C/ THE PROBLEMS OF JOB THE PROBLEMS OF JOB BY REV. GEO. V. GARLAND, M.A. AUTHOR OF "THE PRACTICAL TEACHING OF THE APOCALYPSE, "NOTES ON GENESIS," ETC. iLontion JAMES NISBET & CO., LIMITED 21 BERNERS STREET 1898 Printed by BALLANTYNE, HANSON & Co. At the Ballantyne Press PREFACE THE object of the following treatise on the Book of Job is to place in a consecutive form the apparently disjointed maxims and isolated proverbs used by the various speakers. The chief difficulty in under- standing its contents owes itself to the oriental preference for parabolic utterances, instead of con- tinuous argumentative reasonings. It was the mode adopted by our Lord in His parables and discourses, whereby He tested the sincerity of His followers in their desire for Divine knowledge (Matt. xiii. 1 1 ). It is also the great characteristic of the Sacred Scriptures. They lay no claim to record consecutive history. They relate only certain salient events and sayings in the lives and utterances of chosen peoples, rulers, and prophets, selected under inspiration to reveal the Divine principles for the regulation of national, social, and individual life, in all successive ages until the end of the dispensation. As the fundamental subject of the book relates to the mystery of the Divine toleration of pain and 200065O vi PREFACE sorrow, a chapter has been prefixed descriptive of the revealed nature, object, and relief of affliction. Since several doubts have also been raised concerning its historic veracity and the degree of its inspira- tion, two chapters have been added on Inductive Biblical Criticism and the Inspiration of the Sacred Scriptures. The plan adopted has been to treat the contents of the history paraphrastically, whilst adhering as closely as possible to the meaning of the words of the sacred text, at the cost even of crudity of expression. BOSCOMBK, 1898. CONTENTS PACK PREFACE . . v PRELIMINARY CHAPTER AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES i INTRODUCTION .22 CHAPTER I THE HISTORY OF JOB (CHAP. i. 1-5) .... 27 CHAPTER II THE SATANIC TEMPTATION (CHAP. i. 6) .... 35 "Will man fear God for nought ? " CHAPTER III JOB REDUCED TO PENURY (CHAP. i. n) . . . 41 " Will not man curse God on reduction to poverty ? " CHAPTER IV JOB EXPOSED TO BODILY PAIN (CHAP, ii.) . . .46 "Will not man curse God on subjection to torment ? " CHAPTER V THE PERSONALITY OF THE SATAN . . . .51 viii CONTENTS CHAPTER VI PAOK THE VISIT OF THE THREE FRIENDS (CHAP. ii. 11) . 56 CHAPTER VII JOB'S OPENING SOLILOQUY -(CHAP, iii.) .... 63 " Why is man born to suffering ? " CHAPTER VIII ELIPHAZ'S REPLY TO JOB (CHAPS, iv., v.) . .71 CHAPTER IX JOB'S REPLY TO ELIPHAZ (CHAPS, vi., vii.) ... 78 " Why is life prolonged to the suffering ? " CHAPTER X BILDAD'S REPLY TO JOB (CHAP, viii.) . . . .87 CHAPTER XI JOB'S REPLY TO BILDAD (CHAPS, ix., x.) . . . 91 " Why is unmerited suffering Divinely tolerated ? " CHAPTER XII ZOPHAR'S REPLY TO JOB (CHAP, xi.) . . . . 101 CHAPTER XIII JOB'S REPLY TO ZOPHAR (CHAPS, xii., xiii., xiv.) . . 106 "Why do the perfect suffer as if they were wicked ? " CHAPTER XIV ELIPHAZ'S SECOND REPLY TO JOB (CHAP, xv.) . .117 CONTENTS ix CHAPTER XV PAdS JOB'S SECOND REPLY TO ELIPHAZ (CHAPS, xvi., xvii.) . 123 " Why does God refuse man's plea for relief ? " CHAPTER XVI BILBAO'S SECOND REPLY TO JOB (CHAP, xviii.) . .130 CHAPTER XVII JOB'S SECOND REPLY TO BILDAD (CHAP, xix.) . .136 " Why does not God vindicate the perfect ? " CHAPTER XVIII ZOPHAR'S SECOND REPLY TO JOB (CHAP, xx.) . . 142 CHAPTER XIX JOB'S SECOND REPLY TO ZOPHAR (CHAP, xxi.) . .146 " Why do the wicked prosper ? " CHAPTER XX ELIPHAZ'S THIRD REPLY TO JOB (CHAP, xxii.) . -152 CHAPTER XXI JOB'S THIRD REPLY TO ELIPHAZ (CHAPS, xxiii., xxiv.) 159 " Why do not the perfect witness the punishment of the wicked ? " CHAPTER XXII BILDAD'S THIRD REPLY TO JOB (CHAP, xxv.) . .169 CHAPTER XXIII JOB'S THIRD REPLY TO BILDAD (CHAP. xxvi. 1-4) . 173 x CONTENTS CHAPTER XXIV PAGE JOB'S PARABLE (CHAPS, xxvi. 5 xxxi.) . . .178 CHAPTER XXV JOB'S REFLECTIONS ON SHEOL AND CREATION (CHAP. xxvi. 5) 181 CHAPTER XXVI JOB'S REFLECTION ON THE SUPERIORITY OP DIVINE WISDOM (CHAPS, xxvii., xxviii.) . . . .188 CHAPTER XXVII JOB'S RETROSPECT OF HIS PAST LIFE (CHAPS, xxix., xxx., xxxi.) 197 CHAPTER XXVIII THE INTERMEDIATE STATE 212 CHAPTER XXIX THE INTERVENTION OF ELIHU (CHAP, xxxii.) . . 227 CHAPTER XXX JOB'S SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS (CHAP, xxxiii.) . . .231 CHAPTER XXXI JOB'S IMPUTATION OF INJUSTICE TO GOD (CHAP, xxxiv.) 237 CHAPTER XXXII GOD'S INDEPENDENCE OF MAN'S HELP (CHAP, xxxv.) . 244 CHAPTER XXXIII REVELATION OF GOD'S JUSTICE (CHAP, xxxvi.) . . 248 CONTENTS xi CHAPTER XXXIV PAOE REVELATION OF GOD'S OMNIPOTENCE (CHAPS, xxxvi. 26; xxxvii.) ......... 256 CHAPTER XXXV THE THEOPHANY (CHAPS, xxxviii. xlii.) . . . 266 CHAPTER XXXVI REVELATION OF GOD'S OMNISCIENCE (CHAPS, xxxviii., xxxix.) 272 CHAPTER XXXVII REVELATION OF GOD'S OMNIPOTENCE (CHAPS, xl., xli.) 288 CHAPTER XXXVIII RECAPITULATION OF THE PROBLEMS .... 302 CHAPTER XXXIX JOB'S RESTORATION TO PROSPERITY (CHAP, xlii.) . .314 CHAPTER XL INDUCTIVE BIBLICAL CRITICISM ..... 324 CHAPTER XLI INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE 339 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB PRELIMINARY CHAPTER AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES THE Book of Job contains a Divine revelation of the nature of affliction and its causes, and it indirectly reveals the mode in which it should be met, with a view to its alleviation. Its interpretation Avill be greatly elucidated by a consideration of the teaching of Holy Scripture in this respect. Since the days of Job, from the contents of the history, such knowledge is shown to have been wonderfully expanded by the revealed character of our Lord's life and example, and by His direct personal teaching. Doctrines only dimly understood by the suffering patriarch, were subsequently brought to his knowledge through the inspired lips of Elihu, and the wonderful revela- tions conveyed to him by the omniscient voice of Jehovah, seen by him in the Theophany. To believers in Christ, this fundamental knowledge has been yet more fully revealed through the inspired writings of 2 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB the New Testament. They all reveal the one funda- mental lesson, that perfected submission to the will of God is the only method whereby the assaults of Satan can be successfully met ; that the fear of God and the keeping of His commandments is the whole duty of man, and that the imitation of our Lord's human example has the assured promise of eternal life ; and they further reveal that all affliction either emanates from, or is tolerated by an omniscient and omnipotent personal moral Ruler, with a view to the earthly blessing or future glorification of the sufferers. For the