111 Then answered Zophar the Naamathite, and said, 2 Should not the multitude of words be answered? And should a man full of talk be justified? 3 Should thy boastings make men hold their peace? And when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed? 4 For thou sayest, My doctrine is pure, And I am clean in thine eyes. 5 But oh that God would speak, And open his lips against thee, 6 And that he would show thee the secrets of wisdom! For he is manifold in understanding. Know therefore that God exacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.
7 Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8 It is high as heaven; what canst thou do? Deeper than Sheol; What canst thou know? 9 The measure thereof is longer than the earth, And broader than the sea. 10 If he pass through, and shut up, And all unto judgment, then who can hinder him? 11 For he knoweth false men: He seeth iniquity also, even though he consider it not. 12 But vain man is void of understanding, Yea, man is born [as] a wild ass's colt.
13 If thou set thy heart aright, And stretch out thy hands toward him; 14 If iniquity be in thy hand, put it far away, And let not unrighteousness dwell in thy tents. 15 Surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; Yea, thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: 16 For thou shalt forget thy misery; Thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away, 17 And [thy] life shall be clearer than the noonday; Though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning. 18 And thou shalt be secure, because there is hope; Yea, thou shalt search [about thee], and shalt take thy rest in safety. 19 Also thou shalt lie down, and none shall make thee afraid; Yea, many shall make suit unto thee. 20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail, And they shall have no way to flee; And their hope shall be the giving up of the ghost.
121 Then Job answered and said, 2 No doubt but ye are the people, And wisdom shall die with you. 3 But I have understanding as well as you; I am not inferior to you: Yea, who knoweth not such things as these? 4 I am as one that is a laughing-stock to his neighbor, I who called upon God, and he answered: The just, the perfect man is a laughing-stock. 5 In the thought of him that is at ease there is contempt for misfortune; It is ready for them whose foot slippeth.
6 The tents of robbers prosper, And they that provoke God are secure; Into whose hand God bringeth [abundantly]. 7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; And the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; And the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9 Who knoweth not in all these, That the hand of Jehovah hath wrought this, 10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, And the breath of all mankind? 11 Doth not the ear try words, Even as the palate tasteth its food?
12 With aged men is wisdom, And in length of days understanding. 13 With [God] is wisdom and might; He hath counsel and understanding. 14 Behold, he breaketh down, and it cannot be built again; He shutteth up a man, and there can be no opening. 15 Behold, he withholdeth the waters, and they dry up; Again, he sendeth them out, and they overturn the earth. 16 With him is strength and wisdom; The deceived and the deceiver are his. 17 He leadeth counsellors away stripped, And judges maketh he fools. 18 He looseth the bond of kings, And he bindeth their loins with a girdle. 19 He leadeth priests away stripped, And overthroweth the mighty. 20 He removeth the speech of the trusty, And taketh away the understanding of the elders. 21 He poureth contempt upon princes, And looseth the belt of the strong. 22 He uncovereth deep things out of darkness, And bringeth out to light the shadow of death. 23 He increaseth the nations, and he destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and he leadeth them captive. 24 He taketh away understanding from the chiefs of the people of the earth, And causeth them to wander in a wilderness where there is no way. 25 They grope in the dark without light; And he maketh them to stagger like a drunken man.
131 Lo, mine eye hath seen all [this], Mine ear hath heard and understood it. 2 What ye know, [the same] do I know also: I am not inferior unto you. 3 Surely I would speak to the Almighty, And I desire to reason with God. 4 But ye are forgers of lies; Ye are all physicians of no value. 5 Oh that ye would altogether hold your peace! And it would be your wisdom. 6 Hear now my reasoning, And hearken to the pleadings of my lips. 7 Will ye speak unrighteously for God, And talk deceitfully for him? 8 Will ye show partiality to him? Will ye contend for God? 9 Is it good that he should search you out? Or as one deceiveth a man, will ye deceive him? 10 He will surely reprove you, If ye do secretly show partiality. 11 Shall not his majesty make you afraid, And his dread fall upon you? 12 Your memorable sayings are proverbs of ashes, Your defences are defences of clay.
13 Hold your peace, let me alone, that I may speak; And let come on me what will. 14 Wherefore should I take my flesh in my teeth, And put my life in my hand? 15 Behold, he will slay me; I have no hope: Nevertheless I will maintain my ways before him. 16 This also shall be my salvation, That a godless man shall not come before him. 17 Hear diligently my speech, And let my declaration be in your ears. 18 Behold now, I have set my cause in order; I know that I am righteous. 19 Who is he that will contend with me? For then would I hold my peace and give up the ghost. 20 Only do not two things unto me; Then will I not hide myself from thy face: 21 Withdraw thy hand far from me; And let not thy terror make me afraid. 22 Then call thou, and I will answer; Or let me speak, and answer thou me.
