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6.9 KiB
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<p>Let us observe here, 1. Who speaks—<i>The Lord</i>, Jehovah, not a created angel, but the eternal Word himself, the second person in the blessed Trinity, for it is he by whom the worlds were made, and that was no other than the Son of God. The same speaks here that afterwards spoke from Mount Sinai. Here he begins with the creation of the world, there with the redemption of Israel out of Egypt, and from both is inferred the necessity of our subjection to him. Elihu had said, <i>God speaks to men and they do not perceive it</i> (<a class="bibleref" title="Job.33.14" href="/passage/?search=Job.33.14">Job 33:14</a>); but this they could not but perceive, and yet we have <i>a more sure word of prophecy</i>, <a class="bibleref" title="2Pet.1.19" href="/passage/?search=2Pet.1.19">2 Pet. 1:19</a>. 2. When he spoke—<i>Then</i>. When they had all had their saying, and yet had not gained their point, then it was time for God to interpose, whose judgment is according to truth. When we know not who is in the right, and perhaps are doubtful whether we ourselves are, this may satisfy us, That God will determine shortly <i>in the valley of decision</i>, <a class="bibleref" title="Joel.3.14" href="/passage/?search=Joel.3.14">Joel 3:14</a>. Job had silenced his three friends, and yet could not convince them of his integrity in the main. Elihu had silenced Job, and yet could not bring him to acknowledge his mismanagement of this dispute. But now God comes, and does both, convinces Job first of his unadvised speaking and makes him cry, <i>Peccavi—I have done wrong</i>; and, having humbled him, he puts honour upon him, by convincing his three friends that they had done him wrong. These two things God will, sooner or later, do for his people: he will show them their faults, that they may be themselves ashamed of them, and he will show others their righteousness, and bring it forth as the light, that they may be ashamed of their unjust censures of them. 3. How he spoke—<i>Out of the whirlwind</i>, the rolling and involving cloud, which Elihu took notice of, <a class="bibleref" title="Job.37.1,Job.37.2,Job.37.9" href="/passage/?search=Job.37.1,Job.37.2,Job.37.9"><span class="bibleref" title="Job.37.1">Job 37:1</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="Job.37.2">2</span>, <span class="bibleref" title="Job.37.9">9</span></a>. A whirlwind prefaced Ezekiel’s vision (<a class="bibleref" title="Ezek.1.4" href="/passage/?search=Ezek.1.4">Ezek. 1:4</a>), and Elijah’s, <a class="bibleref" title="1Kgs.19.11" href="/passage/?search=1Kgs.19.11">1 Kgs. 19:11</a>. God is said to have <i>his way in the whirlwind</i> (<a class="bibleref" title="Nah.1.3" href="/passage/?search=Nah.1.3">Nah. 1:3</a>), and, to show that even the stormy wind fulfils his word, here it was made the vehicle of it. This shows what a mighty voice God’s is, that is was not lost, but perfectly audible, even in the noise of a whirlwind. Thus God designed to startled Job, and to command his attention. Sometimes God answers his own people in terrible corrections, as out of the whirlwind, but always in righteousness. 4. To whom he spoke: He <i>answered Job</i>, directed his speech to him, to convince him of what was amiss, before he cleared him from the unjust aspersions cast upon him. It is God only that can effectually convince of sin, and those shall so be humbled whom he designs to exalt. Those that desire to hear from God, as Job did, shall certainly hear from him at length. 5. What he said. We may conjecture that Elihu, or some other of the auditory, wrote down <i>verbatim</i> what was delivered out of the whirlwind, for we find (<a class="bibleref" title="Rev.10.4" href="/passage/?search=Rev.10.4">Rev. 10:4</a>) that, when the thunders uttered their voices, John was prepared to write. Or, if it was not written then, yet, the penman of the book being inspired by the Holy Ghost, we are sure that we have here a very true and exact report of what was said. <i>The Spirit</i> (says Christ) <i>shall bring to your remembrance</i>, as he did here, <i>what I have said to you</i>.
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