Job 3:1-26 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.… Albeit Job's weakness do thus for a time break forth, when his reason and experience are at under, and he is sensible of nothing but pain and sorrow, yet he doth not persist in this distemper, nor is it the only thing that appears in the furnace, but he hath much better purpose afterward in the behalf of God. And therefore, as in a battle men do not judge of affairs by what may occur in the heat of the conflict, wherein parties may retire and fall on again, but by the issue of the fight; so Job is not to be judged by those fits of distemper, seeing he recovered out of them at last; those violent fits do serve to demonstrate the strength of grace in him which prevailed at last over them all. 1. There are, in the most subdued child of God, strong corruptions ready to break forth in trial. The best of men ought to be sensible that they have, by nature, an evil heart of unbelief, even when they are strong in faith; that they have lukewarmness under their zeal, passion under their meekness. 2. Albeit natural corruptions may lurk long, even in the furnace of affliction, yet long and multiplied temptations will bring it forth. (1) Every exercise and trial will not be a trial to every man, nor an irritation to every corruption within him. (2) The length and continuance of a trial is a new trial, and may discover that which the simple trial doth not reach. (3) When men get leisure in cold blood to reflect and pore upon their case it will prove more grievous than at first it doth. (4) When men are disappointed of what they expect under trouble (as Job was of his friends' comfort), it will grieve them more than if they, in sobriety, had expected no such thing. Doctrine — The Lord, in judging of the grace and integrity of His followers, doth afford many grains of allowance, and graciously passeth over much weakness, wherein they do not approve themselves. (George Hutcheson.) Parallel Verses KJV: After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.WEB: After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth. |
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