3 Lot ness; so all the wickedness and filthi- 2 And there were born unto him seven sons and three daughters. 3 His substance also was seven thousand sheep, and three thousand camels, and five hundred yoke of oxen, and five hundred she asses, and a very great houshold; so that this man was the greatest of all the men of the east. And his sons went and feasted in their houses, every one his day; and sent and called for their three sisters to eat and to drink with them. And it was so, when the days of their feasting were gone about, that Job sent and sanctified them, and rose up early in the morning, and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all: for Job said, It may be that my sons have sinned, and cursed God in their hearts. Thus did Job continually. V. 5. It is no breach of charity to suspect ill of others, while we intend their good. Indeed, upon an 'It may be’— upon a peradventure-to accuse and charge another, is very uncharitable; but upon a peradventure, or an 'it may be,' such a one, my child, or my friend, or my brother hath sinned, to be stirred up to pray for him, this is very charitable. A good heart turns its suspicions of the sinnings and failings of others into prayers and intercessions, that they may be pardoned; not into accusations and slanders, that they may be defamed. Job knew of no evil that his sons had committed; he had no report, that we read of, that his sons had behaved themselves unseemly in their meetings and feastings; he only doubteth, he only is jealous and afraid that they had; yet at this time he prayeth, and sacrificeth to God on their behalf.-Caryl. If you that are tender parents, have but a suspicion, if there be but an 'it may be,' that your child hath the plague, or hath taken the infection, will it not be ground enough for you to go presently and give your child a good medicine? If any of you have but a suspicion that either yourselves or your friends have taken poison, though you be not certain of it, will it not be ground enough for you to take or give an antidote presently? Sin is as a plague, it is as a poison; therefore while you have but a suspicion, either of yourselves or of others, that you have sinned or failed thus or thus; here is ground enough for you to take an antidote, to take a preservative, to seek all the means you can to heal your souls, and to obtain peace with God. And if Job did thus when he only suspected his sons had sinned, what shall we say of those parents, who are little concerned, when they see and know their sons have sinned?-Ibid. We seldom feast together in the most friendly and decent manner, without having cause to repent of some part of our conduct and conversation; or at least of the thoughts and temper of our hearts. All of which we are thus conscious must be washed away in the atoning blood of Christ, or it will rise up against us in judgment at the last day. We have therefore cause for continual self-examination; and after every social interview, we must bestow pains to bring our hearts into a due frame for the ordinances of God.Scott. "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. This story is parabolical. It is designed to represent God's universal providence, and that control which He has over all good and evil spirits, and · all events. By the sons of God' are meant the angels, who came to give account of their respective charges, and receive new commands.-Orton. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. When the holy angels had given an account of their services, Satan is represented as interrogated, Whence he came, and what he had been doing? And his answer seems to have implied an arrogant claim to be the god and prince of this world; and in the spirit of pride and self-vindication, he avowed that he had been traversing his dominions, without exceeding the bounds assigned him. It also denoted his restless malice, and unwearied endeavours to do mischief.-Scott. 8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? You seldom find any spoken of as upright in the Scripture, that are passed over with a plain, naked inscription of their uprightness; but some circumstance there is, which, like the costly work and curious engraving about some tombs, tell the passenger they are no ordinary men that lie there. God, speaking of Job's uprightness, represents him as a nonsuch in his age,'none like him in the earth, a perfect man, and upright.' Mention was before made of his vast estate, and in that also he was a nonsuch; but when God comes to glory over Satan, by telling what a servant He had to wait on Him, He doth not count this worth the telling the devil of; not, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none so rich?'-but, 'none so upright?' When God speaks to Caleb's uprightness, see to what a height He exalts him (Numb. xiv. 24); But my servant Caleb, because he had another spirit with him, and hath followed me fully, him will I bring into the land,' &c. As if God had said, 'Here is a man I do not count myself disparaged to own for my servant, and special favourite. He is one that carries more worth in him than the whole multitude of murmuring Israelites besides;' he had 'another spirit,' that is, for excellency, and nobleness, far above the rest; and wherein did this appear? The next words resolve us, 'He hath followed me fully.'