Y Perinde eft,
the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift; and by a wicked man, one that is under the influence of his — Jufts, is abandoned to them, and never eafy but whilft he is ferving them, which he is continually doing. Now the deftruction of thefe is not to be interpreted of everlafting deftruction; this indeed will be the cafe of wicked men, but not of perfect and good men: God by his grace has made a difference between them in this world, and fo he will in the next; the one will go into everlafting punifhment, the other into everlafting life, and will never come together in the fame place or ftate; nor will the perfect man be deftroyed at all in fuch fenfe; the grace of God within him, and the righteoufnefs of Chrift upon him, will eternally fecure him from everlafting wrath and ruin: but it is meant of temporal deftruétion; fometimes indeed a remarkable diftinétion is made between the one and the other in a time of general calamity, as NVoad, a perfeét man, was faved, when the world of the ungodly were deftroyed by water; and Los, a righteous man, when Sodom and Gomorrah were confumed by fire; but frequently they fall together in the fame common diftrefs; good and bad men, among the Yews were alike carried captive into Babylon, fignified by Feremiah’s good and bad figs; of good men, Ezekiel, Daniel, Shadrech, Mefhech and Abednego, are inftances; though indeed it is on different accounts, and with different views, that the one and the other are deftroyed with a temporal deftruétion, in their perfons, their health, their families, or in their eftates; fuch calamities upon good men are not as puuifhments for their fins, as on the wicked, but as fatherly chaftizements, and for the trial of their graces, for their fpiritual and eternal good, and that they might not be condemned with the world. ‘Y0d’s view in faying this is to obferve, that a man’s ftate Godward is not to be judged of by his outward circumftances, whether he is a good man or a bad man, fince they may both be in the fame afflictions and diftrefs, and which he oppofes to the fentiments.and fayings of Eliphaz and Bildad, ch. iv. 7. and viii.°20. y¥. 23. If the fcourge flay fuddenly, &c. | Not Satan, as ‘farchi and Bar Izemach, but any fore calamity which furrounds a man, lafhes, cuts and diftreffes him, as a whip or fcourge; fuch as any of God’s fore judgments, the {word, famine, peftilence, or evil beafts, which fometimes come fuddenly, unawares, unthought of, and unexpected; and are fometimes only chaftifements in love, the fcourgings of a father, though generally in wrath and hot difpleafure, and are an over-flowing fcourge, which carry all before them; and therefore fome reftrain it to wicked men, as the Septuagint verfion; and fome underftand it as if they were more mildly and gently dealt with, by being fuddenly and at once flain with fuch a fcourge, in their perfons, families and fubftance, while others have their afflictions protracted, and linger long under them, as in the next claufe: be will laugh at the trial of of tke innocent; not that are free from fin entirely; for there are none fuch, no not new-born infants; though they may be comparatively fo, yet they are not in an abfolute fenfe, being conceived in fin and fhapen in iniquity: befides, here it means adult perfons, good men, that are truly gracious, fincere, upright, harmlefs in their lives and converfations, whofe afflictions are ¢rials of their faith and patience, and other graces; and when God is faid to /augh at them, who feems to be defigned here, this muft be underftood confiftent with his pity to his people, his fympathy with them under all their afflictions, he not willingly afflicting or grieving the children of men; nor can it be thought that he has them in derifion and contempt, or laughs at their calamities, or in reality, as he does at wicked men; but that he carries it fo oftentimes in the difpenfations of his providence, as if he made no difference between them, but mocked at the one, as well as the other; feemingly giving — no heed to their cries; not haftening to their help and deliverance, but lengthening out their troubles for the trial of their graces; and fo indeed is greatly delighted with the exercife of them under'them, and with feeing them bear them with fo much pa— tience, courage and greatnefs of mind and fubmilfion to his will. -Some interpret this of a wicked man laughing at the calamities of the righteous, as the Ammonites and Edomites rejoiced at the de- {truction of the Fews, the