John Wesley

So how can you comfort me with empty words? For your answers remain full of falsehood.”

“How - Why then do you seek to comfort me with vain hopes of recovering my prosperity, seeing your grounds are false, and experience shews, that good men are often in great tribulation, while the vilest of men prosper.”

Reconcile now and be at peace with Him; thereby good will come to you.

“It is our honour, that we are made capable of this acquaintance, our misery that by sin we have lost it; our privilege, that through Christ we may return to it; and our unspeakable advantage, to renew and cultivate it.”

If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents

“Thou shalt - It is either, 1. a spiritual promise, if thou dost sincerely repent, God will give the grace effectually to reform thyself and family: or, 2.”

From the city, men groan, and the souls of the wounded cry out, yet God charges no one with wrongdoing.

“Groan - Under grievous oppressions. Soul - The life or blood of those who are wounded to death, as this word properly signifies, crieth aloud to God for vengeance.”

how much less man, who is but a maggot, and the son of man, who is but a worm!”

“Worm - Mean, and vile, and impotent; proceeding from corruption, and returning to it. The son - For miserable man in the last branch he here puts the son of any man, to shew that this is true even of the greatest and best of…”

He lies down wealthy, but will do so no more; when he opens his eyes, all is gone.

“Not gathered - Instead of that honourable interment with his fathers, his carcase shall lie like dung upon the earth. One openeth his eyes - That is, while a man can open his eyes, in the twinkling of an eye.”

It hurls itself against him without mercy as he flees headlong from its power.

“Cast - His darts or plagues one after another. Would flee - He earnestly desires to escape the judgments of God, but in vain.”

It claps its hands at him and hisses him out of his place.

“Clap - In token of their joy at the removal of such a publick pest, by way of astonishment: and in contempt and scorn, all which this gesture signifies in scripture use.”

Proud beasts have never trodden it; no lion has ever prowled over it.

“Lion - Which rangeth all places for prey. The birds and beasts have often led men to such places as otherwise they should never have found out; but they could not lead them to these mines, the finding out of them is a special gift…”

He hews out channels in the rocks, and his eyes spot every treasure.

“Seeth - Even those which no human art or industry was ever able to discover. That wisdom - Man hath one kind of wisdom, to discover the works of nature, and to perform the operations of art; but as for that sublime wisdom which consists…”

From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?

“Whence, &c. - By a diligent inquiry, we find at length, that there is a twofold wisdom; one hid in God, which belongs not to us, the other revealed to man, which belongs to us and to our children.”

then He looked at wisdom and appraised it; He established it and searched it out.

“So it is a speech of God after the manner of men. Searched - Not properly; for so searching implies ignorance, and requires time and industry, all which is repugnant to the Divine perfections; but figuratively, he did, and doth, all things with that absolute…”

For those who heard me called me blessed, and those who saw me commended me, because I rescued the poor who cried out and the fatherless who had no helper.

“Darkness - I passed safely through many difficulties, and dangers, and common calamities. Seat - When I caused the seat of justice to be set for me. By this, and several other expressions, it appears that Job was a magistrate.”

My glory is ever new within me, and my bow is renewed in my hand.’

“Glory - My reputation was growing every day. Bow - My strength which is signified by a bow, Gen. xlix, 24; 1 Sam. ii, 4, because in ancient times the bow and arrows were the principal instruments of war.”

I chose their course and presided as chief. So I dwelt as a king among his troops, as a comforter of the mourners.

“Sat - As a prince or judge, while they stood waiting for my counsel. A king - Whose presence puts life, and courage, into the whole army.”

Yet no one stretches out his hand to a ruined man when he cries for help in his distress.

“To the grave - The hand of God's wrath will not follow me beyond death; I shall then be safe and easy: Tho' men cry in his destruction: tho' most men cry and are affrighted, while they are dying, while the body is sinking into…”

Have I not wept for those in trouble? Has my soul not grieved for the needy?

“Did not I - Have I now judgment without mercy, because I afforded no mercy to others in misery? No; my conscience acquits me from this inhumanity: I did mourn over others in their miseries.”

if I have beheld the sun in its radiance or the moon moving in splendor,

“I - This place speaks of the worship of the host of heaven, and especially of the sun and moon, the most eminent and glorious of that number, which was the most ancient kind of idolatry, and most frequent in the eastern countries.”

(Oh, that I had one to hear me! Here is my signature. Let the Almighty answer me; let my accuser compose an indictment.

“Had written - Had given me his charge written in a book or paper, as the manner was in judicial proceedings. This shews that Job did not live, before letters were in use.”

This kindled the anger of Elihu son of Barachel the Buzite, of the family of Ram. He burned with anger against Job for justifying himself rather than God,

“His pedigree is thus particularly described, partly for his honour, as being both a wise and good man, and principally to evidence the truth of this history.”

For I do not know how to flatter, or my Maker would remove me in an instant.

“I know not - The more closely we eye the majesty of God as our maker, the more we dread his wrath and justice, the less danger shall we be in of a sinful fearing or flattering of men.”

‘I am pure, without transgression; I am clean, with no iniquity in me.

“Clean - Not absolutely, for he often confesses himself to be a sinner, but no such transgression, as might give God just occasion to punish him so severely, as is implied, where he blames God for finding occasions against him, implying that he had given…”

Behold, you are not right in this matter. I will answer you, for God is greater than man.

“Not just - Thou art in the wrong. Greater - Not only in power and majesty, but also in justice, and wisdom, and goodness, and therefore thou dost foolishly, in censuring his judgments, thou castest off that awe and reverence which thou shouldest constantly maintain…”

Yet if there is a messenger on his side, one mediator in a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him,

“One, &c. - A person rightly qualified for this great and hard work, such as there are but very few.”

to be gracious to him and say, ‘Spare him from going down to the Pit; I have found his ransom,’

“A ransom - Although I might justly destroy him, yet I will spare him, for I have found out a way of ransoming sinners from death, which is the death of my son, the redeemer of the world, and with respect to which I will…”