better understanding of the inner teach- ing of the history, it may be well to briefly examine what the sacred writings teach as to the nature and objects of affliction. Holy Scripture teaches the existence of six prin- cipal sources from whence it originates, the objects for which it is imposed, and the means to be used for its alleviation. The objects may be described as being (i.) Punitive; (2.) Corrective; (3.) Protective; (4.) Vicarious or Sacrificial; (5.) Disciplinary; (6.) Altruistic. Its causes originate from (i.) The wilful commission of sin, or the wilful neglect of duty. (2.) The neglect either through inherent ignor- ance, or fortuitous incapability in the use of the means of grace. AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 3 (3.) The necessity of its imposition for the pro- tection of the sufferer from future evil. (4.) The voluntary love Avhich the sufferers evince by the endurance of the extremes of pain and death in the relief of their fellow-men. (5.) The importance of the perfectioning of the character through a course of discipline, to enable the sufferer to become qualified for future work in the intermediate state, or in the new heavens and the new earth. (6.) The promotion of God's glory by the mani- festation of the sufferer's disinterested love through his perfect submission to the Divine will. SELF-EXAMINATION. In dealing with the problem of affliction, the first step for its alleviation is to discover the cause for which it has been inflicted. In its true char- acter pain represents an instrument wherewith Christ knocks at the door, in order to draw man's attention to His desire to obtain admission into his heart. For His reception there needs a course of preparation, for " without holiness no man can see the Lord." The condition of the heart must therefore be tested, to show whether it is fitted to receive Him whose name is Holy. This calls for self-examination, which becomes the first step to discover why the affliction has been sent, witnessed 4 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB by the command of the prophet, "Consider your ways," and that of St. Paul, "Examine yourselves, whether ye are living in the faith of the Gospel ; test yourselves " (Hag. i. 5 ; 2 Cor. xiii. 5). THE FIRST CAUSE PUNITION. The first revealed cause of affliction is personal sin, or the wilful transgression of Divine law. Adam, originally created in a state of innocence and con- sequent happiness, partook of the forbidden fruit, and at once became subject to suffering and to death, for " the wages of sin is death." Thus suffer- ing, when shown to arise from the wilful commission of sin, or the wilful neglect of duty, is seen to be of a punitive character, sent with a view to the correction of the evil which has been done. This was rightly declared by Eliphaz, " Happy is the man whom God correcteth ; therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty, for He maketh sore, and bindeth up ; He woundeth, and His hand healeth" (v. 17). Alleviation must therefore be sought through confession, repentance, and amendment of life. This is confirmed by our Lord in the parable of the prodigal. It is the teaching of the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews : " No chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous ; never- theless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 5 righteousness to those who are exercised thereby ; therefore make straight paths for your feet." The prophet Isaiah enunciates the same doctrine : " Wash you, make you clean ; cease to do evil, learn to do well ; if ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land," The conduct must be tested by its conformity with the principles of the ten commandments, com- prehended by our Lord in His two fundamental precepts, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and thy neighbour as thyself. This do, and thou shalt live." THE SECOND CAUSE CORRECTION. When on sincere self-examination the conscience does not convict the sufferer of wilful guilt, the cause of his affliction must be traced to a want of spiritual vitality or power for the right performance of his duty. It may originate in the unconscious ignorance of man's nature or unintentional remiss- ness in the use of the means of grace, whereby the soul is exposed to loss of spiritual life and vigour. Such spiritual energy is sustained through sacra- mental channels, for the right use of which a know- ledge of God's Word is required. This is inferred from our Lord's claim to be " the bread of life." As the bread of life He imparts Himself to the faithful recipient under three forms : in the sincere milk of 6 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB the Word issuing from the breast of the mother, or the instruction of the Church ; in the breaking of the one bread, or in the practical adaptation of the Word to the exigencies of life, and in the personal study of its contents, and in the sacramental feeding on the body and the blood of Christ, the strong meat of the deeper doctrines of the consummated atonement, embraced by those who have their senses exercised to discern good and evil ( i Pet. ii. 2 ; St. John vi. 35; vi. 51-57). To this our Lord bears witness in the warning, that " unless we eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, we have no life in us," together with the additional promise, that " whoso eateth His flesh and drinketh His blood has eternal life," or spiritual vitality proportioned to his daily requirements. Elihu (xxxiii. 23) appears to reveal the import- ance of ministerial instruction in seasons of trial as one of the means to give the sufferer restoration to peace : " If there be an angel, or an interpreter of God's will, or one of the learned to show man in what his uprightness should consist, he shall pray for him, and God will be favourable to him." He also continues in words which contain a foreshadow- ing of the doctrine of the Atonement, " Then God is gracious to him, and commands intercession to be made that he should be ransomed, since a propitia- tion has been found." Alleviation of the affliction may be expected by AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 7 the sufferer proportioned to his increased study of the Word of God, his greater regularity in the use of the means of grace, and his more frequent attend- ance on the sacraments of the Gospel, which become the tests of the earnestness of his desire for the attainment of increased energy in the performance of the duties of life. The deliverance of Moses from the threatened danger of death was accorded to him on the recog- nition of his remissness in the delay of the circum- cision of his son, and on his performance of that holy rite (Exod. iv. 24). The ten Samaritan or Noncon- formist lepers were cured of their disease, on their obedience to our Lord's command to show them- selves to His duly consecrated temple priests, at whose lips the prophet (Mai. ii. 7) was divinely inspired to show how man was " to keep knowledge, and from whose mouth he was to seek the law, as being the appointed messengers of the Lord of Hosts." The conduct must be tested by its conformity with the laws which govern prayer, study, and wor- ship, comprehended in our Lord's direction to ask, to seek, and to knock, to be read in union with His promise through the prophet Amos ; " Seek ye Me, and ye shall live " (v. 4). 