church’s enemy at her fall, and as the papifts will at the witnefies being flain; but the former fenfe feems beft; rather the icourge itfelf laughs at the trial of the innocent 5 fo Schultens. oe ¥.24. Lhe earth is given into the hands of the wicked, &c.] Either the wicked one Satan, as Farchi and Bar Tzemach, who is the God of this world; or fome wicked tyrant, as Nimrod, or fome other known by 7ed in his time, to whom he may have refpect; or. wicked men in general, who for the moft part have the greateft fhare of the earth, and earthly things, and ot power, dominion and au-. thority in it; and this they have of God, the powers: that be are ordained by him, and therefore to be: obeyed; and what any have of the earth, and the fulnefs of it, they have it from him, whofe it is, and who has a right to difpofe of it, and therefore being given by him, they have a proper right unto it; but then it is only the things of this world which are given them; they have their portion here, and that is their all; wherefore as the giving” of thefe is no proof of a man’s goodnefs, fo the taking of them away is no evidence of his wickednefs; love or hatred are not to be known by’ thefe things; this is 70d’s fcope and drift in this and the preceding verfe: be covereth the face of the judges thereof; not Satan who blinds the minds of fuch that they fhould not underftand juftice, and do it, as the above Fewi/h writers interpret it 5 nor the wicked man that is poffefled of riches and wealth, power and authority, who by his fub- {tance bribes the judges, and blinds their eyes, or by his power and authority awes them, keeps them from executing true judgment, or difcourages perfons fit for fuch an office, and will not advance them, but lets them lie in, and covers them with obicurity; or fuch who are honeft and faithful,« and are not to be bribed and brow-beaten, thefe he either removes from their poft, and covers their faces with fhame, or takes them away by death, condemns and executes them as malefactors; it being ufual in former times, as well as in ours, to cover the faces of fuch as are executed: but rather this is to be underftood of God, who delivers the earth into the hands of the wicked, fuffers them to have the rule over it, and permits fuch things to be done, as already obferved; and befides, gives up the judges of the earth to judicial ~~ blindnefs, fo that they cannot difcern what is right and juft, and do it, fee J/, xxix. 10. if not, pea and «who is be? if it is not fo as I fay, where is — the man, and who is he that can difprove me, and make me a liar? as Aben Ezra; let him come forth and appear, and confute me, and teach me ¢ wile it he can; or name the place of his at at and fay who he is; or if God does not do this, give the earth into the hands of wicked men, and cover the faces of the judges of it, and fuffer wicked men to prevail, and the caufes of good men to be fubverted, the one to flourifh, and the other to be crufhed;. who does do it, where is the man that has done or can do it? certain it is, that it is done; and who but that God that fuperintends all things, fits in the heavens, and does whatfoever he pleafes, can do fuch things as thefe? or could they be done without his will and permiffion? by fuch mediums od proves his aflertion, that God deftroys the perfect. and the wicked, and therefore by the face of things in providence, no judgment is to be had of a man’s. character good. or bad, and then inftances in himfelf in the following verfes. ¥. 25. Now my days are /wifter than a poft, &c.] Or than a runner * in a race, in order to obtain the prize; or than one that rides poft, or runs on foot to carry a meflage, fuch as were Cufbi and Abimaaz; and fuch are generally fwift of foot, or ride on fwift horfes, who are fo employed; and yet Fod fays his days were {wifter, or pafled away more fwiftly than. fuch; meaning either his days in general; or rather particularly his profperous days, as Mr. Broughton. interprets it; thefe no fooner came, but they were gone: they flee away; like a fhadow, or a dream, or a tale that is told: they fee no good; or he faw, perceived, or enjoyed no good in them; not but that he did fee and enjoy much good, even much temporal good, which is what is intended; but this was no fooner had, than it was taken away, that it was as if it had never been; the evil days of trouble and forrow, in, which he had no pleafure, came fo quick upon him. ¥, 26. They are paffed away as the fwift ships, &c.] Thofe that are lighteft built, and run wiftett.
