Good Men not Always At Their Best
J. Caryl. Job 3:1-26 After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day.… 1. The holiest person in this life doth not always keep in the same frame of holiness. "The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil?" This was the language we lately heard; but now cursing — certainly his spirit had been in a more holy frame, more sedate and quiet, than now it was. At the best in this life we are but imperfect; yet at some time we are more imperfect than we are at another. 2. Great sufferings may fill the mouths of holiest persons with great complainings. 3. Satan, with his utmost power and policy, with his strongest temptations and assaults, can never fully attain his ends upon the children of God. What was it that the devil undertook for? was it not to make Job curse his God? and yet when he had done his worst, and spent his malice upon him, he could but make Job curse his day, — this was far short of what Satan hoped. 4. God doth graciously forget and pass by the distempered speeches and bitter complainings of His servants under great afflictions. (J. Caryl.) Parallel Verses KJV: After this opened Job his mouth, and cursed his day. WEB: After this Job opened his mouth, and cursed the day of his birth.