavens -- and see, And behold the clouds, They have been higher than thou.
Look unto the heavens, and see,.... The firmament of
heaven, in which are the sun and moon and stars:
and behold the clouds which are higher than thou; the clouds of
the air or sky, which are lower than the starry heavens, yet these were higher
than Job, and much more the starry heavens: but because the word has the
signification of "thinness", which does not so well agree with the
clouds, which are thick substances, condensed air; some take it to be meant of
the supreme region of the heavens, which is pure and thin; so Sephorno: and Job
is directed to look to these, not as stargazers do, such as are given to
judicial astrology, to judge of the fates of men and kingdoms; but rather
thereby to be led to the contemplation of God the author of them, and the
glorious perfections of his being they display; and chiefly to observe the
height of them, that they were out of his reach, and he could neither help them
nor hurt them; that he could neither increase nor diminish the light of the
celestial bodies, which he could only behold; nor either advance or hinder
their course, nor in the least add to or abate their influence and efficacy;
and if he could neither be beneficial nor harmful to them, how was it possible
that he could be of any advantage or detriment to God, by any actions of his,
good or bad, who is higher and out of sight? This is the answer Elihu in
general returned, he more particularly replies as follows.
Job 35:6 6 If you sin, what do you
accomplish against Him? Or, if your transgressions are multiplied, what
do you do to Him?
YLT
6If thou hast sinned, what
dost thou against Him? And thy transgressions have been multiplied, What dost
thou to Him?
If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him?.... Sin is
expressly said to be against God, Psalm 51:4; it is
contrary to his nature, as any opposites can be to each other: it is against
his law, a breach and violation of it; and so against his supreme legislative
power and authority, and a contempt of it; it is what he is angry with and is
provoked by, being what he hates and abhors, and is abominable in his sight.
But then he cannot be supposed to be so affected with it to be ruffled and
discomposed, or his peace be disturbed, and his happiness in the least broke in
upon; for affections are only attributed to him after the manner of men; much
less is he so affected hereby as to be hurt or in danger of being destroyed,
nor even of being dethroned: men can no more reach him by any hostile action of
theirs, such as sin is, than they can reach the sun and stop its course, lessen
its light or pluck it from its orbit. Or, "what canst thou work for
him?" as Mr. Broughton; by way of atonement or satisfaction for sin?
Nothing at all; see Job 7:20; but the
other sense is best;
or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou unto
him? As he is not hurt by a slight single sin, a failing or
infirmity, an error or mistake, common to men, as the preceding word may
signify; so not by greater sins, presumptuous ones, gross enormities,
rebellions against God, overt acts of treason against the Almighty, and these
multiplied and heaped up even unto heaven; for though by these the name of God
is profaned and blasphemed, and he is dishonoured and despised, and his
manifestative glory is eclipsed, or he has not the honour given him that is due
unto him; yet his essential glory is untarnished, unsullied, and unhurt, no
more than the sun by an eclipse; he is the same without any variableness or
shadow of turning, as well as is over all blessed for ever. And, indeed, his
manifestative glory in many instances receives a lustre, through his power,
wisdom, and goodness, overruling the sins of men for the display of it; as the
fall of the first Adam made way for the sending of Christ the Saviour, in which
God has shown forth the exceeding riches of his grace; and as his mercy and
grace are displayed in the pardon of sin, and his power and justice in the
punishment of sin and sinners; and his patience and longsuffering in bearing
with them.
Job 35:7 7 If you are righteous, what
do you give Him? Or what does He receive from your hand?
YLT
7If thou hast been
righteous, What dost thou give to Him? Or what from thy hand doth He receive?
If thou be righteous, what givest thou him?.... All
righteousness is of God that any creatures have. What the angels in heaven
have, or Adam had in a state of innocence; or what believers in Christ have in
and from him; his righteousness imputed to them is of God; the grace of
righteousness, or holiness, imparted to them and implanted in them, is from
him; and it is under the influence of his Spirit, and by his grace and
strength, they do works of righteousness externally; and therefore can give
nothing to him of their own, nor does he need any, being God all sufficient;
even the goodness of his Son does not extend to him, but to the saints, Psalm 16:2; much
less any goodness of theirs: their best works of righteousness are due to him,
and not gifts; and though they may contribute to his manifestative glory, both
in them that do them and in others that see them, they can add nothing to the
essential glory of God;
or what receiveth he of thine hand? He can receive nothing
but what he has given, or what he has a prior right to and is his due, and so
cannot be laid under any obligation to man by what he does; nor can man merit
anything at his hand, not even the least temporal mercy, and much less
spiritual ones and everlasting life: and what notice God is pleased to take of
the good works of men, in away of reward, is not of debt, but of grace, and
entirely owing to his goodness; and does not arise from any intrinsic worth in
them, or from any advantage to him by them.