Bar Tzemach thinks, fuch veffels as are rowed with oars are meant, which may be called hips of will or defire®, as the words may be rendered,. becaule they may be rowed at pleafure, and be carried to any place where and when a men thinks fit; where- ‘as thofe that are not, depend upon the wind, and that muft be waited for; or they defign fuch thips that are fo fwift in their motion, that they arrive to the haven as foon as man can well wifh for and defire. Some render it pirate jhips, or fhips of enmity®; fuch as are defigned for {poil and plunder» and which are light ones, not loaded with goods, and therefore move fwiftly: the Targum is, ‘¢ fhips burdened with precious fruits;” and the Vulgate Latin verfion is, ‘* fhips carrying apples:” now fhips loaded with fuch fort of goods, with perifhing commodities, are obliged to make their port as foon as poflible. Some leave the word untranflated, and call them jhips of Ebeh*; which, according to Farchi, Aben Ezra,.and others, is either the name of a place, or of a river in Arabia, which ran with a rapid ftream, and in which fhips were carried with great celerity., Bolducius relates from a traveller of his acquaintance,who finifhed his travels in 1584, that he faw fucha river about Damafcus, not far from the fepulchre of od; but that ag muft be the river Chryforrhoas, now called Barredy; but there were two rivers of this name Ebeh; one near Cu/a, and another in Wafith, a country of Babylon, as Golius obferves*. Others takes the word to have the fignification of reed or papyrus, which grew on the banks of the Ni/e; and of which fhips were made, fee J/. xviii. 1. and render the words foips of reeds or of papyrus‘, and which being light, were very {wift: asthe eagle that bajteth to the prey;: the eagle is the fwifteft of birds, and therefore perfons and things exceeding {wift are compared unto them, fee Had. i. 8. Lam. iv. 19. and it flies the mott {wiftly when being hungry, and in fight of its prey, and is neareft to it, and flaps upon it; which is the thing referred to, and fo may be rendered, that flies upon the prey®. ‘Fob.ules thefe metaphors, ° which are the moft appofite, to fhew how fleeting his days of profperity were, and how foon gone: and a climax may be obferved inthe words; a runner, tho” he runs {wiftly, a fhip’ moves fafter than he, and an eagle, juft about to feize its prey, flies fwifter than that.
y.27. If I fay, I will forget my complaint, &c.] The caufe of it, the lofs of his children, fervants, fubftance and health, and endeavour to think no more of thefe things, and ceafe complaining about them, and attempt to bury them in oblivion, and change his note: I will leave off my beavine s; his melancholy thoughts, words, airs and looks; or forfake my face", put on another countenance, a more gay and chearful one; the Fewi/b commentators generally interpret it, my anger, either at the difpenfations of providence, or at his friends: and comfort myfelf; that things were not -worfe with him than they were; or /frengthen' himfelf, as the word is rendered in Amos v. g. againft his fears, and troubles, and dejection of mind, determining to take heart, and be of good courage, and not fink, and fuccumb, and faint under his _burdens: none but God, Father, Son and Spirit can give comfort to diftrefled ones, whether on temporal or fpiritual accounts; but good men may make ufe of means for comfort, fuch as hearing the word, reading the fcriptures, prayer, meditation and converfation with good men,
¥. 28. Lam afraid of all my forrows, &c.] That they would return upon him, and furround him, and overwhelm him, fo that he fhould not be able to ftand up againft them, or under them; that they would increafe and continue with him, and fo he fhould never be releafed from them: I know that thou wilt not bold me innocent; afadden apoftrophe to God as near hims the meaning is not, that he was confident that God would not juftify him but condemn him in a fpiritual fenfe; ‘fob did not defpair of his everlafting falvation, he knew and believed in his living Redeemer; he knew he fhould be acquitted and juttified by his righteoufnefs, and not be condemn-» ed with the world but he was certain of this, as he thought, that God would neither c/ean/e*him, as {ome render the word, from the worms. his flefh was clad with, and from the filthy boils and ulcers he was covered with; nor clear him fo, as that he fhould appear to be innocent in the fight and judgment of his friends; but go as if he was a guilty perfon, by continuing his afflictions on him, even unto death; he:had ng hope of being freed from them, and fo of being cleared from the imputation of his friends, who judged of him by his outward circumftances. die y.29.tlf [be wicked, why then labour I in vain? J If he was that