Bildad Affirms God's Justice

81 Then answered Bildad the Shuhite, and said, 2 How long wilt thou speak these things? And [how long] shall the words of thy mouth be [like] a mighty wind? 3 Doth God pervert justice? Or doth the Almighty pervert righteousness? 4 If thy children have sinned against him, And he hath delivered them into the hand of their transgression; 5 If thou wouldest seek diligently unto God, And make thy supplication to the Almighty; 6 If thou wert pure and upright: Surely now he would awake for thee, And make the habitation of thy righteousness prosperous. 7 And though thy beginning was small, Yet thy latter end would greatly increase.

8 For inquire, I pray thee, of the former age, And apply thyself to that which their fathers have searched out: 9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, Because our days upon earth are a shadow); 10 Shall not they teach thee, and tell thee, And utter words out of their heart? 11 Can the rush grow up without mire? Can the flag grow without water? 12 Whilst it is yet in its greenness, [and] not cut down, It withereth before any [other] herb. 13 So are the paths of all that forget God; And the hope of the godless man shall perish: 14 Whose confidence shall break in sunder, And whose trust is a spider's web. 15 He shall lean upon his house, but it shall not stand: He shall hold fast thereby, but it shall not endure. 16 He is green before the sun, And his shoots go forth over his garden. 17 His roots are wrapped about the [stone] -heap, He beholdeth the place of stones. 18 If he be destroyed from his place, Then it shall deny him, [saying], I have not seen thee. 19 Behold, this is the joy of his way; And out of the earth shall others spring.

20 Behold, God will not cast away a perfect man, Neither will he uphold the evil-doers. 21 He will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, And thy lips with shouting. 22 They that hate thee shall be clothed with shame; And the tent of the wicked shall be no more.

Job's Inability to Answer God

91 Then Job answered and said, 2 Of a truth I know that it is so: But how can man be just with God? 3 If he be pleased to contend with him, He cannot answer him one of a thousand. 4 [He is] wise in heart, and mighty in strength: Who hath hardened himself against him, and prospered?— 5 [Him] that removeth the mountains, and they know it not, When he overturneth them in his anger; 6 That shaketh the earth out of its place, And the pillars thereof tremble; 7 That commandeth the sun, and it riseth not, And sealeth up the stars; 8 That alone stretcheth out the heavens, And treadeth upon the waves of the sea; 9 That maketh the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; 10 That doeth great things past finding out, Yea, marvellous things without number. 11 Lo, he goeth by me, and I see him not: He passeth on also, but I perceive him not. 12 Behold, he seizeth [the prey], who can hinder him? Who will say unto him, What doest thou? 13 God will not withdraw his anger; The helpers of Rahab do stoop under him.

14 How much less shall I answer him, And choose out my words [to reason] with him? 15 Whom, though I were righteous, yet would I not answer; I would make supplication to my judge. 16 If I had called, and he had answered me, Yet would I not believe that he hearkened unto my voice. 17 For he breaketh me with a tempest, And multiplieth my wounds without cause. 18 He will not suffer me to take my breath, But filleth me with bitterness. 19 If [we speak] of strength, lo, [he is] mighty! And if of justice, Who, [saith he], will summon me? 20 Though I be righteous, mine own mouth shall condemn me: Though I be perfect, it shall prove me perverse. 21 I am perfect; I regard not myself; I despise my life.

22 It is all one; therefore I say, He destroyeth the perfect and the wicked. 23 If the scourge slay suddenly, He will mock at the trial of the innocent. 24 The earth is given into the hand of the wicked; He covereth the faces of the judges thereof: If [it be] not [he], who then is it?

25 Now my days are swifter than a post: They flee away, they see no good, 26 They are passed away as the swift ships; As the eagle that swoopeth on the prey. 27 If I say, I will forget my complaint, I will put off my [sad] countenance, and be of good cheer; 28 I am afraid of all my sorrows, I know that thou wilt not hold me innocent. 29 I shall be condemned; Why then do I labor in vain? 30 If I wash myself with snow water, And make my hands never so clean; 31 Yet wilt thou plunge me in the ditch, And mine own clothes shall abhor me. 32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I should answer him, That we should come together in judgment. 33 There is no umpire betwixt us, That might lay his hand upon us both. 34 Let him take his rod away from me, And let not his terror make me afraid: 35 Then would I speak, and not fear him; For I am not so in myself.

