171 My spirit is broken, my days are ended, the last resting-place is ready for me. 2 Truly, those who make sport of me are round about me, and my eyes become dark because of their bitter laughing. 3 Be pleased, now, to be responsible for me to yourself; for there is no other who will put his hand in mine. 4 You have kept their hearts from wisdom: for this cause you will not give them honour. 5 As for him who is false to his friend for a reward, light will be cut off from the eyes of his children. 6 He has made me a word of shame to the peoples; I have become a mark for their sport. 7 My eyes have become dark because of my pain, and all my body is wasted to a shade. 8 The upright are surprised at this, and he who has done no wrong is troubled because of the evil-doers. 9 Still the upright keeps on his way, and he who has clean hands gets new strength.
10 But come back, now, all of you, come; and I will not see a wise man among you. 11 My days are past, my purposes are broken off, even the desires of my heart. 12 They are changing night into day; they say, The light is near the dark. 13 If I am waiting for the underworld as my house, if I have made my bed in the dark; 14 If I say to the earth, You are my father; and to the worm, My mother and my sister; 15 Where then is my hope? and who will see my desire? 16 Will they go down with me into the underworld? Will we go down together into the dust?
181 Then Bildad the Shuhite made answer and said, 2 How long will it be before you have done talking? Get wisdom, and then we will say what is in our minds. 3 Why do we seem as beasts in your eyes, and as completely without knowledge? 4 But come back, now, come: you who are wounding yourself in your passion, will the earth be given up because of you, or a rock be moved out of its place?
5 For the light of the sinner is put out, and the flame of his fire is not shining. 6 The light is dark in his tent, and the light shining over him is put out. 7 The steps of his strength become short, and by his design destruction overtakes him. 8 His feet take him into the net, and he goes walking into the cords. 9 His foot is taken in the net; he comes into its grip. 10 The twisted cord is put secretly in the earth to take him, and the cord is placed in his way.
11 He is overcome by fears on every side, they go after him at every step. 12 His strength is made feeble for need of food, and destruction is waiting for his falling footstep. 13 His skin is wasted by disease, and his body is food for the worst of diseases. 14 He is pulled out of his tent where he was safe, and he is taken away to the king of fears. 15 In his tent will be seen that which is not his, burning stone is dropped on his house. 16 Under the earth his roots are dry, and over it his branch is cut off. 17 His memory is gone from the earth, and in the open country there is no knowledge of his name. 18 He is sent away from the light into the dark; he is forced out of the world. 19 He has no offspring or family among his people, and in his living-place there is no one of his name. 20 At his fate those of the west are shocked, and those of the east are overcome with fear. 21 Truly, these are the houses of the sinner, and this is the place of him who has no knowledge of God.
191 And Job made answer and said, 2 How long will you make my life bitter, crushing me with words? 3 Ten times now you have made sport of me; it gives you no sense of shame to do me wrong. 4 And, truly, if I have been in error, the effect of my error is only on myself. 5 If you make yourselves great against me, using my punishment as an argument against me, 6 Be certain that it is God who has done me wrong, and has taken me in his net. 7 Truly, I make an outcry against the violent man, but there is no answer: I give a cry for help, but no one takes up my cause.
8 My way is walled up by him so that I may not go by: he has made my roads dark. 9 He has put off my glory from me, and taken the crown from my head. 10 I am broken down by him on every side, and I am gone; my hope is uprooted like a tree. 11 His wrath is burning against me, and I am to him as one of his haters. 12 His armies come on together, they make their road high against me, and put up their tents round mine. 13 He has taken my brothers far away from me; they have seen my fate and have become strange to me. 14 My relations and my near friends have given me up, and those living in my house have put me out of their minds. 15 I am strange to my women-servants, and seem to them as one from another country. 16 At my cry my servant gives me no answer, and I have to make a prayer to him. 17 My breath is strange to my wife, and I am disgusting to the offspring of my mother's body. 18 Even young children have no respect for me; when I get up their backs are turned on me. 19 All the men of my circle keep away from me; and those dear to me are turned against me. 20 My bones are joined to my skin, and I have got away with my flesh in my teeth. 21 Have pity on me, have pity on me, O my friends! for the hand of God is on me. 22 Why are you cruel to me, like God, for ever saying evil against me?