wicked perfon, that hypocrite, Bildad and his other friends took him to be, it was in vain for him to make his fupplications to God, as they advifed him; fo Gerfom gives the fenfe of the words fince God hears not finners, fuch as live in fin, regard iniquity in their hearts, and practice it in their lives, at leaft fecretly, as it was fuggefted 70d did; if he was fuch an one, it muft be all loft labour to pray to God to fhew favour to him, and deliver him out of his troubles, fince he might reafonably expeét he would fhut his eyes,- and itop his ears at fuch a man, and regard not his cries; feeking to him muft be in vain; prayer may be fitly enough exprefled by labour, it is a ftriving and wreftling with God, and efpecially when it is conftant, importunate and fervent: but rather the fenfe is, that if he was a wicked man in the account of God, or was dealt with as one; if God would not hold him innocent, as he afferts in the latter part of the preceding verfe, then it was’ a vain thing to labour the point in the vindication of himfelf; fince he could never think of fucceeding againft God, fo wife and powerful, fo holy, juft and pure. The word #f is not in the orignal text, and may be left out, and the words be rendered, I am. wick- éd'; not in any notorious manner, as having lived a fcandalous life, or been guilty of fome grofs enormities, as his friends infinuated, but in common with other men; he was born a finner, had been a tranfgreflor from the womb; and though he was renewed and fanctified by the Spirit of God, yet fin dwelt in him, and thro’ the infirmity of the Aeth he was daily finning in thought, word or deed; nor did he expeét it would be otherwife with him whilft in this world; yea, it was impoffible for him to be without fin, as Bar Tzemach obferves to be the fenfe of the phrafe; and therefore if God would not clear him, or hold him innocent, unle{fs he was entirely free from fin, as it was labouring in vain to attain to fuch perfeétion, fo it muft be to no purpofe, and is what he chiefly intends, to attempt to vindicate himfelf before God: or J fhall be wicked, or ungodly™ I fhall be treated, as fuch not only by his friends, who would reckon him aivery wicked man fo long as thofe afflictions continued on him, Jet him fay what he would; but by the Lord him- Jelf, who he believed would never releafe him from them as long as he lived, which in the eye of men would be a tacit condemnation of him; fo the Targum, **1 thall be condemned,” and therefore vit was labour in vain, ftriving againft the ftream, to go about tovindicate himfelf; nor was it poffible that he could make himfelf out fo clear and pure and perfect, that fuch an holy being as God was, could find no fault in him, in whofe fight the heavens, and the inhabitants of them, were not clean; this is farther evinced in the.following words. — ¥. 30. If I wafh myfelf with fnow-water, &c.] A\s it came from heaven, or flowed from the mountains covered with fhow, as Lebanon, fee Fer. xviii. 14.. or was kept in veffels for fuch ufe, as being judged the beft for fuch a purpofe; fo it was ufed on to treat him|by the ancients *, as being what whitens i > and ftrengthens the parts by contracting the and hindering perfpiration: it fignifies in a figurative fenfe, that let him take what methods he would to cleanfe himfelf from fin, they were all in vainy his ‘iniquity would be feen, and remain marked before God; and indeed there is nothing that a man can do that will make him pure and clean in the fight of an holy God; this is not to be done by ceremonial ablutions, fuch as might be in ule in ob’s time, before the law of Mo/es was given, and to which he may have fome reference 3 thefe only fanctified to the purifying of the flefh, or only externally, but could*not purify the heart, fo as to have no more confcience of fin; nor by moral duties, not by repentance, as Sephorno; a foun= tain, a flood, an ocean of tears of humiliation: and repentance, would not wath away fin; if inftead of ten thoufand rivers of oil, fo many rivers of brinith tears could be produced, they would be: of no avail to cleanfe the finner; nor any works of righteoufnefs done by man, for thefe themfelves need wafhing in the blood of the Lamb; for no-: thing fhort of the blood of Chrift, and the grace of God, can do it: and make my hands never fo clean; the hands are what men work with, Zec/. ix. 10. and fo may defign good works, which are fometimes called clean hands; fee P/ xxiv. 6. compared with Pf xv. 1, 2. and may be faid to be fo, when they are done well, from a’ pure heart) and faith unfeigned, without felfifh and fordid views, with a fingle eye to the glory of Gods which is doing them as well, and making thehands as clean as well can be; yet thefe are of no avail with re=.
