light of life. In the grave there is no knowledge, no comfort, no joy, no praising God, no working out our salvation, and therefore no light. Job was so much ashamed that others should see his sores, and so much afraid to see them himself, that the darkness of the grave, which would hide them and huddle them up, would, upon that account, be welcome to him. Darkness comes upon us, and therefore let us walk and work while we have the light with us. The grave being a land of darkness, it is well we are carried thither with our eyes closed, and then it is all one. The grave is a land of darkness to man; our friends that are gone thither, we reckon removed into darkness, Ps. lxxxviii. 18. But that it is not so to God, will appear by this, that the dust of the bodies of the saints, though scattered, though mingled with other dust, will none of it be lost, for God's eye is upon every grain of it, and it shall be forthcoming in the great day.
CHAP. XI.
Poor Job's wounds were yet bleeding, his sore still runs and ceases not, but none of his friends bring him any oil, any balm; Zophar, the third, pours into them as much vinegar as the two former had done. I. He exhibits a very high charge against Job, as proud and false in justifying himself, v. 1..4. II. He appeals to God for his conviction, and begs that God would take him to task, (v. 5.) and that Job might be made sensible, 1. Of God's unerring wisdom, and his inviolable justice, v. 6. 2. Of his unsearchable perfections,, v. 7..9. 3. Of his incontestable sovereignty, and uncontrollable power, v. 10. 4. Of the cognizance he takes of the children of men, v. 11, 12. III. He assures him, that, upon his repentance and reformation (v. 13, 14.) God would restore him to his former prosperity and safety; (v. 15..19.) but that if he were wicked, it was in vain to expect it, v. 20.
1.THEN answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 2. Should not the multitude of words be answered? and should a man full of talk be justified? 3. Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? 4. For thou hast said, My doctrine is pure, and I am clean in thine eyes. 5. But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against thee; 6. And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom, that they are double to that which is! Know, therefore, that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
It is sad to see what intemperate passions even wise and good men are sometimes betrayed into by the heat of disputation; of which Zophar here is an instance. Eliphaz began with a very modest preface, ch. iv. 2. Bildad was a little more rough upon Job, ch. viii. 2. But Zophar falls upon him without mercy, and gives him very bad language; Should a man full of talk be justified? And should thy lies make men hold their peace? Is this the way to comfort Job? No, nor to convince him neither. Does this become one that appears as an advocate for God and his justice? Tantaene animis caelestibus ire?—In heavenly breasts can such resentments dwell? They that engage in controversy will find it very hard to keep their temper. All the wisdom, caution, and resolution, they have, will be little enough to prevent their breaking out into such indecencies as we here find Zophar guilty of.
1. He represents Job otherwise than what he was; (v. 2, 3.) he would have him thought idle and impertinent in his discourse, and one that loved to hear himself talk; he gives him the lie, and calls him a mocker; and all this, that it might be looked upon as a piece of justice to chastise him. Those that have a mind to fall out with their brethren, and to fall foul upon them, find it necessary to put the worst colours they can upon them and their performances, and, right or wrong, to make them odious. We have read and considered Job's discourses in the foregoing chapters, and have found them full of good sense, and much to the purpose; that his principles are right, his reasonings strong, many of his expressions weighty and very considerable, and that what there is in them of heat and passion, a little candour and charity will excuse and overlook; yet Zophar here invidiously represents him,
(1.) As a man that never considered what he said, but uttered what came uppermost, only to make a noise with the multitude of words, hoping by that means to carry his cause, and run down his reprovers. Should not the multitude of words be answered? Truly, sometimes it is no great matter whether it be or no; silence perhaps is the best confutation of impertinence, and puts the greatest contempt upon it; Answer not a fool according to his folly. But, if it be answered, let reason and grace have the answering of it, not pride and passion. Should a man full of talk (Marg. a man of lips, that is, all tongue, vox et praeterea nihil—mere voice,) be justified? Should he be justified in his loquacity, as, in effect, he is, if he be not reproved for it? No, for in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin. Should he be justified by it? Shall many words pass for valid pleas? Shall he carry the day with the flourishes of language? No, he shall not be accepted with God, or any wise men, for his much speaking, Matth. vi. 7.
(2.) As a man that made no conscience of what he said, a liar, and one that hoped, by the impudence of lies, to silence his adversaries; (Should thy lies make men hold their peace?) a mocker, one that bantered all mankind, and knew how to put false colours upon any thing, and was not ashamed to impose upon every one that talked with him. When thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? Is it not time to speak, to stem such a violent tide as this? Job was not mad, but spake the words of truth and soberness, and yet is thus misrepresented. Eliphaz and Bildad had answered him, and said what they could to make him ashamed; it was, therefore, no instance of Zophar's generosity, to set upon a man so violently, who was already thus harassed: here were three matched against one.
2. He charges Job with saying that which he had not said; (v. 4.) Thou hast said, My doctrine is pure. And what if he had said so? It is true that Job was sound in the faith, and orthodox in his judgment, and spake better of God than his friends did. If he had expressed himself unwarily, yet it did not therefore follow but that his doctrine was true; but he charges him with saying, I am clean in thine eyes. Job had not said so: he had, indeed, said, Thou knowest that I am not wicked; (ch. x. 7.) but he had also said, I have sinned, and never pretended to a spotless perfection. He had, indeed, maintained that he was not a hypocrite, as they charged him; but to infer thence that he would not own himself a sinner, was an unfair insinuation. We ought to put the best construction on the words and actions of our brethren that they will bear; but contenders are tempted to put the worst.
3. He appeals to God, and wishes him to appear against Job. So very confident is he that Job is in the wrong, that nothing will serve him but that God must immediately appear to silence and condemn him. We are commonly ready with too much assurance to interest God in our quarrels, and to conclude that if he would but speak, he would take our part, and speak for us; as Zophar here,