-Gurnall. Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. The devil did not mistake the common sentiment of the world in Divine service, when he alleged to God, that Job did not fear Him for nought,' that is, worship Him for nothing. All acts of devotion take their rise from God's liberality, either from what men have, or from what they hope for. Praise speaks the possession, and prayer the expectation, of some benefit from His hand. Though some of the heathen made fear to be the prime cause of the acknowledgment and worship of a deity, yet surely something else besides and beyond this, established so great a thing as religion in the world. An ingenuous religion could never have been born into the world without a notion of goodness, and would have gasped its last, as soon as this notion should have expired in the minds of men.-Charnock. It was a great truth that Job did not fear God for nought; he got well by it, for godliness is great gain. But it was a gross lie, that he would not have feared God, if he had not got this by it, as the event proved. Job's friends charged him with hypocrisy, because he was greatly afflicted; Satan, because he greatly prospered. It is no hard matter for those to calumniate that seek an occasion. It is not mercenary to look at the eternal recompense in our obedience; but to aim at temporal advantage in our religion, and to make it subservient to that, is spiritual idolatry, worshipping the creature more than the Creator, and is likely to end in a fatal apostasy. Men cannot long serve God and Mammon.-M. Henry. This question of Satan, John Bunyan 11 But put forth thine hand now, he will curse thee to thy face. Satan doth not say, wound him, smite him, break him to pieces, but touch him only. Neither doth he say, 'touch him, but his and if thou give him but a touch with the top of thy little finger, thou shalt presently find the rottenness of his heart.' As if he had been so rotten in his profession, that the least touch would overthrow him, and make him discover himself to be stark turned to good account, in one of his sorest temptations:-When the struggle with the tempter was at its height, the conviction seized Bunyan's mind, 'It is not for me to choose whether to serve God or not, whether to hold fast my profession or not, for to this I am bound. I am bound, but God is free. Yea,' says he, it is my duty to stand to His word, whether He will ever look upon me, or save me at the last, or not; wherefore, the point being thus, I am for going on, and venturing my eternal state with Christ, whether I have comfort here or no. If God doth not come in, I will leap off the ladder even blindfold into eternity, sink or swim, come heaven, come hell. Lord Jesus, if thou wilt catch me, do; if not, I will venture for thy name!' No sooner had Bunyan come to this noble and stedfast resolution, than the word of the tempter flashed across his soul, Doth Job serve God for nought? Hast thou not made an hedge about him? He serves God for benefits.' 'Ah,' thought Bunyan, then, even in the opinion of Satan, a man who will serve God when there is nothing to keep or to gain by it, is a renewed man, an upright man. Now, Satan, thou givest me a weapon against thyself. Is this the sign of a renewed soul, to desire to serve God, when all is taken from him? Is he a godly man that will serve God for nothing, rather than give out? Blessed be God, then, I hope I have an upright heart; for I am resolved, God giving me strength, never to deny my profession, though I had nothing at all for my pains.'Grace Abounding. and touch all that he hath, and naught,-like the apples growing about Sodom, which have fair outsides; but if you touch them, they moulder away into dust and ashes.-Caryl. Satan is the greatest intelligencer in the world. He makes it his business to inquire into the inclinations, thoughts, affections, purposes of the creature, that finding which humour abounds, he may apply himself accordingly which way the stream goes, that he may open -as we see he hath with those in and about the Christian from whom he learns much of his state, as David by Hushai, in Absalom's council;-all these considered, it is almost impossible for the creature to stir out of the closet of his heart, but it will be known whither he inclines.