8 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB THE THIRD CAUSE PROTECTION. When again on sincere examination the conscience does not convict the sufferer of intentional remissness in the use of the means of grace, the affliction may be traced to its being inflicted to guard him from future evil, whereby it assumes a protective character. The victim may have gone through some great spiritual crisis, whether by being delivered from a life of sin or error, or by being vouchsafed deep revelations of a supernatural character, calculated to expose him to the danger of spiritual pride. Per- manent or temporary afflictions may at times appear necessary to the Divine wisdom for the preservation of that humility which is needful to render a person submissive to the will of God. Elihu (xxxiii. 17-30) bore testimony to the pro- tective character of affliction, when he shows how man is chastened on his bed that his ears may be opened to instruction, and that he may be withdrawn from purposes originating in the desires of his will, and may be hidden from the dangers to which pride or spiritual exaltation may expose him. Its object is his enlightenment with the light of life, by re- minding him of his past deliverances by the hand of God, and of the continual necessity for his cultivation of that humility of mind which is the essential characteristic of those to whom the most transcendent visions of the Almighty are vouchsafed. Moses, the AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 9 most favoured of His servants, in being permitted to converse with God face to face, is described as the meekest of men. Instances appear in the lives of Jacob and of Paul, who, by the shrunken sinew and the thorn in the flesh, were respectively reminded of their conversion from past sin and error, and were recipients of the wonderful visions given to them at Penuel and in Arabia. Similar in character was the protracted delay in the manifestation of our Lord's forgiveness of Peter's denial of his Master, although he had been warned beforehand of the coming Satanic temptation, the full effect of which, in open apostacy, was only averted by our Lord's prayer, that on his being sifted like wheat his faith should not fail. To this eclipse of faith possibly may be traced the reason of his in- carceration by Herod, and the afflictions to which he was subjected by the Jewish Sanhedrim, culminating in martyrdom at the hands of the Roman emperor. As chosen vessels for the promotion of the knowledge of God, their subsequent afflictions reminded them of their past weakness, and at the same time made known that perfect humility was the true pathway to success in their work. Alleviation in such cases is revealed by Paul as being attained in taking pleasure in infirmities, per- secutions, and distresses for Christ's sake, whereby weakness is transmuted into strength. The conduct, therefore, must be tested by its conformity with our io THE PROBLEMS OF JOB Lord's direction to feed His lambs and sheep in the supply of their bodily, intellectual, and spiritual needs, supported by His assurance, through the mouth of Paul, that eternal life is promised to patient continuance in well-doing. THE FOURTH CAUSE SELF- SACRIFICE. A fourth cause of affliction originates in the natural weakness of man's present condition, realised in the pain which accompanies his efforts to relieve the wants of others. By the fall man became ex- posed to loss of bodily power, of mental vigour, and of control of will, which rendered him liable to affliction, not only in the support of his own life but also in that of others. Such affliction is conse- quently of a vicarious or self-sacrificial nature. It should be attributed to hereditary defect, and not to any act of personal sin. In these ministrants of mercy it is borne in behalf of others. Thus the mother suffers in bringing her infant into existence ; the physician imperils his life in healing the sick ; the teacher suffers exhaustion in instructing the ignorant ; the priest sacrifices worldly honour in converting the sinner. Even our Lord's miracles were attended by a temporary loss of physical power, witnessed in the healing of the woman with the issue (Luke viii. 46). His continuous instruction of the masses was provocative of exhaustion, seen in the deep AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 11 sleep on the Galilean Lake, and His weariness at the well of Sychar, whilst the crucifixion bore the culmi- nating witness to the awful character of the vicarious sacrifice endured by our Lord in reconciling man to His Heavenly Father. These are all instances of sac- rificial suffering, which is the unavoidable accompani- ment of human existence. The concluding portion of Job's last soliloquy (xxxi.), in which he reviews the efforts he made in promoting the welfare of those amongst whom he lived, is a remarkable example of such vicarious suffering. Alleviation in such cases is revealed by the writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, as being obtained by the contemplation of the joy set before our Lord in the redemption of the world, and of His promised elevation to the right hand of the throne of God, whereby He was humanly supported in enduring the cross and despising the shame. The apostles were sustained under the loss of the earthly bless- ings to which they were exposed in preaching the Gospel, by the hope of the heavenly thrones which were being prepared for them in the regeneration, whilst in the parable of the unjust steward men are encouraged to make a due use of their oppor- tunities for vicarious sufferings in the relief of want, by being directed to look forward with joy to their future meeting in the heavenly regions with those for whose well-being they had laboured on earth. The conduct must therefore be tested by the con- 12 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB formity of men's lives with the doctrine enunciated by our Lord, that all who mitigate the sufferings of their brethren are regarded by Him as having ministered to His own wants, coupled with the promise that by so doing they will become assured of the gift of eternal life. THE FIFTH CAUSE DISCIPLINE. A fifth cause of affliction is found in its being sent for purposes of discipline in the