THE K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S est of all men. (See for example, chap, xxii. 1-11). So the g reat discussion came to an end w ithout any of th e four men— in spite of th e many excellent things they said about God— indicating th a t he had th e fain test conception of the fact th a t God’s purpose in perm lt- v ting afflictions is always to bring the afflicted ones in to blessing th rough self judgm ent, confession, and am endment of th eir ways. None of them had the fain test conception of “ th e end of the Lord,” or " th a t the Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy.” In all th a t those four men said about God, th e words “love,” “mercy,” “ goodness,” “ kind ness,” “ compassion,” “ pity,” and the like, do n o t once occur. Notw ithstand- ihg all th e ir g reat though ts about God they really did not know Him a t all (see Jer. ix. 23, 24). E lihu sums up Job ’s contention in chap, xxxiii, 8-11, namely, th a t God did those things arb itrarily , though Job was in his own eyes, “ clean, w ithou t tran s gression” and “ innocent.” And E lihu dismisses th a t view of th e m a tte r by saying briefly, “Behold, in th is thou a rt not ju s t” (verse 12). Then he proceeds to show th at, in all God’s dealings w ith men, His purpose is to save th em from going down to th e pit, and to bring them into the ligh t of the living. He shows th a t God first speaks to men once and twice, in a vision (th ere was no w ritten word th e n ) ; and (if th a t fails) He chas tens him also w ith pain upon his bed, it may be w ith sickness th a t brings him “ near unto the grave” (verses 18-22). But men a t such tim es need the In ter p rete r to explain th e meaning of those dealings. Hence an en tire book, probably the oldest book in th e Bible, and the only book th a t stands by itself, discon nected from the line of God’s dealings with Abraham a n d his descendants, the children of Israel, is devoted to th e in terp retatio n of sickness an d lik e afflic tions. Is it not strange then, th a t w ith but few exceptions, the Lord’s people fall
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into the erro r of Job, and are ju s t as blind as h e was to God’s purposes in af flicting th e children of men, and especi ally His own people? W ith b u t few ex ceptions they view th eir sicknesses as mere casual happenings, th e ordinary mischances of life, “ the mysterious workings of an inscrutable Providence" (as it is sometimes expressed), as the common vicissitudes of men, to be pati ently endured (it may be) and certainly to be escaped from as soon as possible, w ithout any regard w hatever for “ the end of the Lord.” We often act a s .if we did not have an inspired “In terp re te r” to tell us plainly the meaning of these things, to tell us th a t -“ the Lord is very p itifu l and of tender mercy” ; and to reveal the fact th a t He H imself has “found a Ransom ,” in the Person of His own beloved Son, so th a t He may freely open th e storehouse o î His, rich mercies to every man— sain t or sinner -—who will say •'“ I have sinned, and per verted th a t which was right, and It prof ited me no t.” No wonder th e people of th e world are blind to the purposes of God in per m itting wars, diseases and other griev ous afflictions, seeing th a t God’s own people are themselves in u tte r darkness in regard thereto. How can we expect th e unconverted to realize His désire to save them , and expect them to h ear the In terp reter, and count upon th e m erit of the Ransom, when we ourselves are so blind to all this? But, on th e other hand, w hat a pros pect th ere is for blessing, and for a real and w idespread sp iritu al revival among the people of God, when they learn, and act upon, the simple lesson pointed out herein! When they grasp and act upon the plainly ta u g h t fact th a t sicknesses and sins have one origin and one Rem edy; and th a t God perm its th e former in order to call His people to rep en t and confess and tu rn from th e ir evil ways, th a t they may re tu rn to Him and enjoy His presence and blessing!
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