-Gurnall. There is a natural disposition in every wicked man to blaspheme God. Let God but cross a carnal wretch in his way, and then suffer Satan to edge his corruption, and he will soon fly in God's face. If the devil's supposition had been true, that Job was a hypocrite, then that tale which he brought against him to God, would have been true also: Put forth now thy hand,' &c. Had Job been the man he took him for, the devil had not lied; because it is natural for every wicked man to have base thoughts of God, and when provoked, the inward rancour of his heart will appear in the foulness of his tongue. Ibid. 12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD. Little do we know what plots are forming against us in the invisible world; nor are we sufficiently sensible of the number, power, malice, and subtlety of our unseen adversaries. We bolt and bar, to keep out a few ruffians of our own species, who might come to plunder or murder us while we sleep: but there are legions of infernal spirits, whom we can by no us. means exclude, and who are able in a moment to distract, torment, or destroy Blessed be the Lord, His power limits the operations of these malicious foes and the protection which He affords to ungodly men against their destructive rage, is a most wonderful instance of His patience and lovingkindness.-Scott. 14 13 And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 4 And there came a messenger unto Job, and said, The oxen were plowing, and the asses feeding beside them: 15 And the Sabeans fell upon them, and took them away; yea, they have slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 16 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The fire of God is fallen from heaven, and hath burned up the sheep, and the servants, and consumed them; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. 17 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, The Chaldeans made out three bands, and fell upon the camels, and have carried them away, yea, and slain the servants with the edge of the sword; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Satan knew how fearful Job was lest his sons should sin amidst their festivity; and he seems to have chosen this day for his purpose, that the calamities might be construed into Divine judgments.-Scott. joy be troublesome in our sorrows, how troublesome is sorrow in the midst of our joys! Must Satan needs be afflicting the father, when the children were feasting? Could he find out no other time but this? Must his tears be mingled with their wine? It were well if we could be wise in this respect to imitate Satan, to choose out our day to do good when there is greatest probability of success, as he chose out his day to do mischief.-Caryl. What can more embitter a cup of sorrow, than to have it brought us on a day of rejoicing? Solomon tells us, that as he that taketh away a garment in cold weather, and as vinegar upon nitre, so is he that sings a song to a heavy heart' (Prov. xxv. 20). If 18 While he was yet speaking, there came also another, and said, Thy sons and thy daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother's house: 19 And, behold, there came a great wind from the wilderness, and smote the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young men, and they are dead; and I only am escaped alone to tell thee. Satan usually reserves his greatest strength and most violent temptations to the last. When he thinks we are at the weakest, then he comes with the strongest assaults. If Satan had sent Job word of the death of his children first, all the rest would have been as nothing to him: he would not have regarded the loss of his cattle, when he heard that all his children were crushed to death by the fall of the house. As some one great evil falling upon us, takes the heart off from having any sense or joy in a lesser good; so one great evil swallows up the sense and feeling of a lesser evil. Here was therefore the cunning of Satan lest Job should have lost the smart of the lesser afflictions, lest they should have been all swallowed up in the greater, he brings them out in order, the least first, reserving the greatest to the last. We observe in war, that when once the great ordnance are discharged, the soldiers are not afraid of the musket. So when a great battery is made by some thundering terrible judgment upon the soul, or upon the body, or estate of any man, the noise and fears of lesser evils are drowned and abated. Therefore Satan keeps his greatest shot to the last, that the small might be heard and felt, and that the last, coming in greater strength, might find the least strength to resist it. Be prepared then, not only to receive another affliction, but to receive a greater affliction, and expect to receive the greatest affliction at the last. Satan will come with his strongest assaults when thou art weakest. At the time of death, when he seeth he can do no more, but that he must then do it, or never do it, then thou shalt be sure to have the strongest temptations.-Caryl. This should therefore stir up the people of God, still to look for more and more strength to bear afflictions and temptations, and to beg from Christ the greatest strength at last, because they may justly fear the greatest temptations at last. If as Satan doth greaten his temptations, Christ doth greaten His assistance, we shall be able to bear them, and be more than conquerors over them.Ibid. 20 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, |