in sunder the cords of those ploughers, Ps. cxxix. 3, 4. They themselves are destroyed, which is the just punishment of their iniquity. They perish, that is, they are destroyed utterly; they are consumed, that is, they are destroyed gradually; and this, by the blast and breath of God, that is, (1.) By his wrath: his anger is the ruin of sinners, who are therefore called vessels of wrath, and his breath is said to kindle Tophet, Isa. xxx. 33. Who knows the power of his anger? Ps. xc. 11. (2.) By his word; he speaks, and it is done, easily and effectually. The Spirit of God, in the word, consumes sinners; with that he slays them, Hos. vi. 5. Saying and doing are not two things with God. The man of sin is said to be consumed with the breath of Christ's mouth, 2 Thess. ii. 8. Compare Isa. xi. 4. Rev. xix. 21. Some think that in attributing the destruction of sinners to the blast of God, and the breath of his nostrils, he refers to the wind which blew the house down upon Job's children, as if they were therefore sinners above all men, because they suffered such things, Luke xiii. 2.
2. He speaks particularly of tyrants and cruel oppressors, under the similitude of lions, v. 10, 11. Observe, (1.) How he describes their cruelty and oppression. The Hebrew tongue has five several names for lions, and they are all here used to set forth the terrible tearing power, fierceness, and cruelty, of proud oppressors; they roar, and rend, and prey, upon all about them, and bring up their young ones to do so too, Ezek. xix. 3. The Devil is a roaring lion; and they partake of his nature, and do his lusts. They are strong as lions, and subtle; (Ps. x. 9.—xvii. 12.) and, as far as they prevail, lay all desolate about them. (2.) How he describes their destruction; the destruction both of their power and of their persons; they shall be restrained from doing further hurt and reckoned with for the hurt they have done. An effectual course shall be taken, [1.] That they shall not terrify; the voice of their roaring shall be stopped. [2.] That they shall not tear; God will disarm them, will take away their power to do hurt, the teeth of the young lions are broken, Ps. iii. 7. Thus shall the remainder of wrath be restrained. [3.] That they shall not enrich themselves with the spoil of their neighbours. Even the old lion is famished, and perishes for lack of prey: they that have surfeited on spoil and rapine, are perhaps reduced to such straits as to die of hunger at last. [4.] That they shall not, as they promise themselves, leave a succession; the stout lion's whelps are scattered abroad, to seek for food themselves, which the old ones used to bring in for them, Nah. ii. 12. The lion did tear in pieces for his whelps, but now they must shift for themselves. Perhaps Eliphaz intended, in this, to reflect upon Job, as if he, being the greatest of all the men of the east, had got his estate by spoil, and used his power in oppressing his neighbours; but now, his power and estate were gone, and his family scattered: if so, it was pity that a man whom God praised, should be thus abused.
12. Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14. Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15. Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes; there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 17. Shall mortal man be more just than God? shall a man be more pure than his Maker? 18. Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly: 19. How much less on them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? 20. They are destroyed from morning to evening: they perish for ever, without any regarding it. 21. Doth not their excellency which is in them go away? they die, even without wisdom.
Eliphaz, having undertaken to convince Job of the sin and folly of his discontent and impatience, here vouches a vision he had been favoured with, which he relates to Job for his conviction. What comes immediately from God, all men will pay a particular deference to, and Job, no doubt, as much as any. Some think Eliphaz had this vision now lately, since he came to Job, putting words into his mouth wherewith to reason with him; and it had been well if he had kept to the purport of this vision, which would serve for a ground on which to reprove Job for his murmuring, but not to condemn him for a hypocrite. Others think he had it formerly; for God did in this way often communicate himself to the children of men in those first ages of the world, ch. xxxiii. 15. Probably, God had sent Eliphaz this messenger and message some time or other, when he was himself in an unquiet discontented frame, to calm and pacify him. Note, As we should comfort others with that wherewith we have been comforted, (2 Cor. i. 4.) so we should endeavour to convince others with that which has been powerful to convince us.
The people of God had not then any written word to quote, and therefore God sometimes notified to them even common truths, by the extraordinary ways of revelation. We that have Bibles, have there (thanks be to God) a more sure word to depend upon than even visions and voices, 2 Pet. i. 19.
Observe,
I. The manner in which this message was sent to Eliphaz, and the circumstances of the conveyance of it to him. 1. It was brought him secretly, or by stealth; some of the sweetest communion gracious souls have with God, is in secret, where he only, who is all eye, can perceive. God has ways of bringing conviction, counsel, and comfort, to His people, unobserved by the world, by private whispers, as powerfully and effectually as by the public ministry. His secret is with them, Ps. xxv. 14. As the evil spirit often steals good words out of the heart, (Matth. xiii. 19.) so the good Spirit sometimes steals good words into the heart, or ever we are aware. 2. He received a little thereof, v. 12. And it is but little of divine knowledge that the best receive in this world: we know little, in comparison with what is to be known, and with what we shall know when we come to heaven. How little a portion is heard of God! ch. xxvi. 14. We know but in part, 1 Cor. xiii. 12. See his humility and modesty. He pretends not to have understood it fully, but something of it he perceived. 3. It was brought him in the visions of the night; (v. 13.) when he was retired from the world and the hurry of it, and all about him was composed and quiet. Note, The more we are withdrawn from the world and the things of it, the fitter we are for communion with God. When we are communing with our own hearts, and are still, (Ps. iv. 4.) then is a proper time for the Holy Spirit to commune with us. When others were asleep, Eliphaz was ready to receive this vision from Heaven, and probably, like David, was meditating upon God in the night-