perfecting of the character for future work, not only in this world but also in the future stages of existence through which men may have to pass to render them fit for the enjoyment of the Beatific Vision. This is wit- nessed in our Lord's training under the restraint of the cradle, the instruction of the school, and the work of the shop. By such afflictive training He became fitted for the Divine call to the ministry at the Jordanic Baptism, for the plenary, visible, and abiding unction of the Holy Spirit, and for the an- nouncement of His appointment to the Prophetic office through the audible voice of the Divine Father. Our Lord's afflictive training continued during the whole period of His abode in the flesh, until His sufferings were terminated by His sacrificial death upon the cross. This perfectioning of His human character, through learning obedience by the things which He suffered, enabled Him to become the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey Him. AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 13 The necessity of such training in believers is taught by our Lord's words, that whosoever would come after Him must voluntarily deny himself, and submissively take up the punitive cross imposed upon him for his offences, and faithfully follow Him in the imitation of His life. By such afflictive training man, like his Divine Master, becomes daily more qualified for the hour of death, to commence the work prepared for him in the Intermediate State. While our Lord's body rested in the grave His human soul, quickened by the Spirit, went and preached to the spirits in prison to those who be- foretime were disobedient in the days of Noah. The existence of work in Hades and its character are thus clearly revealed. It consisted in the arousing the impenitent departed to listen to the Saviour's loving call to conversion, and to reconciliation with their Heavenly Father. The preaching of the gospel to the departed in Hades is made known to us by the apostle St. Peter as well as its object, that "they might be judged according to men in the flesh, and that they should live according to God in the Spirit." Their judgment appears to be the same as that by which those, who have been converted during their earthly existence, will be judged. Their subsequent life is to be of a spiritual character, and in accord- ance with the revealed will of God. Such are the subject and the object of the preach- ing to the departed in Hades. But by whom is I 4 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB this carried on ? Is there not great reason for believing that this is the work of departed saints ? Such is shown to be the work of Abraham in the history of Dives and Lazarus. It is of a similar character with that of the departed witnesses or martyrs pleading, from beneath the altar of sacrifice, that their blood should be avenged or compensated for by the conversion of those by whom they were injured or slain, and that a white robe of acquittal should be given to each of those for whom they interceded. The ordinary interpretation that they desire the death of their slayers is utterly opposed to our Lord's command to forgive and to pray for our persecutors. These holy departed saints had already received their own white robes of acquittal witnessed by their inward assurance of forgiveness and acceptance. The work of the elect departed saints in Hades appears to be that of their Divine Master and of the holy occupants of the millennial thrones ; worship, intercession, preaching, and ruling are their revealed occupation. As priestly inter- cessors they plead for the conversion of the im- penitent in Hades. As prophetic rulers they preach to them the laws of the eternal kingdom, and govern them according to their precepts. Affliction is thus shown to have a disciplinary character to train men for their future work in the Hadean and Heavenly as well as in the Earthly sphere (Rev. vi.). Alleviation under such affliction will be propor- AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 15 tioned to the conformity of the life with the prin- ciples of our Lord's command, to sell that we have and to distribute to the poor, to deny ourselves in the pleasures of this life, and to patiently endure the punishment of the crosses imposed upon us for sins, with a view to the right training of ourselves in the use of the treasure which will be committed to our trust in the heavenly home. THE SIXTH CAUSE ALTRUISTIC. A sixth cause of affliction, which is of an altru- istic character, or vicarious suffering, either directly inflicted or indirectly permitted for the promotion of God's glory, is that which forms the fundamental doctrine of the history. It is similar in kind to the account of the death of Lazarus, in which our Lord delayed the display of His miraculous power, in order that, by permitting the sickness to terminate fatally, He might at the end of four days be able to manifest His almighty authority over death itself by the raising of His friend, and thereby make known to the family He loved, and to the Jews present on the occasion of His summoning Lazarus out of the grave, as well as to all succeeding ages, His omnipotent character as the resurrection and the life the raiser and the life-giver. Thus the sorrow which attended the death was transmuted into the ineffable joy that was caused by His assur- 1 6 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB ance, " Whoso is believing in Me, though he had died, yet he shall live ; and every one who is living and is believing in Me shall never die." Therefore Death loses its sting, and Hades its victory. On a second occasion, when He healed a man born blind, whom He acquitted of any personal sin, either on his own part or that of his parents, our Lord gave as the reason that such sufferer had been specially elected in order that the works of God should be made manifest in him, by enabling Him to show that not only organic defects, but also dis- eases utterly incurable by man, were subject to the will and power of Jesus for their removal. In the case of Job a far deeper mystery was revealed, for the instruction not only of the human race, but also of the heavenly hosts. Job was selected as the man through whose reduction to penury and disease were revealed the doctrines of the existence of a personal Satan, of his bitter hos- tility to man's happiness, of his wonderful power of interference Avith human events and mundane oc- currences, and of the Divinely imposed impassible limitations of his baneful influence, together with a further revelation that through a firm faith on the Divine assistance man is capable of resisting all his incitement to apostacy from his allegiance to his Creator. The corroboration of the existence and character of altruistic suffering and distress is witnessed in AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 17 the events of our Lord's human life when exposed to bodily pain from the crown of thorns and the soldier's scourge, to the pangs of sorrow over the world's impenitence, to the temptation to sin from the lips of the Satan, and finally to the unjustifiable condemnation to the punishment of crucifixion, on the false accusation of His being a blasphemer under the Jewish law, and a malefactor obnoxious to Roman law, to all which He patiently submitted, in order that "through death He might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to the bondage" that accompanies the sense of unforgiven sin. But in cither case the glory of God was manifested in the deliverance of the sufferers respectively from organic defect, bodily disease, and the embrace of death. By the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave, and His ascension into heaven, the restoration of fallen man to the forfeited Paradise was assured, together with his right to the tree of life, and to enter in through the gates into the city. The method whereby our Lord was sustained, in bearing His unutterable altruistic sufferings on be- half of man, is witnessed in the words with which He addressed His Heavenly Father on the occur- rence of a visit from certain Greeks, typical of those members of the human race who have not as yet been admitted into the kingdom of God. Their B 1 8 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB advent was the sign of His recognition of the approach of the hour when the Son of Man should be glorified. He shows how the burial of the seed- corn in the earth was essential to the growth of the plant, by giving power of expansion to the living germ. He teaches how the burial of His human body was essential to enable His quickened spirit to emerge from its earthly tenement, to bring forth fruit in the living members of the mystic and spiritual body of the Church, of which He is the glorified Head. Contemplating His approaching sacrifice He recognises that it is the cause of His glorification, according to His sublimely disinterested prayer, " Father, glorify Thy name," to which a voice from heaven was accorded, " I have both glorified it and will glorify it again." Glorified the Father's name had been through life in our Lord's altruistic sufferings attendant on His incarnation ; and it was to be glorified again by His restoration to the glory which He had with the Father before the world was. Alleviation under such altruistic suffering will be proportioned to the conformity of the life to the principle of obedience which governed every action of our Lord's human existence, in His readiness for self-sacrifice in the promoting of God's glory, coupled also with the promise, obedience to which is the test of right conduct, that " he which hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." " In your endurance ye shall Avin your lives." AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 19 Affliction is too often regarded as originating from bodily and mental causes, without sufficient attention being given to the spiritual lessons, to Avhich it is Divinely intended that the minds of the Buffering should be directed. The miracle of the healing of the palsied man, borne by his four companions into the presence of Jesus, and the method of his cure, enunciates the doctrine, that in cases of affliction originating in the act of personal transgression, remission of sin in its twofold sense of deliverance from its guilt and from its power is the primal step to place the sufferer in a position to commence a new life of renovated capability for the performance of earthly duty. The first words of our Lord were " Son, thy sins have been remitted to thee." On the expression of anger excited in the minds of the bystanders at our Lord's claim. to remit sin, He shows that the exercise of His authority in its remission is co-existent with that of His power to raise man from the bondage of weakness, and thereby to give capability for the future carrying out of his work in life. In all cases of affliction a strict examination into the conduct should therefore be made, in order that the spiritual reason for the infliction of the suffering should be discovered. Affliction is equally traceable to bodily derangement, mental disturbance, and spiritual disquiet. The reproaches of conscience are provocative of unrest of mind, and the two are 20 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB equally destructive of health of body. Each separate case requires to be accurately diagnosed and spiritu- ally treated with a view to its alleviation. The ordained minister is equally needed with the Chris- tian friend, the intellectual adviser and the learned physician. St. James, under inspiration, has revealed the Divine method whereby alleviation may be ob tained under affliction, whether bodily, mental, or spiritual : " Is any afflicted ? let him pray. Is any weak among you ? let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, having anointed him with oil in the name of the Lord ; and the official prayer of the faith, or of the Catholic Church, will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up ; and even if he should have committed sin it shall be remitted to him. Confess, therefore, your faults one to another, and pray in behalf of one another, that ye may be healed. The energising supplica- tion of a righteous man availeth much" (Jas. v. 14-16.) These prefatory remarks have been affixed to the following treatise on the Book of Job, in order to draw attention to the practical bearing of its teaching. It is too often read under a mere academic aspect, without regard to the danger which often attends neglect in the observance of these rules of conduct in cases of affliction often ending in chronic weak- ness, prolonged misery, or even premature death. Our Lord, however, told His disciples that " all AFFLICTION AND ITS CAUSES 21 things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms or Hagiographa concerning Himself," of which last section the Book of Job, even in His days, formed a part (Luke xxiv. 44). The mental sufferings recorded in the Book of Job represent the prob- lems by which the human mind of our Lord was tormented under affliction, submission to which formed one of the tests of His perfected humanity- The before-mentioned causes, with their attendant methods for alleviation, represent the inner workings of His human soul under the fierce ordeal. Job's temptations were typical of those of Christ, and are recorded for the support of His followers when similarly afflicted. In this lies the value of this inspired history of a real well-known man, whose endurance under Satanic temptation has been re- lated for the encouragement of all similarly exposed to trials on earth, in Hades, or in the