Job 35:8 8 Your wickedness affects a
man such as you, And your righteousness a son of man.
YLT
8For a man like thyself [is]
thy wickedness, And for a son of man thy righteousness.
Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art,.... But not
God: a man may hurt himself by his wickedness; his body, by bringing various
diseases upon it, through debauchery and intemperance; his family and estate,
by wasting it; his soul, for every sin is a wrong and injury to a man's soul,
and exposes it to ruin and destruction: and sin does even a good man harm,
since it breaks in upon his peace, and hinders his communion with God; and the
wickedness of men may harm others like themselves, frail, mortal, sinful
creatures, and easily led aside by ill examples; as well as there are many sins
which do injury to the persons, families, and estates of others, as murder,
adultery, theft, &c. and since sin is harmful to others, God resents it,
and punishes for it, though, strictly speaking, it cannot harm him in the sense
before given;
and thy righteousness may profit the son of man; may profit a
man himself (, Job 35:3), and
others, but neither for justification before God; but godliness is profitable
to a man's self, both for this life and that to come, and good works are
profitable to other men; for what reasons they are to be performed and
maintained, see 1 Timothy 4:8. Some
are of real and direct profit to men, as acts of beneficence to them, and all as
being examples to them; but then no works of righteousness can be profitable to
God, they adding nothing to him; which is what Elihu undertook to answer to.
Job 35:9 9 “Because of the multitude
of oppressions they cry out; They cry out for help because of the arm of the
mighty.
YLT
9Because of the multitude of
oppressions They cause to cry out, They cry because of the arm of the mighty.
By reason of the multitude of oppressions, they make the
oppressed to cry,.... Which is either an illustration by an instance of what is
before said, that wickedness hurts men, as particularly oppression does, which
makes then cry; or this refers to something new, to another complaint of Job,
or an undue expression of his. Elihu undertakes to answer; that men cry unto
God, as he himself had, but are not heard and answered; the place or places
referred to may be Job 24:12. To which
Elihu replies, by granting that men oppressed cry because of their oppression,
and are not heard; for which reasons may be given, as in the following verses.
The poor are often oppressed by the rich, whose wealth gives them power, and
that they abuse; and the weak and feeble by the mighty; and their oppressions
are many, there is a multitude of them: men in power and authority have various
ways of oppressing others, who like the Israelites cry by reason of them, and
are made to cry by their oppressors;
they cry out by reason of the arm of the mighty; which falls
with weight, and lies heavy upon them, and crushes them; meaning the power they
have, and which they abuse to the injury of them; nor are they able to help
themselves or deliver themselves out of their hands, they being mighty, if not
in body, yet through wealth; and by means of that authority over them which
gives it them: now on account of the pressure upon them, they cry, not to God,
but to men: and if they cry to God, it is in a murmuring and complaining way,
through impatience under their burden, through envy at the riches and power of
others, in a passionate manner, in a revengeful spirit, calling and seeking for
vengeance on their oppressors; not in an humble penitent manner, acknowledging
their sins, and owning their unworthiness to be heard and regarded, and
submitting all to the will of God: for which reasons they are not heard, their
cries and, prayers being reckoned no other than howlings, Hosea 7:14.