fpect to juftification before God, and acceptance, with him, or with regard to falvation, which is all of grace, and not of works, be they what they will; fome render the words, and cleanfe. my bands with fope*, which cleanfes them beft of any thing, feerFers, ii'22. -
X. 31. Yet fhalt thou plunge me in the ditch, 8ci -
In the filthy ditch of fin, the pit wherein is no water, the horrible pit, the mire and clay, in which all unregenerate men are, and to which hypocrites return, as the fwine to its wallowing in the mire; and in which impurity felf-righteous perfons are, and are fooner or later made to appear, notwithftanding all their outward righteoufnefs, holinefs, purity and perfection they boaft of; and though od was neither of thefe, not an unregenerate man, nof an hypocrite, nor a felf-righteous perfon; yet he knew that in comparifon of the perfect purity and holinefs of God, he fhould appear exceedingly impure and that God would treat him as fuch, and hold him out to the view of others as the filth of the world, and the offscouring of all things, by cons tinuing his afflictions, from whence it would be concluded that he was the moft impure perfon; and indeed by the ditch may be meant the ditch of afflictions, as Sepborno, either his prefent ones continued, his filthy ulcers and {cabs, with whieh hi€ body was covered all over, or new afflictions” he would bring him into, where he would fink in dee mire, there being no ftanding, Pf Ixix. 2, fome underftand this of the grave, the ditch or pit of - corruption, into which he fhould be'caft, and there putrify and rot; but the other fenfes feeny beft: and mine own clothes foall abbor me not his clothes in a literal fenfe; either whilft living, his filthy m Evo d n Difcabuimus, pueris aquam nivalem in lothed me:” but the words are rather to be underftood figuratively, either of fome of his friends that were as near and as clofe to him as his clothes, or had been, but now were eftranged from him, and loathed, and abhorred him, fee ch. xix. 13—19. or better, of his beft works of righteoufnefs, which he put on as a robe, ch. xxix, 14. and which are a covering to the faints before men, and are ornamental to them, though not juftifying in the fight of God; and indeed in themifelves, and compared with the holy law, and holy nature of God, are imperfect and impure; and if God was to enter into judgment with men, they would be fo far from juftifying them in his fight, or rendering them acceptable to him, that they would caufe them to be abhorred by him, as all felf-righteoufnefs, and felf-righteous perfons are, fee Prov. xxi. 27. Luke vi. 14. and xvili. 14. yea, even the beft works of men are btt dung in the judgment of a good man himfelf, what then muit they be in the account of God? Péil. iii. 8. Fob here, and in the preceding and following verfes, has moft exalted ideas of the purity, holinefs and majefty of
God, fo that no creature, nor creature-holinefs, be they ever fo perfect, can ftand before him, or be pure, in his fight.
¥.32. For he is not a man asIam, &c.) For though the parts and members of an human body are fometimes afcribed to him, yet thefe are to be underftood by an anthropopathy, {peaking after the manner of men, there being fomething in him, which in a figurative fenfe anfwers to thele.; other wife we are not to conceive of, any corporeal fhape in him, or that there is any likenefs to which he is to be compared: he is a fpirit infinite, immortal, immenfe, invifible, pure and holy, juft and true, and without iniquity; whereas ob was but a man, a finite, feeble, mortal creature, and.a finful one; and therefore there being fuch a vaft difparity between them, it was in vain to litigate a point with him, to plead his caufe before him, or attempt to vindicate his innocence; the potfherds may ftrive and contend with the potfherds of theearth their equals, but not with God their creator, who is an over-match for them; he fees impurity where man fees it not, and can bring a charge againft him and fupport it, where he thought there was none, and therefore itis a vain thing to enter the lifts with him: that 1 /oould anfwer him; not to queftions put by him, but in a judicial way to charges and accufations he fhould exhibit; no man in this fenfe can anfwer him, for one of athoufand he may bring, and men are chargeable with; wherefore fob once and again determines he would not pretend to anfwer him,as he knew he could not, fee ¥. 3, 14, 15. and we should come together in judgment; in any court of judicature, before any judge, to have the caufe between us heard, and tried, and determined; for in what court of judicature can he be convened into? or what judge is there above him, before whom he can be fummoned? or is capable of judging and determining the caufe
‘being fuch, that were his clothes fenfible of them, they would loathe and abhor to touch him, and cover him; or when dead, his fepulchral garments, his fhroud, or winding-fheet, would difdain to cover fuch a filthy body, overfpread.with worms and duft; or as Vatablus paraphrafes it, clothes don’t become a dead body; or as Mr. Broughton, ** when I go naked to the grave, as though my clothes between us? there is the high court of heaven, where we mutt all appear, and the judgment-feat of Chrift, before which we muft all ftand; and God is the,judge of all,.to whom we muft come, and by whofe fentence we muft be determined; but there is no court, no judge, no judgment fuperior to him and-his; there is no annulling his fentence, or making an appeal from him to another; there is no coming togther at.all, and much lefs aike?, as fome render it, or upon equal terms; the difference between him and his creatures being {fo vaftly great.
