Finding God's Comfort'. 2

AFFLICTIONS SANCTIFIED

Job's three friends, Eliphaz, Bildad and Zophar, heard of his sore misfortunes and came to condole him. They were struck speechless at the sight of his calamity and for several days and nights they sat with him on the ground, none of them speaking a word. At length Job, moved by their presence and sympathy, broke out with a passionate cry for death. Then began a long debate between Job and his friends on the question of suffering. Eliphaz expressed wonder that Job, being righteous, should be so crushed by his trouble, and that he should so murmur against heaven.

One of the choice statements made by him was, "Behold, happy is the man whom God corrects." Job 5:17. He is not happy at the time, at least, in the world's way. No affliction for the present seems to be joyous—but grievous. No one enjoys having troubles, sufferings, trials, sorrows. Therefore this statement made by Eliphaz appears very strange to some people. They cannot understand it. It is contrary to all their thoughts of happiness. Of course the word happy is not used here in the world's sense. The world's happiness is the pleasure that comes from the things that happen. It depends on personal comfort, on prosperous circumstances, on kindly and congenial conditions. When these are taken away, the world's happiness is destroyed. But the word here means blessed, and the statement is that blessing comes to him who receives God's correction. To correct, is to set right that which has been wrong. Surely if a man is going in the wrong way, and God turns his feet back and sets him in the right way, a blessing has come to the man.

Afflictions are 'God's corrections'. They come always with a purpose of love in them. God never afflicts one of His children, without meaning His child's good in some way. So blessing is always intended by God. It is usually afterward that people begin to see and to understand the good that God sent them in their trial. "You do not understand what I am now doing" said Jesus, "but you shall understand hereafter." "No chastening seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." So when we have troubles and afflictions, we may know that God wants to do us good in some way through them.

Since this is so, Job was exhorted by Eliphaz, "Therefore do not despise the chastening of the Almighty." God chastens us to bless us—to do us good. He chastens us because He loves us.

He is not a true parent, who sees his children doing wrong, and yet fails to correct them for fear he may hurt their feelings. He ought to think of their higher good, and chasten them now—to profit them afterward.

This is the way our heavenly Father works. He never loves us better—than when He is correcting us. Therefore we ought not to despise this chastening. We ought not to murmur or complain when God does not give us our own way—but checks us, lays His afflictive hand upon us, and sends trouble upon us! We ought to have such faith in God that we shall submit quietly, confidently, and sweetly to his will—even when it brings a heavy cross into our life.

A great many people need to pause at this line and learn it. They do not treat God's chastening with reverence. Sometimes they are crushed by it, and refuse to look up into God's face with submission and love. Sometimes they grow bitter against God and say hard things of him!

A letter lies before me while I write, in which one who has met sore experiences, whose lot in life is indeed unhappy, says almost angry things of the God who could permit his child to suffer so. We ought not to despise—we ought to reverence God's chastening as sacred with the sacredness of the divine love. We ought to listen to the voice that speaks to us in our grief or pain.

The way in which God brings blessing through chastening, is emphasized: "For He wounds—but He also binds up; He strikes—but His hands also heal." Job 5:18. God never smites with both hands at once! When one hand is laid upon us in affliction, the other hand is reached out to help, to uphold, to heal.

Sometimes there is a trouble in a man's body which requires the surgeon's knife. There must be amputation, or cutting away, or cutting into. In such a case the skillful surgeon does not hesitate. He thinks far more of his patient's health for the future—than of his comfort at present. So he uses his knife—that he may cure disease, or save life. He wounds—to heal. He makes sore—that he may bind up. It is just so in all afflictions which God sends. He chastens—that He may deliver from the power of temptation. He hurts the body—that he may save the soul. He takes away earthly property—that He may give true, heavenly riches.

The assurance continues, "He will deliver you in six troubles." We have no promise that he will deliver us from troubles—but we have only assurances that in our trouble he will save us from being harmed by troubles. There may be trial after trial—but no evil shall really touch us. We have an illustration in the story of the three young Hebrew children who were cast into the burning furnace in Babylon. They passed through the fire—but the flames did not kindle upon them. This deliverance was supernatural—but it was an illustration of that which God always does for the souls of those who trust him and do his will, when they are led through trouble. One may be very sick for a long time and may suffer a great deal—and yet his inner, spiritual life may not receive any hurt. One may lose money or property—and yet his true treasure remains untouched.

In all earthly troubles we have to submit to God and to do his will, in love and trust—and he will guard our lives from any real harm. The harm from which God guards his people is noted: "You shall be hid from the scourge of the tongue." It seems strange to have the tongue called a scourge. A scourge is a whip with which one smites, inflicting gashes. When we think of it, the tongue is a whip. We sometimes hear the ugly expression "tongue-lashing," used when one has slashed another with sharp or severe words. There are many kinds of words that are like scourges. Some people are forever speaking false words of others' calumnies, trying to injure their reputation. There is a great deal of scandal and gossip in the common talk of many. Some speak unkind words—sharp, cutting, wounding words. The tongue is an instrument of cruelty and harm in many instances.

But this verse says that God will hide his own children from the scourge of the tongue. How does he do this? Not always as he hid Daniel when in the den of lions, by shutting the savage creatures' mouths. Oftener he does it by means of the shelter of love, which covers them and keeps them from being hurt by the bitter words. Joseph was lied against and suffered for a time, being cast into prison; but the false words did not really do him any harm in the end. False tongues spoke their calumnies against Jesus—but not one of them hurt him, for God hid him meanwhile in the refuge of his own love.

So it will be always with those who put their trust in God and go quietly on in the way of duty, while others defame them or revile them. God will preserve them from all the evil consequences of men's slanderous or angry words. Only we must take care never to return evil for evil, bitter word for bitter word. When we are reviled, we must not revile in return; when we are defamed, we must not threaten—but must commit ourselves to him who judges righteously.

"You shall come to your grave in a full age, like as a shock of grain comes in its season." This is a beautiful picture of a godly old age. We often see laid on the coffin, or held in the dead hand of an aged person—a little sheaf of ripe wheat. It suggests that the life is complete; that it has filled out its measure of years; and that its harvest is ready. That is the thought in these words. Eliphaz and Job would enjoy great blessing and prosperity; would live to a good old age; and would be like a sheaf of ripe wheat at the last. Of course not all godly people live to be old. Many of the best die in childhood, in youth, in early years, in the midst of life's prime. But at whatever time a Christian dies, his life is in one sense like a shock of corn, fully ripe in its season. As God looks upon the death of his own people, none die prematurely. He gathers no unripe fruits into his garner. Whether long or short, therefore, the life that is devoted to God and is lived obediently, lovingly, and sweetly—comes home in the beauty of blessed ripeness, into the heavenly Father's bosom!

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