Job 35:10 10 But no one says, ‘Where is
God my Maker, Who gives songs in the night,
YLT
10And none said, `Where [is]
God my maker? Giving songs in the night,
But none saith, where is God my Maker?.... Or
"Makers"F25עשי "factores
mei"; Drusius, Mercerus, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis, Schultens; so
Broughton. , as in Psalm 149:2; for
there are more concerned in the formation of man, Genesis 1:26; even
the Father, Son, and Spirit, who are the one God that has made all men, Malachi 2:10. Now
not one of the oppressed ones that cry by reason of their oppression, or very
few of them, inquire after God, seek unto him for help and deliverance from
their oppressions, or desire to enjoy him and his gracious presence under their
afflictions and distresses; and that is one reason why they are not heard: they
do not so much as consider him as the author of their beings, and be thankful
to him for them; nor as the preserver of them in their beings; nor as their
kind benefactor, who gives them all that they enjoy, and who is the disposer of
all their affairs in providence: and if they are new creatures, or are remade,
they are his workmanship; and therefore should upon all accounts seek him and
submit to his will, and patiently bear all their afflictions, waiting his time
to deliver them out of them: but there are few or none that regard him in this
light, or make an inquiry after him, even though he has not only made them, but
is he
who giveth songs in the night; which respects not the
praises of the angels in the night, as the Targum; nor the shining of the moon
and stars in the night, which cause praise and thankfulness; nor the singing of
birds in the night, as of the nightingale; senses some give into: but matter
and cause of rejoicing in the night, either taken literally, as the mercies of
the day, which, when reflected upon when men come to lie down on their beds at
night, and commune with their hearts there, afford them songs of praise, see Psalm 42:8. Or the
mercies of the night, as sweet refreshing sleep, and preservation in safety
from all dangers by fire, thieves, &c. all which are of God; and, when duly
considered, will direct to encompass him with songs of deliverance, see Psalm 137:2. Or,
figuratively, the night sometimes signifying a time of calamity, affliction,
and distress, either on temporal or spiritual accounts; and when men seek to
him in such a night with their whole hearts, and he is pleased to visit them in
a gracious manner, and favour them with his presence and the discoveries of his
love, this occasions songs of praise to him, Isaiah 26:9. But
when men are unconcerned about and not thankful for the mercies of the day and
of the night, though these administer songs unto them, it is no wonder that,
when they cry through oppression, they are not heard.
Job 35:11 11 Who teaches us more than
the beasts of the earth, And makes us wiser than the birds of heaven?’
YLT
11Teaching us more than the
beasts of the earth, Yea, than the fowl of the heavens He maketh us wiser.'
Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth?.... Who are
taught and know much, especially some of them; but not so much as man, see Isaiah 1:3;
and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven? who are wise
to provide food and nests for themselves and their young; and such as are birds
of passage, as the turtledove, the crane, the stork, and the swallow, to know
the time of their coming and returning, see Jeremiah 8:7. But
then neither the beasts not; the fowls, though they are endowed with much
knowledge and sagacity, according to their natures, yet not with reason and
understanding, as men are, so as to make reflections on things they see and
hear, and reason and discourse about them; nor are they capable of being taught
and attaining to knowledge and wisdom as men are, by the works of God, of
creation, and providence; and by the word of God, the Scriptures of truth,
which are able to make men wise unto salvation; and by the Spirit of God, who
teaches all things of a spiritual nature. God not only endows men with reason,
but with sentiments of religion, which brutes are incapable of: he gives to men
wisdom in the hidden part; he puts in them his fear, which is the beginning of
wisdom; he makes them wise to know God in Christ, and to know his Son Jesus
Christ, whom to know is life eternal; and he gives them knowledge of a future
state, and hope of immortality and eternal life. Wherefore it becomes them to
bear afflictions and oppressions with a fortitude of mind, and patiently submit
to the will of God, and wait his time for deliverance, having called upon him
in faith, and left their case with him; but if they only cry, as the brutes do
under their burdens, it need not seem strange they are not heard and answered;
since God has given them more wisdom and knowledge than they, and therefore
should behave after another manner; though sometimes they act a part inferior
to them, Judges 1:10.
Job 35:12 12 There they cry out, but He
does not answer, Because of the pride of evil men.
YLT
12There they cry, and He doth
not answer, Because of the pride of evil doers.
There they cry,.... As brutes do, and as in, Job 35:9; by reason
of their oppressions, but not under a due sense of the hand of God upon them,
nor of his being their only helper, and saviour, and deliverer;
but none giveth answer; to them, either God or
men, and they lie groaning and howling under their oppression;
because of the pride of evil men; this is either to be
connected with "they cry", and then the sense is, that they cry by
reason of the oppressions of wicked men, who, through the pride of their
hearts, and to show their superior power and authority, persecute and distress
them, Psalm 10:2. And it
is because of this they cry out, being distressed by them, and not through any
sense of sin they have committed, as the reason of God's suffering them to be
thus oppressed: or "with none give answer"; God gives them no answer
to their cry, because pride is not withdrawn from them, which is one end he has
in afflicting men; because they are not humbled under the mighty hand of God,
and are not brought to a sense of sin and humiliation for it, and
acknowledgment of it. And another reason follows:
Job 35:13 13 Surely God will not listen
to empty talk, Nor will the Almighty regard it.