¥. 33. Neither is there any day’s-man betwixt us, &c.] Or one that reproves*; who upon hearing a caufe reproves him that is found guilty, or is blame-worthy, or has done injury to another; but there is no fuch perfon to be found among angels or men, capable of this, fuppofing, as if ob fhould fay, I fhould appear to be the injured perfon; or there is no umpire or arbitrator’, to whom the cafe between us can be referred; for, as Bar Tzemach obferves, he that ftands in fuch a character between two parties, muit be both more wife and more mighty than they; but there is none among all beings wifer and mightier than God: that might lay bis band upon us both; and reftrain them from ufing any violence to one another, as. contending perfons are apt to do; and compromife matters, fettle and adjuft things in difference between them, fo as to do jultice to both, and make both parties eafy, and make peace between them. AHerodotus* makes mention of a cuftom among the Aradians, ** when they
enter into covenants and agreements with each other, another man ftands in the midft of them both, and with a fharp ftone cuts the infide of the hands of the covenanters near the larger fingers 5 and then takes a piece out of each of their garments, and anoints with the blood feven ftones that
lie between them; and whilft he is doing this calls,
upon a deity, and when finifhed the covenant-maker goes with his friends to an hoft or citizen, if the affair is tranfaéted with a citizen; and the friends reckon it a righteous thing to keep the covenant.”
To which, or fome fuch cuftom, od may be thotight to allude. »Now, whereas Chrift is thé day’s-man, umpire and mediator between God and men, who has interpofed between them, and has undertaken to manage affairs relating to both; in things pertaining to God, the glory of his juf> tice, and the honour of his law, and to make reconciliation for the fins of men, and to make peace for them with God by the blood of his crofs; which he has completely done, being every way qualified for its inafmuch as he partakes of both watures, _ and is God and manin one perfon, and fo could”
put his hand on both, and make both one; or bring them who were at variance to an entire agreement with each other,’ upon fuch a bottom, as even the ftriét: juftice of God cannot object unto. Now, | fay, fob muft not be underftood:as if he was ignorant of this, for he had knowledge of Chrift as aredeemer and faviour, and: fo as the mediator and peace-maker; the Septuagint verfion renders it as a wifh, O that there was a mediator between us! and fo it may be confidered as a prayer for Chrift’s incarnation, and that he would appear and do the work of a mediator he was appointed to, which Fob plainly faw there was great need of; or, as others‘, there is no day’s-man yet; there will be one, but as yet he is not come; in due time he will, which 7cd had faith in and full affurance of: but there is no need of fuch verfions and gloffes; ob is here not {peaking of the affair of falvation, about which he had no doubt, he knew his ftate was fafe, and he had an intereft in the living Redeemer, and bleffed Mediator; but of the prefent difpenfation of providence, and of the clearing of _ that up to the fatisfaction of his friends, fo that he might appear to be an innocent perfon; and fince God did not think fit to change the fcene, there was none to interpofe on his behalf, and it was in vain for him to contend with God. -
¥. 34. Let him take bis rod away from me, &c.) Not his government over him, of which the rod or fcepter is an enfign, Yob did not want to be freed trom that; but his rod of affliction, or ftroke, as the Targum, the ftroke of his hand, which tho’ a fatherly chaftizement, lay heavy upon him, and funk his fpirits; fo that he could not, whilft it was on him, reafon fo freely about things as he thought he could if it was removed, and for which he here prays: and let not bis fear terrify me; not the fear of him as a father, which is not terrifying, but the fear of him asa judge; the terror of his majefty, the dread of his wrath and vengeance, the fearful apprehenfions he had of him as a God of ftriét juftice; that would by no means clear the guilty, yea, would not hold him innocent, tho’ he was with refpect to the charge of his friends; being now without thofe views of him as a God gracious and merciful; to thefe words Elibu feems to have refpect, ch. xxxiii. 6, 7-
