Job 5:27

Lo this, we have searched it,....

THUS closed a forcible speech by Eliphaz the Temanite—it may be called his "summing up." He virtually says, "What I have testified in the name of my friends is no dream of theirs. Upon this matter we are specialists and bear witness to truth which we have made the subject of research and experience. Lo this, we have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know you it for your good." By this declaration he sets forth his teaching with authority and presses it home. He persuades Job to consider what he had said, for it was no hasty opinion, but the ripe fruit of experience. When we speak what we know we expect to be heard. I shall not follow Eliphaz—I am only going to borrow his closing words and use them in reference to Gospel testimony which is to us a thing known and searched out. I shall use it in the following way. First, our text sets forth the qualification of the teacher. He must be a man who can say, "Lo this, we have searched it, so it is." Secondly, we have the argument with the hearers—"We have searched it, so it is; hear it, and know you it for your good." And lastly, we have here the exhortation for every enquirer who wants to know the truth concerning spiritual and eternal things: "Hear it, and know you it for your good." I. To begin with, I judge that these words may well describe THE QUALIFICATION OF THE TEACHER. He will be poorly furnished if he cannot run in the line which Eliphaz draws in the words of our text. He should have, first, an intimate knowledge of his subject. How can he teach what he does not know? When we come to talk about God and the soul, and sin and the precious blood of Jesus, and the new birth, and holiness and eternal life, the speaker who knows nothing about these things personally must be a poor driveller.

Lo this, we have searched it - What I have told thee is the sum of our wisdom and experience on these important points. These are established maxims, which universal experience supports. Know - understand, and reduce them to practice for thy good. Thus ends Eliphaz, the Temanite, “full of wise saws and ancient instances;” but he miserably perverted them in his application of them to Job’s case and character. They contain, however, many wholesome truths, of which the wise in heart may make a very advantageous practical use. The predatory excursions referred to in Job 5:23 were not unfrequent among our own barbarous ancestors. An affecting picture of this kind is drawn by Shakespeare, from Holinshed’s Chronicles, of the case of Macduff, whose castle was attacked in his absence by Macbeth and his wife and all his children murdered. A similar incident was the ground of the old heroic ballad of Hardicanute. When the veteran heard that a host of Norwegians had landed to pillage the country, he armed, and posted to the field to meet the invading foe. He slew the chief in battle, and routed his pillaging banditti. While this was taking place, another party took the advantage of his absence, attacked his castle, and carried off or murdered his lovely wife and family; which, being perceived on his return by the war and age-worn chief, is thus affectingly described by the unknown poet: - Loud and chill blew the westlin wind, Sair beat the heavy shower, Mirk grew the nicht eir Hardyknute Wan neir his stately tower: His tower that us’d with torches bleise To shine sae far at night, Seim’d now as black as mourning weid, Nae marvel, sair he sich’d. “Thair’s nae light in my lady’s bowir, Thair’s nae light in my hall; Nae blink shynes round my Fairly fair, Nor ward stands on my wall. “What bodes it, Thomas! Robert! […]

Lo this - All this that I have said; the truth of all the remarks which I have made. We have searched it - We have by careful observation of the course of events come to these conclusions. These are our views of the providence of God, and of the principles of his government, as far as we have had the opportunity of observing, and they are well worthy of your attention.