YLT
13Surely vanity God doth not
hear, And the Mighty doth not behold it.
Surely God will not hear vanity,.... Or "a lie"F26שוא "falsitatem", Beza; "mendacium",
Pagninus, Montanus. , than which nothing is more an abomination to him; if men
come to him with a lie in their mouths, they cannot expect to be heard by him;
he is only nigh to those who call upon him in truth: or that which is
"rash"F1"Quod temerarium est", Cocceius. ; which
is rashly uttered, and in a passionate wrathful manner, savouring of a
revengeful spirit, too often the case of those that cry under oppression; see Ecclesiastes 5:2;
or vain and empty prayers, a speech of vanity, as Aben Ezra; which as to the
matter of them are about vain and empty things; only for outward mercies,
worldly goods; and not for spiritual mercies, or such things as are according
to the will of God; but what are pleasing to the flesh, and sought for to
consume on the lusts of it, and therefore such prayers are not heard, Psalm 4:6; and as
to the manner of them, they are not put up in the name of Christ, nor under the
influence of the spirit of Christ, nor in the exercise of any grace, nor with
reverence of God, nor with sincerity of soul, not in faith, nor with fervency:
or "vanity" is put for vain men, as sin for sinners; such as are
proud men, and are vainly puffed up in their fleshly mind. God hears humble penitent
sinners, who find mercy with him; and humble saints, to whom he gives more
grace; but not proud Pharisees, or men not humbled by afflictions; see Luke 18:11; nor
light and empty persons, who are without God and Christ, destitute of the
spirit, devoid of all grace, and full of all unrighteousness; unstable ones,
who are vanity itself, and lighter than vanity, tossed to and fro like a wave
of the sea, and double minded, James 1:6; nor men
of vain conversations, that walk in the vanity of their minds, whose words are
vain, and especially such as take the name of God in vain; and all whose
actions are vain, or such that live a vain and sinful course of life; God hears
not sinners, John 9:31;
neither will the Almighty regard it; vanity, vain prayers and
vain persons; he regards the prayer of the destitute, the lowly, and the
humble, but not the prayer of such as before described; he cannot
"look" at, itF2לא ישורנה "non intuatur illud", Pagninus, Montanus;
"non videt illud", Cocceius; so Michaelis and Schultens. , nor at
them: he looks to the poor and contrite, and desires to see their countenance
and hear their voice in prayer; but he is of purer eyes thou to look on vain
persons and their vain prayers; and a greater contempt cannot be shown to
petitioners and their petitions than when those to whom they apply will not so
much as look at them, but turn both a deaf ear to them, and their eyes away
from them.
Job 35:14 14 Although you say you do
not see Him, Yet justice is before Him, and you must wait for
Him.
YLT
14Yea, though thou sayest
thou dost not behold Him, Judgment [is] before Him, and stay for Him.
Although thou sayest thou shall not see him,.... Which is
another expression of Job's taken notice of by Elihu, and to which he makes
answer; he seems to refer to Job 23:3. God is
indeed invisible in his nature and essence, but is to be seen in his works of
creation and providence; which Job was acquainted with, and in which he had
seen somewhat of the glory of God, and of his divine perfections in them. See Job 9:4. And he is
to be seen in Christ by an eye of faith, and Job had trusted in him as his
salvation; and he will be seen with the beatific vision in heaven as he is, in
a more glorious and perfect manner, which Job had a full persuasion of, Job 13:15; and
therefore is not to be understood in either of those senses, but of his not
seeing him on a throne of judgment, hearing and trying his cause, judging and
acquitting him; this he had often desired, but despaired of ever seeing it; see
Job 23:4; to which
Elihu replies;
yet judgment is before
him; all things are naked and open to him, and stand clear before
him; he has perfect knowledge of what is right and wrong; no cause is unknown
to him, and needs not to be searched into by him; nor can he nor will he ever
pass a wrong judgment: he is just and true, righteous in all his ways and
works, the Judge of the whole earth, who will do right, and will plead and
judge the cause of every good man sooner or later; if not now, there is a
judgment to come with him, when all must appear before his judgment seat, and
he will render unto every man according to his works;
therefore trust thou in him, or "wait for
him"F3תחולל לו
"et expectabis eum", Montanus; "expecta eum", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Mercerus; so Michaelis, Schultens. ; wait for his coming
to judgment: wait till that time comes when everything will be brought to
light, and every good man shall have praise of God. Or, as we render it,
"trust in him"; God alone is the object of trust and confidence, and
happy is the man that trusts in him; he is to be trusted in for all things,
both temporal, spiritual, and eternal; and particularly for this of doing justice
to his people; if not now, yet hereafter, he will render tribulation to them
that trouble them; he will right all their wrongs and avenge their injuries,
and remove the rebuke that is upon them, and confess them before men and
angels, and declare them righteous, and receive them into his kingdom and
glory: and be is to be trusted in at all times, in times of adversity as well
as prosperity; and even when he is not to be seen, and the dispensations of his
providence are dark and intricate, see Isaiah 50:10; The
word used signifies such a trust, hope, and waiting, as of a woman in travail,
who bears her pains patiently, holding and trusting for a safe deliverance of a
child, to the joy of her and her family.
