He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not;
God looks upon men, and when any admits that he has sinned and twisted what was right and gained nothing by it, that admission opens the way to prayer, repentance and forgiveness. The saying stands in Elihu's plea to convince Job of his own littleness beside God's greatness, teaching that affliction can serve as discipline to impart truth rather than as mere punishment for sin. God first seeks to withdraw man from proud purposes and keep him from the pit by His Word and by dreams, but when he does not heed, He speaks more impressively by wasting pain that brings life near the grave, all under His reigning control and never beyond what is right. When the sufferer is near destruction a rare interpreting messenger shows him God's uprightness, and God asks only honest confession and willingness to be made right, then Himself supplies the strength and performs the work. That true repentance owns guilt from the heart, forsakes sin as utterly unprofitable, and is met with grace that finds a ransom, delivers from the pit, heals and renews to youth and light, so that no sinner, however old or wretched, has gone too far to be saved.
Setting and Wording
The verse belongs to the speeches of Elihu in Job 32-37, the third of four parts of the book alongside the prologue, the debate between Job and his three friends, and the speeches of the Lord out of the storm-cloud. The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible and the oldest poetical book that has come down, thought by many to have been written by Moses in the land of Midian. It is part of Elihu's argument to Job whose purpose is to convince Job that he himself is not very great while God is everything. Job makes no answer to this plea, and no comment whatever is given upon it.
It belongs to Elihu's teaching that affliction can serve as discipline rather than punishment for sin. It is part of a passage about affliction teaching a person more truth. It has been held beside this to belong to the friends' claim that their wisdom and observations establish the truth. Their claims of that kind were often generally true but misapplied to Job, since suffering does not prove that a person is under God's displeasure.
The verse pictures God looking upon men, and if any says he has sinned and perverted what was right and it profited him not. It describes a person acknowledging sin and having turned from what was right without gaining any benefit from wrongdoing. This confession is connected with prayer, repentance, and forgiveness.
Affliction, Confession, and Deliverance
Every trial is sent to teach a truth not learned in prosperity, because God seeks to mold men after the divine similitude, and when they will not bend He passes them through the fire of affliction. God first speaks once, yea twice, by His Word and by visions and dreams to withdraw man from proud purposes and to keep back his soul from the pit, but when man does not perceive or heed through hearing He speaks in a more impressive way by chastening with pain upon the bed and strong pain in the bones. That chastening wastes the flesh, makes the bones stick out, makes life abhor bread and the soul abhor dainty meat, and brings the soul near the grave and the life to the destroyers.
Affliction does not come by accident or chance, for the Lord reigns, sees and knows the trials of His children and controls them, and by His angels delivers from every assault of Satan, permitting attack only when the harm can be overruled for good. He never lays on man more than is right, and suffers with him in all his affliction. The correction was made necessary by fullness of bread and indulgence in dainty meat that dulled hearing.
Suffering is God's repeated working and voice for physical and spiritual rescue, to open ears dull of hearing, to correct him that he may confess sin and return to the path of right, to preserve him from destruction, and to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living. It is not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with coal-tar drugs, which is Satan's opposing lie. When the sufferer is near destruction, a messenger, one among a thousand, an interpreter who translates the experience, shows man God's uprightness by impressing that the same kind hand that gave roses, lilies and pinks now presses the bitter cup, while the many misrepresent God as harsh or blame others.
The verse gives the shortest and most explicit course in soul-saving methods for those in trouble and despair. God requires very little from the sinner — honest confession that he has sinned and twisted what was right and gained nothing by it, and willingness to be perfect even as God is perfect — and God Himself does very much, not using His great power to overawe the sinner but offering it as strength to be used within him, actually performing the required perfection for him as soon as he is willing. That confession is the language of a sinner who truly repents, recognizing from the depths of the heart together with the cry for deliverance from the body of death that transgression brings no profit and that sin is exceedingly sinful, with no disposition toward sin except to forsake it and be delivered from its power. It is bringing forth fruit meet for repentance, and recognizing the wrong and its failure is part of repentance and return to God, joined to God's mercy, pardon, and forgiveness for the penitent.
No sinner has gone too far to be saved; even one who has been unkind and wretched may own guilt, leave the burden behind, and be forgiven, with heart and face changed so old things pass away and all becomes new. God will save anyone who confesses, even a very old sinner who has spent all his life accumulating wealth and living selfishly and fears his soul is lost and that he will soon die. When he has fulfilled what God asks in acknowledging his sin and its unprofitableness he can know by the word of Him who can never fail that forgiveness is granted, just as he would know a faithful friend would grant a favor when its requirements were met.
Then God is gracious and commands deliverance from going down to the pit because a ransom is found, delivering the soul from going into the pit and bringing the life into light to be enlightened with the light of the living. He heals the wound and makes whole, begets new life, makes flesh fresher than a child's, returns him to the days of youth, restores lost years, and delivers the righteous out of all his afflictions. What is seen in this work is only a portion and sample of God's ways, yet it is enough to know that God is love and that the hand of love is present in every experience.
