laughed to scorn; by many he is laughed at even for his justice and his uprightness, his honesty toward men, and his piety toward God; these are derided as foolish things, which silly people needlessly hamper themselves with: as if religion were a jest, and therefore to be made a jest of. By most he is laughed at for any little infirmity or weakness, notwithstanding his justice and uprightness, without any consideration had of that which is so much his honour. Note, It was of old the lot of honest good people to be despised and derided; we are not therefore to think it strange, (1 Pet. iv. 12.) no nor to think it hard, if it be our lot; so persecuted they not only the prophets, but even the saints of the patriarchal age, Matth. v. 12. And can we expect to fare better than they?
3. What he suspected to be the true cause of it, and that was, in short, this; they were themselves rich and at ease, and therefore they despised him who was fallen into poverty. It is the way of the world, we see instances of it daily; they that prosper are praised, but of them that are going down it is said, "Down with them." He that is ready to slip with his feet, and fall into trouble, though he has formerly shone as a lamp, is then looked upon as a lamp going out, like the snuff of a candle, which we throw to the ground, and tread upon, and is accordingly despised in the thought of him that is at ease, v. 5. Even the just upright man, that is in his generation as a burning and shining light, if he enter into temptation, (Ps. lxxiii. 2.) or come under a cloud, is looked upon with contempt. See here, (1.) What is the common fault of those that live in prosperity; being full and easy and merry themselves, they look scornfully upon those that are in want, pain, and sorrow; they overlook them, take no notice of them, and study to forget them. See Ps. cxxiii. 4. The chief butler drinks wine in bowls, but makes nothing of the afflictions of Joseph. Wealth without grace often makes men thus haughty, thus careless of their poor neighbours. (2.) What is the common fate of those that fall into adversity. Poverty serves to eclipse all their lustre; though they are lamps, yet, if taken out of golden candlesticks, and put, like Gideon's, into earthen pitchers, nobody values them as formerly, but they that live at ease despise them.
6. The tabernacles of robbers prosper, and they that provoke God are secure; into whose hand God bringeth abundantly. 7. But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: 8. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9. Who knoweth not in all these, that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? 10. In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, ahd the breath of all mankind. 11. Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?
Job's friends, all of them, went upon this principle, that wicked people cannot prosper long in this world, but some remarkable judgment or other will suddenly light on them: Zophar had concluded with it, that the eyes of the wicked shall fail, ch. xi. 20. This principle Job here opposes, and maintains, that God, in disposing men's outward affairs, acts as a Sovereign, reserving the exact distribution of rewards and punishments for the future state.
I. He asserts it as an undoubted truth, that wicked people may, and often do, prosper long in this world, v. 6. Even great sinners may enjoy great prosperity. Observe, 1. How he describes the sinners; they are robbers, and such as provoke God, the worst kind of sinners, blasphemers and persecutors; perhaps he refers to the Sabeans and Chaldeans, who had robbed him, and had always lived by spoil and rapine, and yet they prospered; all the world saw they did, and there is no disputing against sense; one observation built upon matter of fact is worth twenty notions framed by an hypothesis. Or, more generally, All proud oppressors are robbers and pirates. If is supposed that what is injurious to men, is provoking to God, the Patron of right, and the Protector of mankind. It is not strange, if those that violate the bonds of justice, break through the obligations of all religion, bid defiance even to God himself, and make nothing of provoking him. 2. How he describes their prosperity: it is very great; for, (1.) Even their tabernacles prosper, those that live with them, and those that come after them, and descend from them. It seems as if a blessing were entailed upon their families; and that is preserved sometimes to succeeding generations, which was got by fraud. (2.) They are secure, and not only feel no hurt, but fear none, are under no apprehensions of danger, either from threatening providences, or an awakened conscience. But those that provoke God are never the more safe for their being secure. (3.) Into their hand God brings abundantly. They have more than heart could wish, Ps. lxxiii. 7. They have, not for necessity only, but for delight; not for themselves only, but for others; not for the present only, but for hereafter; and this from the hand of Providence too. God brings plentifully to them; we cannot therefore judge of men's piety by their plenty, nor of what they have in their heart by what they have in their hand.
II. He appeals even to the inferior creatures for the proof of this—the beasts, and fowls, and trees, and even the earth itself; consult these, and they shall tell thee; (v. 7, 8.) many a good lesson we may learn from them; but what are they here to teach us?
1. We may learn from them that the tabernacles of robbers prosper; so some. For, (1.) Even among the brute creatures, the greater devour the lesser, and the stronger prey upon the weaker, and men are as the fishes of the sea, Hab. i. 14. If sin had not entered, we may suppose there had been no such disorder among the creatures, but the wolf and the lamb had lain down together. (2.) These creatures are serviceable to wicked men, and so they declare their prosperity. Ask the herds and the flocks, to whom they belong, and they will tell you that such a robber, such an oppressor, is their owner: the fishes and fowls will tell you that they are served up to the tables, and feed the luxury, of proud sinners: the earth brings forth her fruits to them, (ch. ix. 24.) and the whole creation groans under the burthen of their tyranny, Rom. viii. 20, 22. Note, All the creatures which wicked men abuse, by making them the food and fuel of their lusts, will witness against them, another day, Jam. v. 3, 4.
2. We may from them learn the wisdom, power, and goodness, of God, and that sovereign dominion of his, into which plain and self-evident truth all these difficult dispensations must be resolved. Zophar had made a vast mystery of it, ch. xi. 7. "So far from that," (says Job,) "that what we are concerned to know, we may learn even from the inferior creatures; for who knows not from all these? Any one may easily gather from the book of the creatures, that the hand of the Lord has wrought this," (v. 9.) that is, "that there is a wise providence which guides and governs all these things by rules which we are neither acquainted with, nor are competent judges of." Note, From