Job 35:15 15 And now, because He has
not punished in His anger, Nor taken much notice of folly,
YLT
15And, now, because there is
not, He hath appointed His anger, And He hath not known in great extremity.
But now, because it is not so,.... Because
there was not such trust, hope, patience, and quiet expectation in Job that God
would appear for him, and do him, justice openly and publicly; for though he
had hope and confidence of an interest in his living Redeemer and Saviour, and
of eternal life and happiness through him; yet not of his bringing his judgment
to the light, and of his beholding his righteousness, as he ought to have had,
see Psalm 37:5;
he hath visited in his anger; corrected and chastised
in fatherly anger and displeasure, though not in wrath and vengeance, and in a
way of punishment in strict justice; but consistent with his invariable love
and free favour in Christ; being displeased at his want of faith and patience,
failing in the exercise of which is oftentimes resented by the Lord, see Numbers 20:12;
yet he knoweth it not in great extremity: so stupid was
Job, that though he was in the utmost extremity of affliction, in his body,
family, and substance, yet was not sensible it was his duty to trust in God,
and patiently wait for him; he knew that the hand of God was upon him, and that
he had visited him in anger, and that his arrows stuck fast in him, and his
hand pressed him sore; but was insensible of the cause of the continuance of
it, his unbelief, impatience, and non-submission to the will of God. The word
for "extremity" signifies "abundance"F4בפש "in copia", Montanus; "ad auctum
valde", Cocceius; "prosperitatem", De Dieu; so Patrick. , and
may be applied to an abundance and plenty of good things; and therefore some
understand it of Job's prosperity, and take the sense to be, that God took no
notice of this; it did not hinder him from visiting him, but he destroyed it
all: though Mr. Broughton, on the other hand, interprets it of the great plenty
of sorrows and distresses Job was attended with, the true cause of which he did
not advert to: someF5Tigurine version, Mercerus, Piscator; so Ben
Gersom. think the whole refers to the merciful dealings of God with Job, and
read the first clause,
"know
now his anger hath visited but a little or noticing;'
the
affliction is but a light one comparatively speaking, scarce any thing at all
in comparison of what sin deserves, being abundantly less than that:
"neither
hath he made great inquisition, or inquired out the multitude'
of
sins; not strictly and severely marking them, and dealing with and for them according
to their deserts; see Ezra 9:13; with
which compare 2 Corinthians 4:17;
and therefore Job had no reason to complain of God, or of any hard usage from
him.
Job 35:16 16 Therefore Job opens his
mouth in vain; He multiplies words without knowledge.”
YLT
16And Job [with] vanity doth
open his mouth, Without knowledge words he multiplieth.
Therefore doth Job open his mouth in vain,.... In
uttering such unbecoming expressions, observed, and refuted, in his loud
complaints of God, and of his dealings with him, and in defence of himself;
he multiplieth words without knowledge; both against
God and in answer to others; being in a great measure ignorant of the nature
and number of his sins, and of his afflictions; and of the end of God in them,
and of the right he had to lay them upon him; us well as of his duty patiently
to bear them, and trust in God, and wait his own time for deliverance out of
them; and or the truth of this he was afterwards convinced, and acknowledged
it, Job 42:3.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》