Heavenlies. INTRODUCTION THE Book of Job professes to be a Divine revela- tion explanatory of the mystery which accompanies human suffering. It contains a series of problems which present themselves to the mind of man, origi- nating in the apparently unmerited suffering endured by a most holy and exemplary patriarch. The question had been raised in the Presence Chamber of the Almighty in the heavenlies, " whether man would fear God for nought ? " This is the fundamental problem for the solution of which Job was successively reduced to penury and exposed to physical suffering. The words which the extremity of his misery extorted from his lips represent the various thoughts which arose In his mind, in relation to the causes why the existence of suffering was divinely permitted in the life of one who felt that, to the best of his power, he had endea- voured to regulate his conduct in accordance with the will of God. The replies which were given to his remarks by his three friends show the ordinary reasons, which are advanced by different classes of mankind to account for the existence of suffering. INTRODUCTION 23 These are typical men, who, from different stand- points, draw the same conclusion, that suffering is the result of personal sin. They represent the well- to-do man of earthly position, the cold philosophic reasoner, and the superficial talkative man of the world. Their failure to solve the difficulty calls forth the intervention of a man of higher spiritual attainments, who, claiming to speak under direct inspiration from the Almighty, shows that the in- ability of man to arrive at the perfect knowledge of God precludes the exercise of his right to impugn the righteousness or mercy of any of His acts, both of which will, at the proper moment, ba vindicated by the manifestation of His power and justice in the permanent removal of affliction from those who fear Him. In attestation of the truth of this pronounce- ment, the voice of Jehovah is heard out of the whirl- wind directing the attention of Job to the irresistible power and wisdom of God evidenced in the processes of natural order, and indicative of the immeasurable folly of attempting to contend with God, or to dis- pute the rectitude of His operations either in the universe, or in the life of the individual. Suffering for which no rational cause can bs suggested is thus revealed as being a part of the Divine economy, and as such should be patiently endured, in the full assurance that whilst its cause may not be discovered, yet the wisdom of God in its toleration will ulti- mately be vindicated. Thus an impatient desire for 24 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB the solution of the problems which it excites in the human mind is realised as being incompatible with the limited knowledge possessed by man of the omnipotence of Jehovah. In the presence of the revealed omniscience of God, Job's self-justification vanished, and was replaced by the deepest contrition and self-abasement for presuming to question the righteousness of the. Almighty in the permission of suffering, the severity of which had appeared undeserved in one who had conscientiously striven to serve God aright. The mystery was moreover to be cleared in the publica- tion of the history, and in the revelation of the spiritual problem, which had been the original cause whereby Job had been exposed to the Satanic tempta- tion. By Job's refusal to curse God it was clearly shown that man was capable of serving God inde- pendently of the hope of temporal reward, although, through the weakness of his human nature, he might give utterance to hasty and ill-advised words. The Son of Man was alone able to render all perfect sub- mission to the will of God, " He who did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth, who, when He was reviled, reviled not again ; when He suffered He threatened not ; but committed Himself to Him who jiidgeth righteously." All other men owing to their human infirmity can only approximate to such perfection, but, like Job, they may still adhere to faith in God's love and to allegiance to His rule. INTRODUCTION 25 God's dealings with men on earth are here revealed as having a wider sphere of operation than that which is restricted to the mundane system. They are amongst the things which the angels desire to look into, and until the victory of man over Satan is completed through his personal union with his ascended Lord, the toleration of suffering originating in the devices of Satan will remain an unsolved mystery. Many centuries have passed since God revealed to Moses, that though man may see His back parts, yet His face cannot be seen without peril to life, or in other words, that while the revelation of God's work is recognised in what is past, the object and motives of His present operations remain hidden (Exod. xxxiii. 23). " Man walks by faith, not by sight." The agony may be sharp and prolonged, but in due time God's love and wisdom will be fully vindicated by the restoration of the faithful sufferer to reduplicated earthly prosperity, as in the case of Job, or else to the heavenly satisfaction of his soul, as in the case of the all-righteous Servant of Jehovah, whose outpouring of His life upon the cross procured the fruition of the reward for His earthly mission in the justification and salvation of all those who accept Him as their Redeemer. The Book of Job may be divided into three divi- sions, and these again into seven parts : I. The first division contains the history of Job, and is immediately followed by that of the 26 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB angelic assembly in the heavenly Presence Chamber of Jehovah. II. The second division contains the account of the visit of the three friends, and the subject of the discussion between them and Job, followed by the intervention of Elihu. It probably relates to the events of one day. III. The third division contains the revelation of a Theophany, and is followed by the restoration of Job to his former condition of health and hap- piness. The seven parts are : 1. The history of Job. 2. The revelation of the Satanic temptation. 3. The visit of Job's three friends. 4. The intervention of Elihu. 5 . The voice of Jehovah from the whirlwind. 