23 If only my words might be recorded! if they might be put in writing in a book! 24 And with an iron pen and lead be cut into the rock for ever! 25 But I am certain that he who will take up my cause is living, and that in time to come he will take his place on the dust; 26 And ... without my flesh I will see God; 27 Whom I will see on my side, and not as one strange to me. My heart is broken with desire. 28 If you say, How cruel we will be to him! because the root of sin is clearly in him: 29 Be in fear of the sword, for the sword is the punishment for such things, so that you may be certain that there is a judge.
101 Now there was a certain man in Caesarea, named Cornelius, the captain of the Italian band of the army; 2 A serious-minded man, fearing God with all his family; he gave much money to the poor, and made prayer to God at all times. 3 He saw in a vision, clearly, at about the ninth hour of the day, an angel of the Lord coming to him and saying to him, Cornelius! 4 And he, looking on him in fear, said, What is it, Lord? And he said to him, Your prayers and your offerings have come up to God, and he has kept them in mind. 5 Now send men to Joppa, and get one Simon, named Peter, 6 Who is living with Simon, a leather-worker, whose house is by the sea. 7 And when the angel who said these words to him had gone away, he sent for two of his house-servants, and a God-fearing man of the army, one of those who were waiting on him at all times; 8 And having given them an account of everything, he sent them to Joppa.
9 Now the day after, when they were on their journey and were near the town, Peter went up to the top of the house for prayer, about the sixth hour: 10 And he was in need of food: but while they were getting it ready, a deep sleep came on him; 11 And he saw the heavens opening, and a vessel coming down, like a great cloth let down on the earth, 12 In which were all sorts of beasts and birds. 13 And a voice came to him, saying, Come, Peter; take them for food. 14 But Peter said, No, Lord; for I have never taken food which is common or unclean. 15 And the voice came to him a second time, What God has made clean, do not you make common. 16 And this was done three times: and then the vessel was taken back into heaven. 17 Now while Peter was in doubt as to the purpose of this vision, the men who were sent by Cornelius, having made search for Simon's house, came to the door, 18 To see if Simon, named Peter, was living there.
19 And, while Peter was turning the vision over in his mind, the Spirit said to him, See, three men are looking for you. 20 Go down, then, and go with them, doubting nothing, for I have sent them. 21 And Peter went down to the men, and said, I am the man you are looking for: why have you come? 22 And they said, Cornelius, a captain, an upright and God-fearing man, respected by all the nation of the Jews, had word from God by an angel to send for you to his house, and to give hearing to your words. 23 So he took them in for the night. And the day after, he went with them, taking some of the brothers from Joppa with him.
(Read Acts 10:1-8)
Hitherto none had been baptized into the Christian church but Jews, Samaritans, and those converts who had been circumcised and observed the ceremonial law; but now the Gentiles were to be called to partake all the privileges of God's people, without first becoming Jews. Pure and undefiled religion is sometimes found where we least expect it. Wherever the fear of God rules in the heart, it will appear both in works of charity and of piety, neither will excuse from the other. Doubtless Cornelius had true faith in God's word, as far as he understood it, though not as yet clear faith in Christ. This was the work of the Spirit of God, through the mediation of Jesus, even before Cornelius knew him, as is the case with us all when we, who before were dead in sin, are made alive. Through Christ also his prayers and alms were accepted, which otherwise would have been rejected. Without dispute or delay Cornelius was obedient to the heavenly vision. In the affairs of our souls, let us not lose time.
(Read Acts 10:9-18)
The prejudices of Peter against the Gentiles, would have prevented his going to Cornelius, unless the Lord had prepared him for this service. To tell a Jew that God had directed those animals to be reckoned clean which were hitherto deemed unclean, was in effect saying, that the law of Moses was done away. Peter was soon made to know the meaning of it. God knows what services are before us, and how to prepare us; and we know the meaning of what he has taught us, when we find what occasion we have to make use of it.
(Read Acts 10:19-33)
When we see our call clear to any service, we should not be perplexed with doubts and scruples arising from prejudices or former ideas. Cornelius had called together his friends, to partake with him of the heavenly wisdom he expected from Peter. We should not covet to eat our spiritual morsels alone. It ought to be both given and taken as kindness and respect to our kindred and friends, to invite them to join us in religious exercises. Cornelius declared the direction God gave him to send for Peter. We are right in our aims in attending a gospel ministry, when we do it with regard to the Divine appointment requiring us to make use of that ordinance. How seldom ministers are called to speak to such companies, however small, in which it may be said that they are all present in the sight of God, to hear all things that are commanded of God! But these were ready to hear what Peter was commanded of God to say.
