THE BOOK OF JOB 99 



Trouble does not come without reason* ** Whoever 

 perished being innocent^ or where was the righteous 

 cut off ? '' Misfortune is consequent on wrong-doing, 

 and it is in love that God' punishes our secret sins* 

 ** Happy is the man whom God correcteth. Therefore 

 despise not thou the Chastening of the Almighty/' 



It is all so kindly meant that one is almost shocked 

 at the violent way in which the sufferer flings back the 

 old man's counsel* But the reason is that he has taken 

 for granted that Job has sinned^ whilst Job is absolutely 

 assured of his innocence* Orthodoxy is always devoid 

 of spiritual insight, else how could it be orthodox ? And 

 so, as the cycles of speeches proceed, the three friends 

 more and more pointedly accuse Job of sin, and call him 

 to repentance ; whilst Job on his part passionately asserts 

 his innocence, calling upon God to vindicate his character 

 and even boldly accusing Him of injustice in His manage- 

 ment of the world* 



There is one exquisitely beautiful passage in which 

 Job describes the life and death of a happy and prosperous 

 man. He rejoices to see his children dance and play 

 around him, and to hear their happy songs and laughter* 

 Then, in extreme old age, he dies after a painless illness, 

 and, says the poet, ** the clods of the valley shall be sweet 

 unto him*'' One is almost ready to exclaim with Balaam, 

 ** Let me also die the death of the righteous and let my 

 last end be like his*" But wait a moment ! Is it the 

 righteous that he is speaking of ? Read the passage a 

 little more carefully, and you will find that he is describing 

 the life and death of the wicked and unscrupulous* And 

 a little further on, he describes the sad state of the poor 

 whom this rich man has exploited* In the night time 

 they go about naked and hungry, seeking for shelter, 

 and in the day time they gather in the corn and tread 

 out the wine for their rich exploiter, whilst they them- 

 selves are suffering from hunger and thirst and 