Job Bemoans His Condition

101 My soul is weary of my life; I will give free course to my complaint; I will speak in the bitterness of my soul. 2 I will say unto God, Do not condemn me; Show me wherefore thou contendest with me. 3 Is it good unto thee that thou shouldest oppress, That thou shouldest despise the work of thy hands, And shine upon the counsel of the wicked? 4 Hast thou eyes of flesh? Or seest thou as man seeth? 5 Are thy days as the days of man, Or thy years as man's days, 6 That thou inquirest after mine iniquity, And searchest after my sin, 7 Although thou knowest that I am not wicked, And there is none that can deliver out of thy hand?

8 Thy hands have framed me and fashioned me Together round about; yet thou dost destroy me. 9 Remember, I beseech thee, that thou hast fashioned me as clay; And wilt thou bring me into dust again? 10 Hast thou not poured me out as milk, And curdled me like cheese? 11 Thou hast clothed me with skin and flesh, And knit me together with bones and sinews. 12 Thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; And thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. 13 Yet these things thou didst hide in thy heart; I know that this is with thee:

14 If I sin, then thou markest me, And thou wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity. 15 If I be wicked, woe unto me; And if I be righteous, yet shall I not lift up my head; Being filled with ignominy, And looking upon mine affliction. 16 And if [my head] exalt itself, thou huntest me as a lion; And again thou showest thyself marvellous upon me. 17 Thou renewest thy witnesses against me, And increasest thine indignation upon me: Changes and warfare are with me. 18 Wherefore then hast thou brought me forth out of the womb? I had given up the ghost, and no eye had seen me. 19 I should have been as though I had not been; I should have been carried from the womb to the grave. 20 Are not my days few? cease then, And let me alone, that I may take comfort a little, 21 Before I go whence I shall not return, [Even] to the land of darkness and of the shadow of death; 22 The land dark as midnight, [The land] of the shadow of death, without any order, And where the light is as midnight.

Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch

26 But an angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza: the same is desert. 27 And he arose and went: and behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship; 28 and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29 And the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. 30 And Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? 31 And he said, How can I, except some one shall guide me? And he besought Philip to come up and sit with him. 32 Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; And as a lamb before his shearer is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth: 33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: His generation who shall declare? For his life is taken from the earth. 34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other? 35 And Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached unto him Jesus. 36 And as they went on the way, they came unto a certain water; and the eunuch saith, Behold, [here is] water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? 37 [And Philip said, If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.] 38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they both went down into the water, both Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. 39 And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing. 40 But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Caesarea.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 8:26-40

Commentary on Acts 8:26-40

(Read Acts 8:26-40)

Philip was directed to go to a desert. Sometimes God opens a door of opportunity to his ministers in very unlikely places. We should study to do good to those we come into company with by travelling. We should not be so shy of all strangers as some affect to be. As to those of whom we know nothing else, we know this, that they have souls. It is wisdom for men of business to redeem time for holy duties; to fill up every minute with something which will turn to a good account. In reading the word of God, we should often pause, to inquire of whom and of what the sacred writers spake; but especially our thoughts should be employed about the Redeemer. The Ethiopian was convinced by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, of the exact fulfilment of the Scripture, was made to understand the nature of the Messiah's kingdom and salvation, and desired to be numbered among the disciples of Christ. Those who seek the truth, and employ their time in searching the Scriptures, will be sure to reap advantages. The avowal of the Ethiopian must be understood as expressing simple reliance on Christ for salvation, and unreserved devotion to Him. Let us not be satisfied till we get faith, as the Ethiopian did, by diligent study of the Holy Scriptures, and the teaching of the Spirit of God; let us not be satisfied till we get it fixed as a principle in our hearts. As soon as he was baptized, the Spirit of God took Philip from him, so that he saw him no more; but this tended to confirm his faith. When the inquirer after salvation becomes acquainted with Jesus and his gospel, he will go on his way rejoicing, and will fill up his station in society, and discharge his duties, from other motives, and in another manner than heretofore. Though baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, with water, it is not enough without the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Lord, grant this to every one of us; then shall we go on our way rejoicing.