A. Job ~ cont.
2. Job and his three friends ~ cont.
b. First round of speeches - Job 4:1-21; 5:1-27; 6:1-30; 7:1-21; 8:1-22
A few verses that caught my attention, with Gill's commentary:
A few verses that caught my attention, with Gill's commentary:
Eliphaz - "Shall mortal man be more than God? shall a man be more pure than his maker?" (Job 4:17)
Shall mortal man be more just than God?.... Poor, weak, frail, dying man, and so sinful, as his mortality shows, which is the effect of sin; how should such a man be more righteous than God? who is so originally and essentially of himself, completely, perfectly, yea, infinitely righteous in his nature, and in his works, both of providence and grace; in chastising his people, punishing the wicked, and bestowing favours upon his friends, even in their election, redemption, justification, pardon, and eternal happiness: yea, not only profane wicked sinners can make no pretensions to anything of this kind, but even the best of men, none being without sin, no, not man in his best estate; for the righteousness he had then was of God, and therefore he could not be more just than he that made him upright. This comparative sense, which our version leads to, is more generally received; but it seems not to be the sense of the passage, since this is a truth clear from reason, and needed no vision or revelation to discover it; nor can it be thought that God would send an angelic spirit in such an awful and pompous manner, to declare that which every one knew, and no man would contradict; even the most self-righteous and self-sufficient man would never be so daring and insolent as to say he was more righteous than God; but the words should be rather rendered, "shall mortal man be justified by God, or be just from God?" or "with" him, or "before" him (t), in his sight, by any righteousness in him, or done by him? shall he enter into his presence, stand at his bar, and be examined there, and go away from thence, in the sight and account of God, as a righteous person of himself? no, he cannot; now this is a doctrine opposed to carnal reasoning and the common sentiments of men, a doctrine of divine revelation, a precious truth: this is the string of pearls Eliphaz received, see Job_4:12; that mortal man is of himself an unrighteous creature; that he cannot be justified by his own righteousness in the sight of God; and that he must look and seek out for a better righteousness than his own, to justify him before God; and this agrees with Eliphaz's interpretation of the vision, Job_15:14; with the sentiments of his friend Bildad, who seems to have some respect to it, Job_25:4; and also of Job himself, Job_9:2; and in like manner are we to understand the following clause:
shall a man be more pure than his Maker? even the greatest and best of men, since what purity was in Adam, in a state of innocence, was from God; and what good men have, in a state of grace, is from the grace of God and blood of Christ, without which no man is pure at all, and therefore cannot be purer than him from whom they have it: or rather "be pure from", or "with", or "before his Maker" (u), or be so accounted by him; every man is impure by his first birth, and in his nature state, and therefore cannot stand before a pure and holy God, who of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; or go away his presence, and be reckoned by him a pure and holy creature of himself; nor can any thing that he can do, in a moral or ceremonial manner, cleanse him from his impurity; and therefore it is necessary he should apply to the grace of God, and blood of Christ, for his purification.
Call now, if there be any that will answer thee; and to which of the saints wilt thou turn? (Job 5:1)
This one caught my attention because of the word saint...every born again believer is a saint. A holy one. So what saith the Hebrew for this word?
saints - H6918 - קדשׁ קדושׁ - qâdôsh qâdôsh - kaw-doshe', kaw-doshe' -From H6942; sacred (ceremonially or morally); (as noun) God (by eminence), an angel, a saint, a sanctuary.
- H6942 - קדשׁ - qâdash - kaw-dash' - A primitive root; to be (causatively make, pronounce or observe as) clean (ceremonially or morally).
Henry's commentary:
To which of the saints wilt thou turn? Turn to which thou wilt, and thou wilt find they are all of my mind. I have the communis sensus fidelium - the unanimous vote of the faithful on my side; they will all subscribe to what I am going to say.” Observe, (1.) Good people are called saints even in the Old Testament; and therefore I know not why we should, in common speaking (unless because we must loqui cum vulgo - speak as our neighbours), appropriate the title to those of the New Testament, and not say St. Abraham, St. Moses, and St. Isaiah, as well as St. Matthew and St. Mark; and St. David the psalmist, as well as St. David the British bishop. Aaron is expressly called the saint of the Lord. (2.) All that are themselves saints will turn to those that are so, will choose them for their friends and converse with them, will choose them for their judges and consult them. See Psa_119:79. The saints shall judge the world, 1Co_6:1, 1Co_6:2. Walk in the way of good men (Pro_2:20), the old way, the footsteps of the flock. Every one chooses some sort of people or other to whom he studies to recommend himself, and whose sentiments are to him the test of honour and dishonour. Now all true saints endeavour to recommend themselves to those that are such, and to stand right in their opinion. (3.) There are some truths so plain, and so universally known and believed, that one may venture to appeal to any of the saints concerning them. However there are some things about which they unhappily differ, there are many more, and more considerable, in which they are agreed; as the evil of sin, the vanity of the world, the worth of the soul, the necessity of a holy life, and the like. Though they do not all live up, as they should, to their belief of these truths, yet they are all ready to bear their testimony to them.
Pondering upon that - about who we keep company with...found this verse:
1Co 15:33 Be not deceived: evil communications corrupt good manners. KJV translation.
deceived - G4105 - πλανάω - planaō - plan-ah'-o - From G4106; to (properly cause to) roam (from safety, truth, or virtue).
evil - G2556 - κακός - kakos - kak-os' - Apparently a primary word; worthless (intrinsically such; whereas G4190 properly refers to effects), that is, (subjectively) depraved, or (objectively) injurious.
communications - G3657 - ὁμιλία - homilia - hom-il-ee'-ah - From G3658; companionship (“homily”), that is, (by implication) intercourse.
corrupt - G5351 - φθείρω - phtheirō - fthi'-ro - Probably strengthened from φθίω phthiō (to pine or waste): properly to shrivel or wither, that is, to spoil (by any process) or (genitive) to ruin (especially figuratively by moral influences, to deprave.
good - G5543 - χρηστός - chrēstos - khrase-tos'- From G5530; employed, that is, (by implication) useful (in manner or morals).
manners - G2239 - ἦθος - ēthos - ay'-thos - A strengthened form of G1485; usage, that is, (plural) moral habits.
Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” ESV translation.
Lord, let us with diligence guard our lips when giving counsel, and be cognizant of those with whom we associate.
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