Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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Job
Book: Job
Chapter: 7
Overview:
Job's troubles.
(1-6) Job expostulates with
God.
(7-16) He
begs release.
(17-21)
1-6 Job here excuses what he could not justify, his desire of
Death. Observe
Man's present place: he is upon
Earth. He is yet
On Earth, not in
Hell. Is there not a time appointed for his
abode here? yes, certainly, and the appointment is made
By Him
who made us and sent us here. During that,
Man's
Life is a
warfare, and as
Day-labourers, who have the work of the
Day to
do in its
Day, and must make up their account at night.
Job had
as much reason, he thought, to wish for
Death, as a
Poor servant
that is tired with his work, has to wish for the shadows of the
Evening, when he shall go to
Rest. The sleep of the labouring
Man is sweet; nor can any rich
Man take
So much satisfaction in
his wealth, as the
Hireling in his
Day's
Wages. The comparison
is
Plain; hear his complaint: His days were useless, and had
long been
So; but when we are not able to work for
God, if we
sit still quietly for him, we shall be accepted. His nights were
restless. Whatever is grievous, it is good to see it appointed
for us, and as designed for some holy
End. When we have
comfortable nights, we must see them also appointed to us, and
be thankful for them. His body was noisome. See what vile bodies
we have. His
Life was hastening apace. While we are living,
every
Day, like the shuttle, leaves a thread behind: many weave
the
Spider's web, which will fail, ch. 8:14. But if, while we
live, we live unto the
Lord, in
Works of
Faith and labours of
Love, we shall have the benefit, for every
Man shall reap as he
sowed, and wear as he wove.
7-16 Plain truths as to the shortness and vanity of
Man's
Life,
and the certainty of
Death, do us good, when we think and speak
of them with application to ourselves. Dying is done but once,
and therefore it had need be
Well done. An error here is past
retrieve. Other clouds arise, but the same
Cloud never returns:
So a new
Generation of men is raised up, but the former
Generation vanishes away. Glorified saints shall return
No more
to the cares and sorrows of their houses; nor condemned sinners
to the gaieties and pleasures of their houses. It concerns us to
secure a better place when we die. From these reasons
Job might
have drawn a better conclusion than this, I will complain. When
we have but a few breaths to draw, we should spend them in the
holy, gracious breathings of
Faith and
Prayer; not in the
noisome, noxious breathings of
Sin and corruption. We have much
reason to pray, that He who keeps
Israel, and neither slumbers
nor sleeps, may keep us when we slumber and sleep.
Job covets to
Rest in his
Grave. Doubtless, this was his infirmity; for though
a good
Man would choose
Death rather than
Sin, yet he should be
content to live as long as
God pleases, because
Life is our
opportunity of glorifying him, and preparing for
Heaven.
17-21 Job reasons with
God concerning his dealings with
Man.
But in the midst of this discourse,
Job seems to have lifted up
his thoughts to
God with some
Faith and
Hope. Observe the
concern he is in about his sins. The best men have to complain
of
Sin; and the better they are, the more they will complain of
it.
God is the Preserver of our lives, and the
Saviour of the
souls of all that believe; but probably
Job meant the Observer
of men, whose eyes are upon the ways and hearts of all men. We
can hide nothing from Him; let us plead guilty before his
Throne
of
Grace, that we may not be condemned at his
Judgment-seat.
Job
maintained, against his friends, that he was not a
Hypocrite,
not a wicked
Man, yet he owns to his
God, that he had sinned.
The best must
So acknowledge, before the
Lord. He seriously
inquires how he might be at peace with
God, and earnestly begs
forgiveness of his sins. He means more than the removing of his
outward trouble, and is
Earnest for the return of
God's favour.
Wherever the
Lord removes the guilt of
Sin, he breaks the power
of
Sin. To strengthen his
Prayer for
Pardon,
Job pleads the
prospect he had of dying quickly. If my sins be not pardoned
while I live, I am lost and undone for ever. How wretched is
sinful
Man without a knowledge of the
Saviour!