Bible Commentaries

CONTENTS

In the former Chapter we find Satan tempting Job, in some very heavy and trying afflictions of Job's family and circumstances; and Job triumphant. In this Chapter we have the adversary making a further attack, in his violent assault upon Job's person. To add to the poor man's affliction, his wife joins in persuading him to sin. He reproves his wife and is visited by his friends.

Job 2:1

(1) ¶ Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

In the opening of this Chapter I cannot forbear calling upon the Reader to remark with me some sweet and precious instructions, which the Holy Ghost hath thought proper to give the church, concerning Satan and his devices, for which we never can be sufficiently thankful to that blessed Spirit. Paul tells the church that we are not ignorant of his devices. 2Co 2 And blessed be God the Holy Ghost who hath taught us by his servant the prophet Zechariah, we have a plain representation made of the arch fiend, standing before our God to resist God's people. But to comfort the minds of God's accused ones, the same prophet was made to behold also the Lord Jesus Christ, no less present to confront the accuser, as our glorious all-prevailing advocate. I would have the Reader, before he enters further in this Chapter, turn again to the passage referred to in the former Chapter. Zechariah 3:1-5. It forms the highest relief to the mind, the recollection of this precious office of our adorable Lord, amidst the unknown accusations of our spiritual foe, which may daily be going on against the redeemed of the Lord! John 2:1.

(2) And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. (3) And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. (4) And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. (5) But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. (6) And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

After premising what was observed under the former verse, in the opening of this Chapter, and above all things for the consolation of every poor, tempted follower of the Lord Jesus, having endeavored to direct the mind under Satan's temptations, to the person and office-work of the Lord Jesus, as our almighty Advocate constantly rebuking Satan; I would now in the next place, for the Reader's spiritual improvement of this precious history, beg of him to attend to those most interesting circumstances, which belongs to Job's history under those unparalleled trials. Beside the private subject of the whole of Job's temptations, considered as a believer; we must yet more eminently regard him, as a type of the ever blessed Jesus. And in this light it is a delightful subject indeed. The victory and total destruction, which the Lord Jesus Christ hath accomplished upon Satan on our behalf, is one of the grand parts of the gospel. For this cause (John tells us) the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8. The original hatred of Satan, began personally against the Lord Jesus, and against us as his people. This we learn from what Christ himself saith, that Satan's kingdom he came to destroy. So that in the afflictions of Job, we discover Satan bruising Christ's heel: and as such Job typified the Redeemer. And nothing can be more sweet and consolatory; because we thereby discover that the great concern of Jesus, and his interest, lay in the destruction of Satan. And the permission that these triumphs of the Lord Jesus, before his own coming in our flesh, to accomplish the victory should be shadowed forth in the exercises of his people, serves not only to show its vast importance, but also our personal interest in them. That sweet scripture of Paul to the Colossians, beautifully sets it forth, wherein the apostle saith, speaking of Jesus; that having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Colossians 2:15.

(7) ¶ So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown. (8) And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

Everything tended to aggravate Job's affliction, because added to the sores of the body, no doubt the enemy made the most furious attack on his soul. But here what a type was Job of his Redeemer; who in his unequalled seasons of temptation was at once oppressed with hunger, and driven out from men into the wilderness, the haunts of wild beasts, that the attack of the enemy might be the more powerful?

(9) Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. (10) But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

The temptation is carried up to the highest point of provocation, when the wife of his bosom thus becomes the abettor of the enemy. The Reader will recollect how the adversary adopted the same plan, in the instance of Jesus, when Peter would have prompted Christ to avoid suffering. That Satan had a hand in this is most evident, from what the Lord said to him; Get thee behind me, Satan; thou art an offense unto me. Matthew 16:23. Reader! mark those traits of character Satan's temptations, and be led therefrom to suspect those yet with more jealousy, which come from a quarter least expected. What a blessed account the Holy Ghost gives of the issue of Job's trials. In all this, did not Job sin with his lips. Oh! how truly blessed is it to be kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation.

(11) ¶ Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that was come upon him, they came everyone from his own place; Eliphaz the Temanite, and Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite: for they had made an appointment together to come to mourn with him and to comfort him.

