Job 3

Job 3:1-10

Hitherto Job had born up nobly: here his impatience prevails, and though he doth not curfe God, 1. He curses the day of his birth, ver. 1—10. 2. He complains that he did not like as soon as he was born, ver. 11—19. 3. He grieves that his life was now continued under such misery, ver. 20—26. In this it must be evoked that Job found with his lips, and it is whittier not for abomination, but our admonition, that he who thinks he should may take best left be full.

1. AFTER this Job opened his mouth, and cursed his day. 2. And Job spake and said, 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born, and the night in which it was said, there is a man-child conceived. 4. Let that day be darkness, let not God regard it from above, neither let the light shine upon it. 5. Let darkness and the shadow of death stain it, let a cloud dwell upon it, let the blackness of the day terrify it. 6. As for that night, let darkness seize upon it, let it not be joined unto the days of the year, let it not

come into the number of the months! 7. Lo, let that night be solitary, let no joyful voice come therein. 8. Let them curse it that curse the day, who are ready to raise up their mourning. 9. Let the Parv. of the twilight thereof be dark, let it look for light, but have none, neither let it see the g dawning of the day: 10. Because it shut not up the doors of my mother’s womb, nor hid sorrow from mine eyes.

At last the solemn silence breaks. Big sorrows flow into his lips, and feeling his wretchedness, yet cursed the day that first brought into life a miserable being, doomed to such tormenting anguish. Herein corruption prevailed; he stumbled, yet not so as to fall. In general he still appears our admiration, and we shall see him recovering his resignation; his sin pardoned, his soul refused, and Satan’s acquisition of him as a hypocrite clearly contured; and though compelled with infirmities, in the main he is found faithful and upright, and fixed in his adherence to God.

With a variety of strong and striking expressions, he brands the day of his unhappy birth, wishes its mercenial were for ever cancelled; that darkness, dismal as death, might thicken around it, and no joyful found he heard, to cheat the dreadful gloom; that God would never favour it with one pleasing event, but let melancholy reign, and stamp it with wretchedness, that no voice but mourning and woe may be ever uttered therein, and curses perpetual rest upon it; whilst every one who lamented the dead, should mention this hand forth-day, with that which wakened up their sorrows: and this because it shut not up his mother’s womb, but gave unwelcome light to those eyes, that opened only to behold misery. A desire foolish, cruel, and perverse, which he lived to condemn, and be ashamed of having uttered. Note, The day of our birth need be kept with humiliation, when we remember the sin of our conception, and the evil of our years; but should never be cursed, since there is so blessed a hope let before us, in that child that so as is born, and through whom we have now a prospect of endless glory. If we look added no farther than the grave, and full in view behold those miseries that flesh is best to, it might lead us to join Job’s imprecation; but beyond the grave, the prospect brightens to the eye of faith, and enables the soul amidst its sorrows to rejoice in hope.

11. Why did I not from the womb? why did I not give up the ghoal when I came out of the helly? 12. Why did the knees prevent me? or why the breaths that I should fuck? 13. For now should I have lien still, and been quiet, I should have sleep; there had I been at rest. 14. With kings and counsellors of the earth, which built desolate places for themselves: 15. Or with princes that had gold, who filled their houses with silver: 16. Or as an hidden untimely birth I had not been; as infants which never lost light. 17. There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. 18. There the prisoners rest together, they hear not the voice of the oppressor. 19. The small and great are there, and the servant is free from his matter.

Job 3:8-12

8. Behold, I go forward, but he is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him: 9. On the left hand where he doth work, but I cannot behold him: he hitherth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him. 10. But he knoweth the way that I take; when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. 11. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined. 12. Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips, I have esteemed the words of his mouth, more than my necessary food.

Job had said, O that I knew where I might find him; and his were not empty wishes, but earnest labours. Here,

1. He laments his disappointment; on every side he turned his thoughts, deeply resolved in mind his sufferings, and sought to find out their cause, and to acquaint himself with God’s designs in them; but darkness was in all his path, and he was as much as ever at a loss to account for the very singular circumstances of his afflictions, and wherefore God thus visited him, v. 8. Note, The most beloved him of God have been exercised with great darkness of soul, as well as great anguish of body; which however grievous for the time, work blessed faith in the end.

2. He was conscious of his own integrity, and satisfied in the divine Omnif352, v. 10. and therefore concludes, that when he had been tried, he should come forth from the furnace as gold, the brighter for the torture. My foot hath held his steps, I have sought to conform step by step with his word and providences; his way have I kept, his worship I have maintained, and his will obeyed in simplicity, and not declined from it, in any known instance, or by allowed guile; neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips, as a backslider, or an apostate, I have esteemed the words of his mouth, more than my necessary food, more delightful to my soul, and judged them more necessary for it, than ever food for my body. Note, (1.) It is a comfort God knows our ways, and our simplicity before him. (2.) The trials of the faithful are sure to issue to their honour and advantage. (3.) The word of God is the believer’s daily bread, and he feeds upon it, to the comforting and strengthening of his soul.

Job 3:11-19

1. Tired of life, in love with death, impatiently Job expellates, Why be died not, as an abortion, up deprived the hour of his birth? Why the knees supported him, the breaths fucked him, and robbed him of an infant grave? Note, (1.) Man is of all creatures born the most helpless, and without the tenderest care and kind providence, could never survive the days of helpless infancy. (2.) To quarrel with the life God bellows, is to sin against our own mercies; and if ever in hell we curse the day of our birth, we shall have none but ourselves to blame. (3.) Freefulness and impatience at our lot, is foolish as well as sinful, and can only aggravate, instead of alleviating our burdens! (4.) To deface death to be with Christ, and delivered from sin is commendable; but to be tired of the burdens of mortality, and in haste to be gone, is felfish and evil.