God looks upon men, and when any admits that he has sinned and twisted what was right and gained nothing by it, that admission opens the way to prayer, repentance and forgiveness. The saying stands in Elihu's plea to convince Job of his own littleness beside God's greatness, teaching that affliction can serve as discipline to impart truth rather than as mere punishment for sin. God first seeks to withdraw man from proud purposes and keep him from the pit by His Word and by dreams, but when he does not heed, He speaks more impressively by wasting pain that brings life near the grave, all under His reigning control and never beyond what is right. When the sufferer is near destruction a rare interpreting messenger shows him God's uprightness, and God asks only honest confession and willingness to be made right, then Himself supplies the strength and performs the work. That true repentance owns guilt from the heart, forsakes sin as utterly unprofitable, and is met with grace that finds a ransom, delivers from the pit, heals and renews to youth and light, so that no sinner, however old or wretched, has gone too far to be saved.
Setting and Wording
The verse belongs to the speeches of Elihu in Job 32-37, the third of four parts of the book alongside the prologue, the debate between Job and his three friends, and the speeches of the Lord out of the storm-cloud. The book of Job is the oldest book in the Bible and the oldest poetical book that has come down, thought by many to have been written by Moses in the land of Midian. It is part of Elihu's argument to Job whose purpose is to convince Job that he himself is not very great while God is everything. Job makes no answer to this plea, and no comment whatever is given upon it.
It belongs to Elihu's teaching that affliction can serve as discipline rather than punishment for sin. It is part of a passage about affliction teaching a person more truth. It has been held beside this to belong to the friends' claim that their wisdom and observations establish the truth. Their claims of that kind were often generally true but misapplied to Job, since suffering does not prove that a person is under God's displeasure.
The verse pictures God looking upon men, and if any says he has sinned and perverted what was right and it profited him not. It describes a person acknowledging sin and having turned from what was right without gaining any benefit from wrongdoing. This confession is connected with prayer, repentance, and forgiveness.
Affliction, Confession, and Deliverance
Every trial is sent to teach a truth not learned in prosperity, because God seeks to mold men after the divine similitude, and when they will not bend He passes them through the fire of affliction. God first speaks once, yea twice, by His Word and by visions and dreams to withdraw man from proud purposes and to keep back his soul from the pit, but when man does not perceive or heed through hearing He speaks in a more impressive way by chastening with pain upon the bed and strong pain in the bones. That chastening wastes the flesh, makes the bones stick out, makes life abhor bread and the soul abhor dainty meat, and brings the soul near the grave and the life to the destroyers.
Affliction does not come by accident or chance, for the Lord reigns, sees and knows the trials of His children and controls them, and by His angels delivers from every assault of Satan, permitting attack only when the harm can be overruled for good. He never lays on man more than is right, and suffers with him in all his affliction. The correction was made necessary by fullness of bread and indulgence in dainty meat that dulled hearing.
Suffering is God's repeated working and voice for physical and spiritual rescue, to open ears dull of hearing, to correct him that he may confess sin and return to the path of right, to preserve him from destruction, and to bring back his soul from the pit to be enlightened with the light of the living. It is not an enemy to be hushed and stifled with coal-tar drugs, which is Satan's opposing lie. When the sufferer is near destruction, a messenger, one among a thousand, an interpreter who translates the experience, shows man God's uprightness by impressing that the same kind hand that gave roses, lilies and pinks now presses the bitter cup, while the many misrepresent God as harsh or blame others.
The verse gives the shortest and most explicit course in soul-saving methods for those in trouble and despair. God requires very little from the sinner — honest confession that he has sinned and twisted what was right and gained nothing by it, and willingness to be perfect even as God is perfect — and God Himself does very much, not using His great power to overawe the sinner but offering it as strength to be used within him, actually performing the required perfection for him as soon as he is willing. That confession is the language of a sinner who truly repents, recognizing from the depths of the heart together with the cry for deliverance from the body of death that transgression brings no profit and that sin is exceedingly sinful, with no disposition toward sin except to forsake it and be delivered from its power. It is bringing forth fruit meet for repentance, and recognizing the wrong and its failure is part of repentance and return to God, joined to God's mercy, pardon, and forgiveness for the penitent.
No sinner has gone too far to be saved; even one who has been unkind and wretched may own guilt, leave the burden behind, and be forgiven, with heart and face changed so old things pass away and all becomes new. God will save anyone who confesses, even a very old sinner who has spent all his life accumulating wealth and living selfishly and fears his soul is lost and that he will soon die. When he has fulfilled what God asks in acknowledging his sin and its unprofitableness he can know by the word of Him who can never fail that forgiveness is granted, just as he would know a faithful friend would grant a favor when its requirements were met.
Then God is gracious and commands deliverance from going down to the pit because a ransom is found, delivering the soul from going into the pit and bringing the life into light to be enlightened with the light of the living. He heals the wound and makes whole, begets new life, makes flesh fresher than a child's, returns him to the days of youth, restores lost years, and delivers the righteous out of all his afflictions. What is seen in this work is only a portion and sample of God's ways, yet it is enough to know that God is love and that the hand of love is present in every experience.