not able to contend with God, either in law or battle, v. 14..21. 2. He maintains his point, that we cannot judge of men's character by their outward condition, v. 22..24. 3. He complains of the greatness of his troubles, the confusion he was in, and the loss he was at what to say or do, v. 25..35.
1.THEN Job answered and said, 2. I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? 3. If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. 4. He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength: who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? 5. Which removeth the mountains, and they know not; which overturneth them in his anger; 6. Which shaketh the earth out of her place, and the pillars thereof tremble; 7. Which commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, and sealeth up the stars; 8. Which alone spreadeth out the heavens, and treadeth upon the waves of the sea; 9. Which maketh Arcturus, Orion, and Pleiades, and the chambers of the south; 10. Which doeth great things past finding out, yea, and wonders without number. 11. Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not; he passeth on also, but I perceive him not. 12. Behold, he taketh away, who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou? 13. If God will not withdraw his anger, the proud helpers do stoop under him.
Bildad began with a rebuke to Job for talking so much, ch. viii. 2. Job makes no answer to that, though it had been easy enough to retort it upon himself; but what he next lays down as his principle, that God never perverts judgment, Job agrees with him in, I know it is so of a truth, v. 2. Note, We should be ready to own how far we agree with those with whom we dispute, and we should not slight, much less resist, a truth, though produced by an adversary, and urged against us, but receive it in the light and love of it, though it have been misapplied. "It is so of a truth, that wickedness brings men to ruin, and the godly are taken under God's special protection. 1 hese are truths which I subscribe to; but how can any man make good his part with God?" In his sight shall no fiesh living be justified, Ps. cxliii. 2. How should man be just with God? Some understand this as a passionate complaint of God's strictness and severity, that he is a God whom there is no dealing with: and it cannot be denied that there are, in this chapter, some peevish expressions, which seem to speak such language as that. But I take this rather as a pious confession of man's sinfulness, and his own in particular, that if God should deal with any of us according to the desert of our iniquities, we were certainly undone.
I. He lays this down for a truth, that man is an unequal match for his Maker, either in dispute or combat.
1. In dispute; (v. 3.) If he will contend with him, either at law or at an argument, he cannot answer him one of a thousand. (1.) God can ask a thousand puzzling questions, which those that quarrel with him, and arraign his proceedings, cannot give an answer to. When God spake to Job out of the whirlwind, he asked him a great many questions; Dost thou know this? Canst thou do that? To none of which Job could give an answer, ch. xxxviii. and xxxix. God can easily manifest the folly of the greatest pretenders to wisdom. (2.) God can lay to our charge a thousand offences, can draw up against us a thousand articles of impeachment, and we cannot answer him so as to acquit ourselves from the imputation of any of them, but must, by silence, give consent that they are all true; we cannot set aside one as foreign, another as frivolous, and another as false; we cannot, as to one, deny the fact, and plead not guilty, and, as to another, deny the fault, confess, and justify; no, we are not able to answer him, but must lay our hand upon our mouth, as Job did, (ch. xl. 4, 5.) and cry, Guilty, Guilty.
2. In combat; (v. 4.) Who hath hardened himself against him, and hath prospered? The answer is very easy; You cannot produce any instance, from the beginning of the world to this day, of any daring sinner, who has hardened himself against God, has obstinately persisted in rebellion against him, who did not find God too hard for him, and pay dear for his folly. They have not prospered or had peace; they have had no comfort in it nor success. What did ever man get by trials of skill, or trials of titles, with his Maker? All the opposition given to God, is but setting briers and thorns before a consuming fire; so foolish, so fruitless, so destructive, is the attempt, Isa. xxvii. 4. 1 Cor. x. 22. Apostate angels hardened themselves against God, but did not prosper, 2 Pet. ii. 4. The dragon fights, but is cast out, Rev. xii. 8. Wicked men harden themselves against God, dispute his wisdom, disobey his laws, are impenitent for their sins, and incorrigible, under their afflictions; they reject the offers of his grace, and resist the strivings of his Spirit; they make nothing of his threatenings, and make head against his interest in the world; but have they prospered? Can they prosper? No, they are but treasuring up for themselves wrath against the day of wrath. They that roll this stone, will find it return upon them.
II. He proves it by showing what a God he is, with whom we have to do: He is wise in heart, and therefore we cannot answer him at law; he is mighty in strength, and therefore we cannot fight it out with him. It is the greatest madness that can be, to think to contend with a God of infinite wisdom and power, who knows every thing, and can do every thing; who can be neither outwitted nor overpowered. The Devil promised himself that Job, in the day of his affliction, would curse God, and speak ill of him, but, instead of that, he sets himself to honour God, and to speak highly of him. As much pained as he is, and as much taken up with his own miseries, when He has occasion to mention the wisdom and power of God, he forgets his complaints, dwells with delight, and expatiates with a flood of eloquence, upon that noble useful subject.
Evidences of the wisdom and power of God he fetches,
1. From the kingdom of nature, in which the God of nature acts with an uncontrollable power, and does what he pleases; for all the orders and all the powers of nature are derived from him, and depend upon him.
(1.) When he pleases, he alters the course of nature, and turns back its streams, v. 5··7. By the common law of nature, the mountains are settled, and are therefore called everlasting mountains; the earth is established, and cannot be removed, (Ps. xciii. 1.) and the pillars thereof are immoveably fixed, the sun rises in its season, and the stars shed their influences on this lower world; but, when God pleases, he can not only drive out of the common track, but invert the order, and change the