23 How many are mine iniquities and sins? Make me to know my transgression and my sin. 24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face, And holdest me for thine enemy? 25 Wilt thou harass a driven leaf? And wilt thou pursue the dry stubble? 26 For thou writest bitter things against me, And makest me to inherit the iniquities of my youth: 27 Thou puttest my feet also in the stocks, And markest all my paths; Thou settest a bound to the soles of my feet: 28 Though I am like a rotten thing that consumeth, Like a garment that is moth-eaten.
91 But Saul, yet breathing threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, 2 and asked of him letters to Damascus unto the synagogues, that if he found any that were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. 3 And as he journeyed, it came to pass that he drew nigh unto Damascus: and suddenly there shone round about him a light out of heaven: 4 and he fell upon the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 5 And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And he [said], I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: 6 but rise, and enter into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. 7 And the men that journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing the voice, but beholding no man. 8 And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9 And he was three days without sight, and did neither eat nor drink.
10 Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said unto him in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I [am here], Lord. 11 And the Lord [said] unto him, Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth; 12 and he hath seen a man named Ananias coming in, and laying his hands on him, that he might receive his sight. 13 But Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard from many of this man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusalem: 14 and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call upon thy name. 15 But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings, and the children of Israel: 16 for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake. 17 And Ananias departed, and entered into the house; and laying his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, [even] Jesus, who appeared unto thee in the way which thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit. 18 And straightway there fell from his eyes as it were scales, and he received his sight; and he arose and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened. And he was certain days with the disciples that were at Damascus.
20 And straightway in the synagogues he proclaimed Jesus, that he is the Son of God. 21 And all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that in Jerusalem made havoc of them that called on this name? and he had come hither for this intent, that he might bring them bound before the chief priests.
(Read Acts 9:1-9)
So ill informed was Saul, that he thought he ought to do all he could against the name of Christ, and that he did God service thereby; he seemed to breathe in this as in his element. Let us not despair of renewing grace for the conversion of the greatest sinners, nor let such despair of the pardoning mercy of God for the greatest sin. It is a signal token of Divine favour, if God, by the inward working of his grace, or the outward events of his providence, stops us from prosecuting or executing sinful purposes. Saul saw that Just One, 14; 26:13. How near to us is the unseen world! It is but for God to draw aside the veil, and objects are presented to the view, compared with which, whatever is most admired on earth is mean and contemptible. Saul submitted without reserve, desirous to know what the Lord Jesus would have him to do. Christ's discoveries of himself to poor souls are humbling; they lay them very low, in mean thoughts of themselves. For three days Saul took no food, and it pleased God to leave him for that time without relief. His sins were now set in order before him; he was in the dark concerning his own spiritual state, and wounded in spirit for sin. When a sinner is brought to a proper sense of his own state and conduct, he will cast himself wholly on the mercy of the Saviour, asking what he would have him to do. God will direct the humbled sinner, and though he does not often bring transgressors to joy and peace in believing, without sorrows and distress of conscience, under which the soul is deeply engaged as to eternal things, yet happy are those who sow in tears, for they shall reap in joy.
(Read Acts 9:10-22)
A good work was begun in Saul, when he was brought to Christ's feet with those words, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And never did Christ leave any who were brought to that. Behold, the proud Pharisee, the unmerciful oppressor, the daring blasphemer, prayeth! And thus it is even now, and with the proud infidel, or the abandoned sinner. What happy tidings are these to all who understand the nature and power of prayer, of such prayer as the humbled sinner presents for the blessings of free salvation! Now he began to pray after another manner than he had done; before, he said his prayers, now, he prayed them. Regenerating grace sets people on praying; you may as well find a living man without breath, as a living Christian without prayer. Yet even eminent disciples, like Ananias, sometimes stagger at the commands of the Lord. But it is the Lord's glory to surpass our scanty expectations, and show that those are vessels of his mercy whom we are apt to consider as objects of his vengeance. The teaching of the Holy Spirit takes away the scales of ignorance and pride from the understanding; then the sinner becomes a new creature, and endeavours to recommend the anointed Saviour, the Son of God, to his former companions.
