July 13

Behold, he taketh away; … who will say unto him, What doest thou? - Job 9:12.

FROM the recorded experience of the patriarch we may observe two things. First, That the people of God may suffer. They may “eat the bread of adversity, and drink the water of affliction;” their purposes may be broken off,-even the thoughts of their hearts,-their schemes frustrated; they may suffer calamity in their worldly circumstances, may be deprived of their beloved connections; they may suffer from the loss of health and friends;’ their trials may be painful and repeated, and deep may call unto deep, and they may exclaim, “All thy waves and thy billows have gone over me.”

Secondly, We remark that the afflictions of the righteous come from God himself. We are not, in our conclusions concerning the fiery trial which is to try us, to stop at second causes, or ascribe them to the instrumentality of creatures, saying, It was that unlucky accident, that treacherous friend, that malicious adversary, that brought all this upon us. Let us rather say, with Eli, “It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.” The Chaldeans stripped Job of his substance, and the elements destroyed his family; but Job said, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: blessed be the name of the Lord.” This was not only a just but a very profitable conclusion. Behold, he taketh away; and shall we murmur or censure? No, says Job: “who will say unto him, What doest thou?” So said David:-“I was dumb, I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it.”

And it is this that God himself has enjoined:-“Be still, and know that I am God.” This turns submission into acquiescence; this enables the Christian to say, with his Lord and Master, “The cup which my heavenly Father giveth me, shall I not drink it?”