2. He speaks of the grave, as the desirable asylum for the wretched. There he should have enjoyed rest and ease, and in his bed of dark, dry, as he could not move, through raging anguish, on a bed of down. There he should have lain down with kings and counsellors, no longer distinguished in that cold manhood, unless by the desolate habitations, those repulchral monuments they built for themselves; and with princes, whose rulers and pomp could not descend with them into the grave. There, like an untimely birth, or the still-born infant, carried from the womb to the grave, he should know no favour. There the wicked cease from troubling, Satan no more tempts, nor wicked men vex and persecute: there the weary pilgrim reposes in eternal rest; the prisoners there are at ease, nor bear the clamorous voice of their oppressor or creditor; and the slave ceases his labour, free from his cruel matter’s yoke: the small and great are there mixed promiscuously, and no distinction marks the wise man from

the fool. Note, (1.) Though the troubles of life must not make us impatient under them, the shadows of death will be welcome to the afflicted believer. (2.) Death is the terror of the great, because their honours cannot follow them: happy only and truly great are they, that after death expect their crown. (3.) It is a comfort to the holy foul that dwells in this disordered world, vexed as righteous Lot with the filthy communication of the wicked, that yet a moment, and they will for ever cease from troubling.

20. Wherefore is light given to him that is in misery, and life unto the bitter in soul? 21. Which long for death, but it cometh not, and dig for it more than for his treasures? 22. Which rejoice exceedingly, and are glad when they can find the grave? 23. Why is light given to a man? whoever way is hid, and whom God hath hedged in? 24. For my fighting cometh before I eat, and my roarings are poured out like the waters. 25. For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of, is come unto me. 26. I was not in safety, neither had I reft, neither was I quiet: yet trouble came.

Job 3:12-17

1. But he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desirest, even that he doth. 14. For he persisteth the thing that is appointed for me: and many such things are with him. 15. Therefore am I troubled at his presence: when I consider, I am afraid of him. 16. For God maketh my heart safe, and the Almighty troublet me: 17. Because I was not cut off before the darkness, neither hath he covered the darkness from my face.

Though he was conscious of his uprightness, and hoped the issue of his trials should be peace, they were hard to be born, though bear them he must.

1. It was in vain to think of changing the purposes of the immutable God. He is in one mind, unalterable his comfort,

and who can turn him from executing his decrees? and what his soul desirest, even that he doth, without control, or possibility of resistance. He persisteth the thing that is appointed for me, according to his eternal mind and will, and many such things are with him; many dispensations of his providence, abbrute and unaccountable by mortal worms; or he feared more troubles were to his hand, as if his measure of suffering was not yet full. Note, Though God doth what he will, he cannot but do what is right; and therefore we are ever bound to acquiesce, and seeing his hand in our afflictions, to be dumb, and not to open our mouth.

2. Though Job quitted not his hope, yet at times his fears prevailed: Therefore am I troubled at his presence; when I consider, I am afraid; the sovereignty of God’s dispensations, and the immutability of his comforts, compared with what he had already suffered, made him apprehensive least worse was in those for him, and that quite melted him down: for God maketh my heart safe, and the Almighty troublet me, the fear of his impending infatuations, as well as the sense of present anguish; because I was not cut off before the darkness of affliction came, as if he was marked out to suffer: or it may be confirmed as an expeditation, Why turn I was out of before, or by darkness, by death, from beholding, these miseries? neither hath he covered the darkness from my face, which, had I been hid in the grave, I had not been: or without the word neither, He hath covered the darkness from my face, refuses me the comfort of departing, or suffers me: I see no end of my affliction. Note, (1.) The confederation of God’s perfections out of a redeemer we big with terror to the soul, but in him our fears remove. (2.) We should not be in such haste to be gone from our troubles into the darkness of death, when we know not how soon the scene may change, and that life which was our burden, he made comfortable to ourselves, and serviceable to the cause of God.

Job 3:20-26

Job continues his impatient expeditation, and grieves that a life of misery should be longer continued to those whose bitterness of soul makes death eagerly longed for, who dig for the grave at for his treasures; and exult with transport when their dissuition from the burdens of mortality arrives; and in his own case, he particularly thinks himself hardly dealt with, his way is hid, there is no door of escape, hedged in with the thorns of affliction on every side: so constantly in pain and anguish, that his appetite was pulled with sorrow, and his pangs so acute, that he roared aloud like the noise of mighty waters falling. His fears were now all come upon him; in the beginning of his trouble, he had entertained the most grievous apprehension, and under the first broken of providence began to enter, and inwardly left his wonted repose; but then he hoped for a little respite, yet trouble came upon trouble; still darker clouds thickened over him, till he seemed overwhelmed with wretchedness. Note, (1.) To reflect on God’s providence, is easily to call blame on himself. (2.) Though impatient anguish eagerly calls for death, did they who often so desire its approach look beyond the grave, they would more eagerly start back, and welcome life with all its miseries. (3.) Our time is in God’s hands; happy for us it is so; else we might betray repass, our raftness. (4.) The more this life is irksome, the more afflictions let it make us to prepare for a return. (5.) They are only fit to die who are content to live, and fettified under every burthen wait cheerfully the Lord’s leisure.