701. JOB 1:12-22. JOB’S CALAMITIES. [NO. IV.]

Job_1:12-22. Job’s Calamities. [No. IV.]

"And the Lord said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord. And there was a day when his sons and his daughters were eating and drinking wine in their eldest brother’s house," &c.’97Job_1:12-22.

How wise and good are those divine arrangements, by which our future ills and sorrows are concealed from us. Sufficient for the day, is the evil thereof. Job was, doubtless, ignorant of the counsel that had been held concerning him. In the integrity of his heart, he was walking before God. In the enjoyment of prosperity, he was rejoicing in the Lord. He adored and extolled the providence that supplied all his need, &c. He was imagining in his heart that he should die in his nest, and that the mountain of his prosperity would not be moved.

But the permission has been given to the arch and vile accuser, and a series of the most distressing calamities are now awaiting him. To these our attention must now be directed. Observe,

The afflictions to which Job was subjected;’97and,

The spirit he displayed under them.

I. The afflictions to which Job was subjected.

Now, his afflictions comprised,

1. The loss of his property.

The Sabeans invaded his possessions, and stole his oxen; Job_1:14, Job_1:15. Then his sheep are destroyed by fire, &c. Job_1:16. Most probably by lightning.

Then the Chaldeans, in their warlike bands, rush forth and seize his camels.

Thus the inventory of his prosperity as given, Job_1:3, is now only a record of his adversity.

It seems that all his worldly possessions thus perished before him. Small losses affect us’97great ones very deeply’97but the wreck of all, is truly affecting.

2. The destruction of servants. Observe, the Sabeans slay those who were laboring with the oxen; Job_1:15.

The lightning destroyed those tending the sheep.

The Chaldeans slew all those who were with the camels.

Now this was the second stroke, and would deeply afflict the spirit of Job. A merciful man regardeth the life of his beast; how much more the lives of his fellow-beings.

The sudden removal of one would distress him, how much more the death of nearly the whole. But the heaviest stroke has now to fall.

3. In the sudden bereavement of his children.

Job_1:18, Job_1:19.

Here, by one stroke, his family are removed from the earth. His sons and his daughters every one; and all at once. At a time when he would have least chosen it; in the midst of their feasting. Before he. had joined them, as was his wont and custom, to sanctify them by prayer and burnt-offerings, &c.

Ye bereaved parents who have sorrowed so much over one, and that one, perhaps, an infant,’97look at Job’s loss! The whole’97when reared to man and woman’s estate’97the joy of his heart’97the hope of his life’97his dearest treasure; and all buried in one calamitous grave together.

Before we pass over Job’s afflictions; observe,

(1.) How suddenly they came. No premonitions. Nothing to indicate a change in his condition, &c. No twilight; but from noon to night. No preparatory steps; but at once he is cast from the highest pinnacle of prosperity, into the lowest depth of adversity and sorrow.

(2.) How continuous! No interval of repose. No season for reflection, &c. But one messenger hastens after another. The first finishes his tale of woe, and then comes the second, and afterwards the third, and finally the fourth. How amazed and overwhelmed must the servant of God have been.

(3.) How entire was his calamity. The lovely scene, a desert. The domestic circle, a heap of ruins. His gallant vessel wrecked, so that not a vestige of it remained before his gaze.

And yet all was not lost. He still remained. His life’97his health’97his reason; and better than all’97his hope in God. These were yet preserved.

Friends, in your losses and trials, see what is left, and let not present grief blind your eyes, as to the good you still enjoy.

Now let us ascertain,

II. The spirit Job displayed under his afflictions.

1. His grief was intense.

Behold the evidences:’97He arose and rent his mantle. His outward flowing garment. He shaved his head, and fell prostrate on the ground.

The ornaments of the person and the hair were removed; and the dust of the earth became his mournful bed. See Gen_37:34.

Now, grief under calamities is natural, proper; and has been sanctified by the tears of the Lord Jesus. Brutality or stoicism, will only attempt to dispense with it.

2. His humility was profound.

He sought the earth, as one of her children. He confesses his original poverty. "Naked," &c.; Job_1:21. "We brought nothing into this world," &c. How dependent is man! &c. Think of this, ye lovers and hoarders of wealth! Your bargains, and houses, and lands, &c., must all be left. You will soon be as poor as the poorest. "Naked," &c. Oh, use it well, I pray you, as stewards, &c.

3. His piety was decided.

He fell down and "worshipped." Did not forget religious duty’97did not neglect God’s claims. Gave Jehovah homage in the darkest hour of his calamity. Was not sullen, nor driven to despair; but his habits of communion and prayer were still maintained.

4. His resignation was entire.

He acknowledges God’s proprietorship over all things. All are God’s’97all from God. He confesses God’s indubitable right to resume his own. "He gave, and he taketh," &c. And then the climax of his resigned and godly submission, he kisses the hand that has brought his sorrows, and exclaims’97"Blessed be the name of the Lord." As if he had said,’97"He is wise, and faithful, and good, and kind." He cannot err,’97he will not do wrong,’97"Blessed be the name," &c.

Job maintained his integrity; and like the pure gold, perished not in the heated furnace of trial.

Observe, then,

1. Satan is confounded.

Here is piety, he cannot destroy. A character, he cannot deface.

2. Job is honored.

He has been weighed, and is not found wanting, &c. He has been tried, and stood the ordeal. He has been winnowed, and he is found good grain. His principles were sound. His heart right. His practice sincere, and his conscience upright before God.

3. God is glorified.

His spirit was in Job,’97his grace and power. Job’s excellences were not natural, but supernatural. Not of earth, but of heaven.

Hearers, have you piety of this kind? Does it support in, and reconcile you, to trouble? If so, hold it fast, &c. If not, seek it, &c.

Autor: JABEZ BURNS