6. The submission of Job. /. His acceptance by Jehovah, and his restora- tion of prosperity. CHAPTER I THE HISTORY OF JOB (CHAP. i. 1-5.) THE writing should not be regarded as a biography, but only a history of certain selected events which took place in the life of a man who, by the blame- lessness of his conduct and the earthly prosperity with which he had in consequence been Divinely rewarded, had incurred the enmity of the Satan or the apostate spiritual accuser of man in the Pre- sence Chamber of the Almighty. The fact of Job's existence is attested by the prophet Ezekiel (xiv. 14) and by St. James (v. 1 1 ), " the servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ," by both of whom he is referred to as an historic personage. Ezekiel asso- ciates him with Noah and Daniel as the most pre- valent intercessors with the Lord God in times of universal desolation, of national apostacy, and of individual misery in virtue of their personal right- eousness. St. James classes him with the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, as an example of endurance in suffering unmerited evil, and of patience. The record opens with the affirmation that " There 28 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB was a man in the land of Uz, and that his name was Job." The theory that the book is only a religious fiction impugns the veracity of the pro- phet and of the writer of the epistle. Outside the book itself and the two passages referred to nothing more in Scripture is known of his history. The meaning of his name Job, the " one exposed to hatred," as is common in the use of Scripture names, may be considered emblematical of the object of the writing, suggestive of its internal claims to inspiration, and to admission into the Canon of Scripture. It seems intended to reveal to man the spiritual support and consolation whereby he may be enabled to sustain the apparently unmerited sufferings, to Avhich his earthly existence is at times exposed, and to refer their true origin to the hostility of the Satanic opponent of man's happiness. The home of Job was in the land of Uz, a name probably derived from that of the son of Aram and grandson of Shem (Gen. x. 23). Its locality may, therefore, be placed in some portion of Syria, which, from the contents of the history, was remarkable for a high state of civilisation, the intellectual attain- ments of its educated classes, the religious character of its people, and the recognised worship of God. The purity of the Noachical faith had not there been corrupted by the Avorship of the other gods, to which the progenitors of Abraham had fallen victims, though the existence elsewhere of the THE HISTORY OF JOB 29 Chaldean nature cult of the heavenly hosts may be inferred from the words of Job, xxxi. 26. The period when Job lived may possibly be discovered in the name of one of his friends, Eliphaz, the Temanite, or the Southerner, expressive of the Edomitish home of the son of Esau (Gen. xxxvi. 1 1 ). Under the supposition that Eliphaz was the son of Esau, Job would have been cotem- porary with the patriarchs Isaac, Esau, Jacob and his sons, and possibly with Abraham, whose con- version from the fire worship of Ur of the Chaldees may thus be traceable, under the Divine superin- tendence, to his recognition of the greater purity of the patriarchal worship of Job in the other division of the land of Syria. The two names of these divisions of Syria may bo emblematic of the two forms of ancient patriarchal worship. That of Ur, or Light, would represent the materialistic fire worship of the Chaldees ori- ginating in the traditional remembrance of the Shekinah of glory, the visible memorial of the pre- sence of Jehovah at the gates of Eden in the Antediluvian age. That of Uz, or counsel, would represent the true worship of God, based upon wise advice or counsel in recognising the invisible glory of God, even His eternal power and Godhead by means of the things which He has created. The contemplation of created matter necessarily leads to the worship of a Creator in all those whose minds 30 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB are not devoid of counsel and knowledge, Avhich are the peculiar attributes of those upon whom the spirit of Jehovah rests. From the mention of Rahab, an ancient name for Egypt, in two of Job's replies to his friends, a later date appears also possible as representing the period when he lived (ix. i 3 ; xxvi. 12). He alludes to the wounding of Rahab, and the piercing of the fleeing serpent by the direct intervention of the hand of God (Ps. Ixxxvii. 4 ; Isa. li. 9). These expressions appear to refer to the overthrow of Pharaoh and his hosts in the Red Sea, for the fleeing serpent is revealed by the prophets as being another emblem under the form of the crocodile of the Egyptian devil worship (Isa. xxvii. i ; Ezek. xxxii. 2). Under this supposition Job would appear to have lived at the time of the Exodus, when great advances had been made in the civilisation of the East, not only in Egypt and Assyria, but also in Edom, to the wisdom of whose elders and the ex- tensive commerce of its trading caravans several allusions are also made in the sacred writings (vi. 19 ; Jer. xlix. 7). The history proceeds with the description of Job's character. " He was perfect, or blameless and upright, fearing God and turning from evil. 1 ' These four qualities represent the principles by which his life was regulated. Such conduct was attended with its normal result in the earthly prosperity THE HISTORY OF JOB 31 which accompanies " growth in wisdom and in favour with God and man." He was blessed with a large and united family, having seven sons and three daughters. His wealth in flocks and herds, and his extensive household, caused him to be regarded as the greatest of the men of the East or of the former patriarchs. The social and domestic life of his family was witnessed in the intercourse by which the mutual love of its members was sustained. His sons feasted each one in his day, and sent for their sisters to unite in their festivity. It was further sanctified by a strict attention to their religious duties, evidenced by the purity of their worship of God, and the weekly burnt offerings, which Job, as the priestly head of the clan, offered for the purification of any secret reproaches against the Divine will, which might have been called forth by the events of their current lives. In the worldly prosperity of Job was witnessed the nearest revealed approximation to that unin- terrupted happiness which would presumably have been the inheritance of man, had not Adam caused its forfeiture by eating of the fruit of the forbidden tree. Since that unhappy moment, experience how- ever shows that right conduct is not invariably attended with earthly success, and one of the objects of the history is to account for this apparent infrac- tion of natural law, by revealing the invisible, spiritual influences which at times interfere with 32 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB its general action. For this purpose it was neces- sary that the biography should be that of a well- known historic personage, one who had actually experienced the temptations and trials therein related. The supposititious words of an imaginary sufferer would not carry the same weight as those of one who had in his own person endured the affliction. One of the objects of the incarnation of the