17 Have the gates of death been opened unto thee? or hast thou seen the doors of the shadow of death?
17 Have the gates of death been shown to you? Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you, or have you seen the gates of deep darkness?
17 Do you know the first thing about death? Do you have one clue regarding death's dark mysteries?
17 Have the gates of death been revealed to you? Or have you seen the doors of the shadow of death?
17 Do you know where the gates of death are located? Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
8 If I climb to the sky, you're there! If I go underground, you're there!
8 If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there.
8 If I go up to heaven, you are there; if I go down to the grave, you are there.
(Read Psalm 139:7-16)
We cannot see God, but he can see us. The psalmist did not desire to go from the Lord. Whither can I go? In the most distant corners of the world, in heaven, or in hell, I cannot go out of thy reach. No veil can hide us from God; not the thickest darkness. No disguise can save any person or action from being seen in the true light by him. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open villanies. On the other hand, the believer cannot be removed from the supporting, comforting presence of his Almighty Friend. Should the persecutor take his life, his soul will the sooner ascend to heaven. The grave cannot separate his body from the love of his Saviour, who will raise it a glorious body. No outward circumstances can separate him from his Lord. While in the path of duty, he may be happy in any situation, by the exercise of faith, hope, and prayer.
11 And thou mourn at the last, when thy flesh and thy body are consumed,
11 At the end of your life you will groan, when your flesh and body are spent.
11 and at the end of your life you groan, when your flesh and body are consumed,
11 You don't want to end your life full of regrets, nothing but sin and bones,
11 And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed,
11 In the end you will groan in anguish when disease consumes your body.
(Read Proverbs 5:1-14)
Solomon cautions all young men, as his children, to abstain from fleshly lusts. Some, by the adulterous woman, here understand idolatry, false doctrine, which tends to lead astray men's minds and manners; but the direct view is to warn against seventh-commandment sins. Often these have been, and still are, Satan's method of drawing men from the worship of God into false religion. Consider how fatal the consequences; how bitter the fruit! Take it any way, it wounds. It leads to the torments of hell. The direct tendency of this sin is to the destruction of body and soul. We must carefully avoid every thing which may be a step towards it. Those who would be kept from harm, must keep out of harm's way. If we thrust ourselves into temptation we mock God when we pray, Lead us not into temptation. How many mischiefs attend this sin! It blasts the reputation; it wastes time; it ruins the estate; it is destructive to health; it will fill the mind with horror. Though thou art merry now, yet sooner or later it will bring sorrow. The convinced sinner reproaches himself, and makes no excuse for his folly. By the frequent acts of sin, the habits of it become rooted and confirmed. By a miracle of mercy true repentance may prevent the dreadful consequences of such sins; but this is not often; far more die as they have lived. What can express the case of the self-ruined sinner in the eternal world, enduring the remorse of his conscience!
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Job 38:17
Commentary on Job 38:12-24
(Read Job 38:12-24)
The Lord questions Job, to convince him of his ignorance, and shame him for his folly in prescribing to God. If we thus try ourselves, we shall soon be brought to own that what we know is nothing in comparison with what we know not. By the tender mercy of our God, the Day-spring from on high has visited us, to give light to those that sit in darkness, whose hearts are turned to it as clay to the seal, 2 Corinthians 4:6. God's way in the government of the world is said to be in the sea; this means, that it is hid from us. Let us make sure that the gates of heaven shall be opened to us on the other side of death, and then we need not fear the opening of the gates of death. It is presumptuous for us, who perceive not the breadth of the earth, to dive into the depth of God's counsels. We should neither in the brightest noon count upon perpetual day, nor in the darkest midnight despair of the return of the morning; and this applies to our inward as well as to our outward condition. What folly it is to strive against God! How much is it our interest to seek peace with him, and to keep in his love!