Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/3_100_t.lzh/3_194.TXT

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servant, calls him by name, and gives an high and
honourable account of him: that there is none like him
in the earth; or in the land; in the land of Uz, so
Obadiah Sephorno; whatever there were in other
countries, there were none in this, being in general
idolaters; or in the land of the people of the Heathen
nations, as the Targum; or rather in the whole earth,
where Satan had been walking: and, very probably,
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, were now dead; Job
being, as it should seem, between them and the times
of Moses; and though there might be many godly
persons then living, who were like to him in quality,
being partakers of the same divine nature, having the
same image of God upon them, and the same graces
in them, and a similar experience of divine things,
yet not upon an equality with him; he exceeded them
all in grace and holiness; and particularly, nonecame
up to him for his patience in suffering affliction, though
this was often tried; as Moses excelled others in meek-
hess, and Solomon in wisdom; Job was an eminent
saint and servant of the Lord, a father in his family, a
pillar in his house, like Saul among the people, taller
in grace and the exercise of it; and this is a reason
why he could not, but be taken notice of by. Satan, who
has his eye more especially on the most eminent saints,
and envies them, and strikes at them; and so the words
are by some rendered, for there is none like him {q}; or
rather they may be rendered, but there is none like
him{r}: and so are opposed to the accusations and
charges Satan was come with against him: a perfect
and an upright man, one that feareth God, and eschewrib
evil? see the note on ver. 1. here the character there
given is confirmed by the Lord in the express words of it.
Ver. 9. Then Satan answered the Lord, and said,
doth Job fear God for nought .] Satan does not deny
any part of Job's character, nor directly charge him
with any one sin; which shews what a holy man Job
was, how exact in his life and conversation, that the
devil could not allege any one tiring against him; nor
does he deny that he feared the Lord; nay, he owns
it, only suggests there was a private reason for it; and
this he dares not affirm, only puts it by way of ques-
tion, giving an innuendo, which is a wretched way of
slander many of his children have learnt from him:
he insinuates that Job's fear of God, and serving him,
was not for nought, or freely {s}, it was not out of love to
him, or with any regard to his will, or his honour and
glory, but from selfish principles, with mercenary views,
and for worldly ends and purposes: indeed no man fears
and serves the Lord for nought and in vain, he is well
paid for it; and godliness has a great gain along with it,
the Lord bestoweth every thing, both in a temporal and
spiritual way, on them that fear him; so that eventu-
ally, and in the issue, they are great gainers by it; and
they may lawfifily look to these things, in order to en-
courage them in the service and worship of God, even
as Moses had respect to the recompence of reward;
when they don't make these, but the will and glory of
God, the sole and chief cause and end thereof: but the
intimation of Satan is, that Job's fear was merely out-
ward and hypocritical, nor cordial, hearty, and disin-
terested, but was entirely for his own sake, and for what
he got by it; and this he said as if he knew better
than God himself, the searcher of hearts, who had be-
fore given such an honourable character of him. Se-
phorno observes, that he supposes that his fear was not
a fear of the greatness of God, a reverence of Iris divine
Majesty, but a fear of punishment; or what we call a
servile fear, and not a filial one.
Ver. 10. Hast not thou made an hedge about him, &c.]
A fence, a wall of protection all around him ? he had;
he encompassed him about with his love as with a
shield, a hedge which could not be broken down by
men or devils; he surrounded him with his almighty
power, that none could hurt him; he guarded him. by
his providence, he caused his angels to encamp about
him; yea, he himself was a wall of fire around him;
the Targum interprets it the word of God: so thick
was the hedge, so strong the fence, that Satan could
not find the least gap to get in at, to do him any in-.
jury to his body or mind, without the divine permis-
sion; which he envied and was vexed at, and mali-
ciously suggests that this was the motive of Job's fear
of the Lord; and indeed it was an obligation upon him
to fear him, but not the sole cause of it: and about his
house; not the house in which he dwelt; though
Satan could have gladly pulled down that about his
ears, as well as that in which his children were; but
it designs his family, who were also by Providence
protected in their persons and estates, and preserved
from the temptations of Satan, at least from being
overcome by them, and even at the times of their
feasting before mentioned; this fence was about his
servants also, so that Satan could not come at and
hurt any one that belonged to him, which was a great
grief and vexation of mind to him: and about all that
he hath on every side ? his sheep, his camels, his oxen,
and his asses; for otherwise these would not have
escaped the malice and fury of this evil spirit they
afterwards felt; but as these were the gifts of the pro-
vidence of God to Job, they were guarded by his
power, that Satan could not hurt them without leave:
thou hast blessed the work of his hands; not only what
he himself personally wrought with his own hands,
but was done by his servants through his direction,
and by his order; the culture of his fields, the feeding
and keeping of his flocks and herds; all succeeded
well; whatever he did, or was concerned in, prospered:
and his substance is increased in the land; or broke Out{t{;
like a breach of waters; see 2 Sam. v. 2O; exceeded
all bounds; his riches broke forth on the right hand
and on the left, and flowed in, so that there were scarce
any limits to be set to them; he abounded in them;
his sheep brought forth thousands; his oxen, camels,
and asses, stood well, and were strong to labour; and
his wealth poured in upon him in great plenty; all
which was an eye-sore to Satan, and therefore would
insinuate that this was the sole spring and source of
Job's religion, devotion, and obedience.
Ver. 11. Butput forth thine hand now, &c.] With-

{q} \^yk\^ nam, Piscator.
{r} Atqui, Schmidt.
{s} \^Mnx\^ gratis, Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius Piscator,
Schmidt, Schultens.
{t} \^Urp\^ erupit, Montanus, Piscator; eruperit, Junius & Tremellius;
prorupit, Schultens,