Divine Word, whereby our Lord has prevailed to establish .His supremacy over the mind of man, was to enable Him to appeal to His own sufferings, as a plea to encourage men in their endurance of those to which they themselves are exposed. " Having Himself suffered being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted." To treat there- fore the Book of Job as a mere dramatic poem is destructive of its influence, and reduces the prob- lems which it contains to the commonplace plati- tudes of some philosophic or poetic mind, in the exclusion of the traditional view that they are the actual agonised utterances of one pressed above measure, and incapable of finding relief through the ordinary channels of human consolation, .but who, under the spiritual instruction of an inspired, teacher, corroborated by the voice of Jehovah out of the whirlwind, is led to realise, in the contem- plation of natural order, that the operations of the Almighty in the spiritual as well as the natural THE HISTORY OF JOB 33 sphere, are beyond the range of the human intel- lect to be fully understood. These utterances, as all others contained in the Sacred Scriptures, must therefore have been imparted to the mind of the writer of the history under the direct guidance of the Holy Spirit, without whose Divine inspiration he would have been incapable of committing to writing, as matters of fact, events or words which had not occurred or had not been spoken in his presence. Except under such inspired direction, the ascription of words to the Almighty, expressive only of the thoughts of the writer, becomes an act of presumption. None can with truth dare to say "God said," excepting those unto whom the word of God has actually been revealed. The events recorded appear to have extended over several months, and the accompanying dia- logues are generally supposed to have been only an infinitesimal selection of numberless other actual utterances. If this theory be correct, such selection must also have been made under the same direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who was the alone witness of some of these events, and therefore alone cognisant of the words which were then uttered. Who but an inspired writer would have allowed his imagination to conceive the toleration of the Satan in the Presence Chamber of the Almighty ? or who but such an one would have been permitted to reveal the Satan as publicly challenging the integrity of 34 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB the holy patriarch before the assembled sons of God in the heavenlies ? The subsequent dramatising of heavenly mysteries by modern poets is but an imi- tative development of imaginary ideas, of which the history of Job is the Divine original. The prolongation of the discussion, however, over many days appears doubtful. The true solution seems to show that it commenced and was con- cluded on one day, and was immediately followed by the Theophany ; but of this later. CHAPTER II THE SATANIC TEMPTATION (CHAP. i. 6.) Problem " Will man fear God for nought 1 " THE Satanic temptation is divided into two sections. It witnesses to the existence of three distinct though kindred problems, arising out of the Divine tolera- tion of suffering in man, for which no adequate cause can be suggested in the cases of those who have con- scientiously regulated their lives in accordance with their knowledge of the will of God. These problems are I. " Will man fear God for nought ? " II. Will he not curse or reproach God on being reduced to a state of abject penury ? III. Will he not equally curse God when exposed to the extremes of bodily pain and disease ? The first of these is the fundamental problem for the solution of which the history appears to have been written. The remaining two represent respec- tively subsidiary aspects of the same problem in its action upon the mind and body of the sufferer. They find a counterpart in our Lord's temptation, 36 THE PROBLEMS OF JOB related only in reverse order. The closing offer of the kingdom of the world by the tempter neces- sarily carried with it the two antecedent offers of the supply of bodily support and the grant of intellectual position, analogous to the bodily suffer- ing and lost secular pre-eminence of the holy patriarch. For the solution of these problems the history is transferred from the sphere of earthly events to that of heavenly mysteries. " There was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before Jeho- vah, and the Satan also came amongst them." This is a revelation of the worship of the angelic orders before God, and of the then unforfeited permission which had been granted to the Satan to accuse man of his failure of duty before the throne of Jehovah, prior to his final expulsion out of heaven at the ascension of the glorified Son of Man (Rev. xii.). The Sons of God appear to be one of the highest of the angelic orders (xxxviii. 7). They are named by the Almighty as witnesses of the creation of the earth, uniting with another celes- tial order, that of the Morning Stars, in hymning His praises on this marvellous manifestation of His omnipotence. An earlier record, which had been divinely collated by Moses, reveals how some of their number, forsaking their first estate through lust for the earthly, intermarried with the daughters of men, whereby they exposed themselves to reservation in THE SATANIC TEMPTATION 37 invisible chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. This Divine revelation gives a wonderful insight into the intimate, though now to man invisible, intercourse that exists between heaven and earth by means of the angelic hosts, so long before revealed in vision to Jacob at Bethel of the ladder set upon earth whose top reached to the heavens. This scene is recorded as having actually occurred in the heavenlies, and consequently it could only be made known to man under the direct inspiration of the Spirit of God. To treat this nar- rative as a work of human imagination is destructive of faith in the records of all unseen heavenly mys- teries universally accepted as inspired. Wonderful, indeed, are the truths revealed in the history. Notwithstanding the existence of the millions of responsible beings with which the earth is peopled, it is shown that not one individual escapes the recognition of the all-seeing eye of God. His character, his conduct, and his inner motives are knoAvn to his Creator. God's words to the Satan affirm this truth. " Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him, perfect and upright, fearing God and turning from evil ? " The Satan, fresh from going to and fro in the earth, at once challenges the disinterestedness of Job's motives. "Doth Job fear God for nought?" This is the primary problem of the writing. The true character and continuous malice of the Satan is revealed as the 3