¥. 35. Then would I fpeak, and not fear him, &c.] With a fervile fear, though with reverence and godly fear; meaning either at the throne of grace, having liberty of accefs, boldnefs of fpirir, and freedom of fpeech through Chrift the mediator, and in the view of his blood, righteoufnefs and facrifice; for when the rod of his law, and the terror of his juftice are removed, and his grace’ and favour in Chrift fhewn, a believer can {peak boldly and freely to God, and not be afraid before ~ him: but rather 700’s fenfe is, that were the rod of his anger taken off, and the dread of his ma-" jefty, which fo awed him that he could: not tell his cafe as it was, and ufe the argument ight to advantage; he fhould fpeak without fear, and fo as to defend himfelf, and make his caufe to appear to be juft; to this the Lord feems to refer in ch. XXXVill, 3. and xl. 7. being bold and daring expreffions, for which 7cb blufhed when made fenfible of it, ch. xlii. 5, 6. uz it is not fo with me 5 there was no day’s-man between the Lord and him, the rod was not taken off his‘back, nor the dread and terror of the Almighty removed: from him; and fo could not fpeak in his own defence, as otherwife he might: or it was not fo with him as his friends thought of him; he was not the wicked, hypocritical man they took him to be, or as the afflictive difpenfations of God made him to appear to be, according to their judgment of them: or the: words may be rendered, J am not fo with myfelf*;- that is, he was not confcious to himfelf that he was. fuch a perfon they judged him; or fuch were the troubles and afflictions that were upon him, that: he was not himfelf, he was not compos mentis, and fo not capable on that account, as well as others,’ of pleading his own cayfe: or J am notright in or with myfelf”, not in his right mind, being diftraéted with the terrors of God, and the arrows of the Almighty that ftuck in him; or he was not righteous in himfelf; for though he was.clear of hypocrify he was charged with, he did not pretend to be with= out fin, or to have fuch a righteoufnefs as would juftify him before God; and therefore defires things: might be put upon the foot of grace, and not of ftrict juttice.
OB here declares the greatnefs of his afflictions, which made him weary of his life, and could not help complaining; entreats the Lord not to condemn him, but fhew him the reafon of his thus dealing with him, y.1, 2, and expoftulates with him about it, and fuggefts as if it was fevere and not eafily reconciled to his perfeétions, when he knew he was not a wicked man, ¥. 3—7. he puts him in mind of his formation and prefervation of him, and after all deftroyed him, ¥.8—12, and reprefents his cafe as very diftrefled; whether he was wicked or righteous it mattered not, his affictions were increafing upon him, y.13—1 7. and all this he obferves, in order: to juftify his eager defire after death, which he renews, ¥. 18, 19. and intreats, fince his days he had to live were but few, that God would give him fome refpite before he went into another ftate, which he defcribes, y. 20,21, 20.
¥.1. My foul is weary of my life, &c.) And yet nothing of a temporal bleffing is more defirable than life; every man, generally fpeaking, is as his enemy, together with the ill ufage of his”
ufually loth to part; but od was weary of his life, willing to part with it, and longed to be rid of it; he Jothed it, and fo it may be here rendered *, he would not live always, ch. vii. 15, 16. his jout was uneafy to dwell any longer in the earthly tabernacle of his body, it being fo full of pains and fores; for this wearinefs was not through the guilt of fin preffing him fore, or through the horror of confcience arifing from it, fo that he could not bear to live, as Cain and Fudas; nor through indwelling fin being a burden to him, and a longing defire to be rid of it, and to be perfeétly holy, to be with Chrift in heaven, as the apoftle Paul, and other faints, at certain times; or through uneafinefs at the fins of others, as J/aae and Rebekah, Lot, David, Ifaiab, and others; nor on the account of the temptations of Satan, ‘his fiery darts, his buffetings and fittings, which are very diftreffing; but on account of his outward affiétions, which were fo very hard and preffing,: and the apprehenfion he had of the anger and wrath of God, he treating him, as he thought, very feverely, and defirous of life, and of a long life too; foul and body are near and intimate companions, and are 2 PY IDIN 15 m non fic ego apud me, Pagninns, non probus ego apud me, Bolducius;
friends. ‘The Yargum renders it, ** my foul is cut off in my life;” or I am dying whilft Montanus, Beza,Vatablus, Me Schmidt, Schaltens.. ¥ quod non fim rectus apud me, Cocceius, ee =! i