There is somewhat very interesting in this account. The uncommonly heavy afflictions of Job, had called forth, not only the pity and compassion of those men, but also their desires to the attempt of saying, or doing, what they could to alleviate his sorrows. It is a gospel precept, to mourn with them that mourn. And among gracious minds the Lord sometimes, and not unfrequently, affords a mutual holy joy in our visits of love, not only to those we go to comfort, but to ourselves also. It is a profitable service to visit gracious souls in their affliction, especially if we pray the Lord Jesus to go with us, and be of the party. Better to go. (saith Solomon) to the house of mourning than the house of feasting. Ecclesiastes 7:2.

(12) And when they lifted up their eyes afar off, and knew him not, they lifted up their voice, and wept; and they rent everyone his mantle, and sprinkled dust upon their heads toward heaven.

What a finished picture of human misery is here drawn! when our Lord Jesus Christ was in his agony in the garden, and in that tremendous hour, which he called himself, the hour of the power of darkness, all human aid or consolation was taken from him; for he was withdrawn from his poor sleeping disciples, about a stone's cast. And in a cold night, as we are told it was so cold indeed, as to render it necessary for a fire of coals to be made in the High Priest's palace to warm the servants, Jesus's agony, was so great, that he sweat great clods of blood. Oh! thou precious bleeding Lamb of God!

(13) So they sat down with him upon the ground seven days and seven nights, and none spake a word unto him: for they saw that his grief was very great.

I venture to suppose that this seventh day here spoken of, in which it should seem an interruption was given to the long silence, was in respect to the sabbath day, which those three men no doubt reverenced, as they sprung from stock which could not be ignorant of the sabbath. Eliphaz being a Timanite, sprung from one of the descendants of Esau. And it is probable that the other two were nearly of the same race, or in alliance with it. See Genesis 36:10-11.

REFLECTIONS

READER! I would call you, and myself at the same time, in our improvement of what is here related, to a subject which the Holy Ghost graciously intended to be gathered out of it, as well as from the whole tenor of scripture, on the same interesting point. If Job's sufferings were typical of Jesus, and we are commanded to take the example of those, who have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, for our encouragement of suffering affliction, and of patience; well may we look at such of them, as are intended to hold forth to us the outlines of him, who in his victory and triumph over Satan, wrought our deliverance in that accomplishment, and hath conquered both hell and destruction, for the salvation of his people.

Behold then, Reader, the victory of the Lord Jesus bruising the serpent's head, and subduing his kingdom both for his people, and in his people, by his glorious redemption. The original ground of the quarrel against our poor nature, began with our glorious head. Hence Jesus undertook to conquer Satan for us, and drive him out of the kingdom of our hearts where he had taken possession, by conquering him in us. The apostle saith, that forasmuch as the children were partakers of flesh and blood, he himself likewise took part of the same, that through death be might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil; and deliver them, who through fear of death, were all their life time subject to bondage. Hence Jesus triumphed over Satan at his death on the Cross, when the Redeemer's heel was bruised. And the Son of God prosecutes his victory, by converting us his people from the error of our ways, and which is called in scripture, delivering us out of the kingdom of darkness, into the kingdom of God's dear Son. And what is yet more, by the grace of his Spirit implanted in our hearts, he gives wisdom as in the case of Job, to escape from Satan's wiles. Thus we overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and are made more than conquerors through his grace helping us. And by and by that blessed promise will be completely fulfilled, when in death, by the faith of Christ, the God of peace shall have bruised Satan under our feet shortly.

Hail! then, thou glorious almighty Conqueror, thou Lord Jesus Christ! thou hast indeed spoiled principalities and powers; thou hast led captivity captive, and received gifts for men; thou hast taken the prey from the mighty, and even the lawful captive delivered! Thou hast beheld Satan, as lightning, fall from heaven; and, blessed be thy name, thou hast given unto thy people, thy redeemed, power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Oh! precious, precious Jesus! give all thy children grace, that as their day is their strength may be; and to all thy redeemed ones, who are still exercised, as Job was, by reason of the devil's hatred, with trials and temptations, manifest in all our remaining skirmishes with the accursed foe, that greater is He that is in us, than all that are against us. God is faithful, who will not suffer us to be tempted above what we are able, but with every temptation will make a way to escape, that we may be able to bear it. Amen.