THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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heaven gave rain (symbol of God’s blessing), and the ea rth brought fo rth her fru it—which is th e g rea t “ end of th e Lord,” Who is th e Husbandman th a t “w aiteth for the precious fru it of th e earth , and h ath long patience for it, un til he (it) receive th e early and the la tte r rain ” (verse 7). (In th is connection we should remem ber th a t afflictions are like the plows and harrow s th a t prepare th e soil by painful operations to receive the seed; and which p u t it in condition to d rink in th e rain when it comes. “F o r the earth (or land) which d rink eth in th e ’ rain that.com eth oft upon it, and bring- eth fo rth herbs meet for them by whom it is. dressed, receiveth blessing from God” .(Heb.-vi. 7 ). I observed th a t the reference in James v. 11, is th e only allusion to the Book of Job in th e whole Bible (though Job’s nam e is twice mentioned in Ezek iel x iv ); and th is prompted me to study the Book of Job more atten tiv ely th an I ever had done before. Some years ago I had noticed th a t Job, in all his ex planations of his afflictions, attrib u ted them to God’s actions, but' th a t he did not recognize th a t H e h a d any benefi cen t' purpose in them ; and th a t the only prospect of escape th a t Job could see was by death. The difference be tween Job’s view and th a t of his th ree friends was th a t th e form er m aintained th a t God sent evil upon men, ju st as He sent good; and th a t, being God He had a rig h t to do as He pleased w ith His own creatures. Therefore men must accept evil uncomplainingly ju s t as they accept good at God’s hands. Job ’s words to his wife (ii. 10) state his views which he m aintained un til he had sil enced his th ree friends. The la tte r maintained, on the contrary, th a t af flictions were punishm ents for sins, and were always in exact proportion to the n atu re of th e sins; by which argum ent it was plain th a t Job, being th e most afflicted of all men, must be th e wicked-
true, and I am very sure it is, then th ere m ust he an incalculable am ount of suffering and loss, of needless trials, diseases an d p rem atu re deaths among the saints of God, because of th e ir ignoring one of th e very plainest and one of th e most practical lessons ta u g h t in the Word of God. F o r it is certain th a t if we believed and acted upon the simple fact stated in James v. 11, and which is set fo rth also in many other Scriptures, we would, in every tria l and trouble of whatever natu re, ask and diligently ' seek to learn—no t how wfe can escape th e trial, but—w h at purpose does th e Lord wish to accomplish by m eans of it? F o r the end of the Lord is “ our good always” (Deut. vi. 24). H is chastenings are in variably “ for our profit; th a t we m ight he p artak ers of His holiness” (Heb. xii. 10). No lesson of Scripture is more plainly ta u g h t th a n th a t; b u t how often do th e people of Gpd ac t in .ac cordance w ith it? ‘ And who can say how much they lose th rough slighting and ignoring it? The Apostle James, in th e verse from which we have quoted, sums up in a few simple words th e lesson of the ex trao rd in ary afflictions of Job, say ing: “ Ye have heard of th e patience of Job” (i. e., th e endurance of Job, or the many things he suffered) “ and have seen th e end of th e Lord” (i. e., what God purposed in it a ll) ; “ th a t the Lord is very pitiful, and of tend er mercy.” This Scripture is very important. It refers back to th e g reat Bible-lesson given in the Book of Job concerning human sufferings, and especially bodily sicknesses, which are th e commonest of them all. It leads into the practical directions which th e Lord has given to be followed by His people when ill; and it carries us on to th e effectual working of “ th e prayer of fa ith ” as exemplified by E lijah— “ a man subject to like pas sions as we are ”— who prayed till the
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